This post is oriented more toward women, but if you men would like to understand women better, then keep reading!

Our society loves makeup. Guys and girls alike. There is a huge and disproportionate emphasis on looks versus real beauty. Looks are only a part of that true beauty. Yet, it is a social norm for women to slather on a bunch of face paint to look a certain way, usually to try to look and feel more attractive. Men seem to like makeup on women too, mainly because it is what our culture tells us is true beauty.

This all became very real to me one day when one of my best friends confided in me, saying,” I’m terrified of not wearing makeup.” It surprised me so much because I had always thought that she looked great with or without makeup. In fact, I couldn’t really tell the difference between when she did and when she didn’t wear it, and she always looked beautiful in my opinion.

After being so surprised by this statement, I realized that she definitely was not the only one to feel this way. It is a huge pressure in our society. So many women wear makeup simply because they feel like they are ugly and unattractive without it, and they are terrified to take off the mask. I was surprised to find that I even used to feel like that too sometimes.

After this encounter, I decided that I would not become dependent on makeup to feel attractive like so many women unknowingly do. True beauty is not going to show through makeup anyways. True beauty comes from a woman who is confident enough within herself to have no need for makeup.

I don’t have a problem with makeup itself, and I have nothing against it. I think that it is great! Many women wear makeup because they simply love putting it on, and love feeling the anticipation while getting ready for a fun day, night out, etc. But when it becomes a crutch that you must use to feel attractive, and something you can’t leave the house without, it becomes a problem. Many women hide behind their makeup and don’t feel pretty enough to go without it. But the truth is that the more you feel like you need to put on makeup to feel attractive, the more you are subconsciously telling yourself that you are not pretty enough without it.

I’m not saying to never wear makeup again; I just want you to be aware of what your relationship is with makeup. Is it one that causes you stress? Do you feel like you have to wear it? Do you feel ugly without it? Why? Do you feel like you have to wear it to look attractive to men?

You don’t have to wear makeup. If a man doesn’t think you are pretty without makeup, then he is not the man for you. A good man will love you for who you are and how you look with or without makeup. He will love you for you- for your raw self. He will love all of you just how you are.

You should too.

 

The Challenge:

I challenge you to one month of no makeup! That’s right!

If you are terrified of taking off your makeup and going completely naked faced into the world, then you are one who needs to do it the most.

Along the way if you are having trouble, experiencing some great insights, etc., leave a comment to help other readers who decide to embark on their own 30-day no makeup challenge! Tell me how it went, what you learned, what was the most difficult for you, and any other advice you might have for others. Let’s support each other!

If you feel like a month is impossible for you, cut it in half and do a 15-day no makeup challenge. Once you have done that, you will be ready for the month-long challenge.

In the beginning, you will likely notice feeling very anxious, scared, and you will encounter a lot of doubt and negative self talk saying that you look ugly. But I want you to push through those negative comments and feelings, and tell yourself that you are beautiful just the way you are. And if people don’t like you without makeup then they aren’t the people you want to have in your life anyways.

Once you get past the insecurity phase, you will start to feel much better about yourself and your natural self image. You will realize how truly beautiful you are, and how great you look in your natural skin and your naked face. By the end of a month you won’t even realize that you aren’t wearing makeup. You won’t even notice that you have gone so long without it, and you won’t even think about it when getting ready. In fact, since completing my initial 30-day makeup fast, I have had a few two or three month periods where I have gone without it and didn’t even notice! I do wear makeup for fun on occasion, but it is such a freeing feeling to know that I don’t have to use it to feel beautiful.

Again, I’m not telling you to go throw out all of your makeup and never use it again. Makeup itself is not bad. It is just a thing, a product. It is your relationship with the makeup that is good or bad. You don’t have to be a slave to it. You should be able to be happy with how you look – with or without makeup. I suggest that any time in life you start feeling anxious and insecure about your looks, go on a makeup fast for a week or a month, or however long you need to regain your love for your true, natural looks.

To live your best life, you must be confident within yourself. You have to stop following the majority of people and start doing what makes you happy. You must do things for you, and not out of fear that you won’t be the same as the other people around you. It is more worrisome to be just like everyone else than to be the one who is different. Be yourself, love yourself, and follow your own path to your best life and best self.

 

To your natural beauty,

-Alex

ps- here is a link to a video of Alicia Keyes talking about why she wasn’t wearing makeup. She’s cool so I thought I would add it in here.  https://youtu.be/GmbFPPiK6D8