If
you are a lady reading this, I reckon the chances of you being a makeup lover
are quite high. Some say makeup is like marmite: you either love it or hate it…
whichever side you fall upon, this blogg entry will be food for thought.
Makeup;
you may wear it every day for the whole day, or maybe just at some point in the
day... If you own lipstick, foundation, concealer or anything along those lines
then this blog entry is aimed at you :)
Now
don't worry, I am not about to list the reasons why make up is good or bad for
you, but I am about to challenge your views on the necessity of makeup... you
may want to get comfy for this read...
Just
so you understand where I'm coming from, I will give you a brief history about
my personal relationship with makeup. I come from a family where the only make
up in the house was loose face powder. My mother was never one to wear anything
else and so it remains like that with her, till this day. Me on the other hand,
got lulled into the world of make up in my last year of secondary school. It
was my school leaver’s ball (the UK’s equivalent to the American school Prom) and
I was getting ready at a friend's house. My friend insisted that my eyebrows
needed shaping and that I would look great with eyeliner; and so it began from
there!
I
went through college like a mad scientist desperate to find the secret formula
to looking ‘beautiful.’ I was experimenting with different creams, foundations,
lip balms, powders brushes and everything... you name it and I’ve probably
tried it! In spite of my genuine efforts to fall in love with makeup, it became
apparent, that we just weren't a match made in heaven. I was so frustrated with
not being able to find the right foundation match for my skin tone, the right
powder or the right anything! The application of make up to my face always
seemed to make me look worse and I remember the stares of horror I would get
when on public transport, which did nothing for my self confidence as a
teenager. I knew makeup wasn't for me but somehow I had got it into my head
that I needed to apply it to my face before leaving the house... and so began
my dependency on the stuff. I was hooked!
It
was now a psychological issue where I lacked the confidence to go anywhere or
do anything without having makeup on, even though my application of it was definitely
all wrong, making me look even worse than I did naturally anyway! (I can say
this in hindsight; at the time I thought I looked hot lol). This continued all
through college and most of my university days. It was only after university, when another
friend of mine introduced me to Mary Kay concealers and foundations, and helped
me find my colour match, did I realise that make up (if applied correctly)
could be such a wonderful thing! =)
This
was all well and good but there was still one big problem! The issue of my non-existent
self-confidence! Having found some make up that actually looked good on me, my
dependency on it increased dramatically. I literally hated speaking to anybody
face-to-face without my concealer and foundation.
Now
to cut a long story short ... I am thankful to God that today I walk out the
house with my face completely naked and free from everything (except some
moisturising cream for the skin and good ol’ trusted Vaseline for the lips)
without giving a second thought to makeup. It feels great being able to rub my
eyes without the worry of ruining my eyeliner or mascara, hug someone without
the worry of my foundation or powder rubbing off on their clothes or simply
rubbing my face without the worry of rubbing my eyebrows off! (Just some of the
joys of wearing makeup.)
Over
time I have learned to like 'me' and to literally be comfortable in my own
skin. Now I am not saying that I will never wear makeup
ever again, (I’ll probably be seen wearing something like face powder one day…
or who knows I may even go all out with some eye-shadow and mascara) I'm just
pointing out that makeup is no longer a NECESSITY. I don't need it to feel
attractive or confident. I wake up feeling great about myself each day (which
is an awesome state of mind to be in).
Some
may argue that they only use makeup to ENHANCE their beauty. There may also be
cases where people suffer from skin scarring from an accident or an illness and
makeup helps them get through each day; I am not condemning this at all. I am
simply pointing out that when you become fully dependent on makeup in anyway…
It can be a dangerous cycle! As long as you have a balance and you understand
that you (as an individual) are so much more than just your outer appearance
then that's a healthy state of mind to be in, (in my opinion).
Unfortunately
there are a lot of ladies and young girls who are trapped in the psychological,
vicious cycle of being dependent on makeup in every day life. When you get all
your self-confidence from your makeup or you put life on hold because you
haven't got your makeup on... that's a problem! Wouldn't it be great if we
teach our little girls and young ladies that beauty comes from within, not from
a face powder or blusher…. there's is more to a person than their outer appearance!
Now
please remember, I'm not saying all makeup is bad and that you should never
wear it! It's all about your own state of mind towards the stuff and not being
dependent on it in order to simply enjoy life!
I
encourage you to embrace your natural beauty, be confident in yourself and how
God created you! Be independent and free from the image the 'world' and
society tries to place on you and just be you! It's taken me a while to get to ‘that
place’, but I thank God I got there and have managed to stay ‘there’... as you see in the picture, I am loving my natural skin & natural hair.... (hmmm
.... natural hair....now there's a topic to discuss …. But that’s another story for
another day, before I spark a major debate!!!!)
In
rounding up I will say that personally I love the level of confidence that I
have reached, it wasn't an easy journey but if I can do it, then so can you!
-Mrs A-x
P.s What are your thoughts about this topic? Leave a comment... & check out the video that I made about this topic some years ago.
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