I have never been the girl who is afraid to go out in public without makeup. In fact, most people are surprised to learn that I only wear makeup 2-3 times a week, and that is usually on the weekends. Monday–Thursday I am naked (on my face, that is) and unafraid. This means that pretty much everything I do during the week is done with a bare face: grocery store runs, doctor appointments, shopping, going out to eat, you name it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I look great without makeup. In fact, I should probably be more embarrassed that I don’t try harder during the week (especially considering my occupation! If I work during the week I often warn my clients that I will most likely be sans makeup.) I’ve wondered if this is offensive that I am often found bare faced and in sweat/yoga pants and flip flops (mostly because Stacey London says it is). But when I am at the grocery store I don’t give a second thought to those without makeup. In fact, I feel a kinship to them. And the people who are ready for the day? I usually think, “Good for them! How do they find the time/energy?” I attribute this attitude towards makeup to working at MAC for so many years and being paid to wear makeup. After years of this career the novelty and desire to wear makeup daily kind of wore off. It’s been years since I wore makeup on a daily basis and, now I think I must be immune to the embarrassment some people feel without its comfort.

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I came across this article recently and was very surprised by the writer’s trepidation for not wearing makeup. Is it really that big of a deal? Once I got thinking about it, there were a few things I realized when it comes to my personal not-wearing-makeup philosophy & experience:

//I should probably balance out not wearing makeup with doing my hair. The girl in the article was dressed nicely and had her hair coifed to counter her bare face. Not wearing makeup seems to be more generally acceptable when the person is actually dressed and their hair is done (i.e. they look like they showered that day).

//I am okay with the fact that I get treated differently when I am wearing makeup and when I am not. It actually seems like a bit of a social experiment when I go somewhere without makeup and then back to the same place with it. I feel a little invisible when I am bare faced, but that’s okay too. I’ve learned that a smile and a pleasant attitude is almost the same as being dressed to the nines on the daily.

//Skin is in. When I don’t wear makeup, my facial skin is front row & center. Because of this, I feel more inclined to take good care of my skin. This means excellent skin care, SPF, and drinking lots of water.

//For me, putting on makeup is a bit of a persona. People assume that I am that person all the time and I often get comments like “I just don’t have the time to get ready all the time like you do.” But think about it, no one takes pictures and posts them on social media without makeup, so we just assume that everyone (except us) is perpetually camera-ready. That’s hardly the case, and we need to all be kinder to ourselves, both with makeup and without.

Posted by Courtney

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