"Makeup is a lie"
still happy in both.
I used to hide underneath my insecurities, my worries, my self doubt and of course my acne, hyperpigmentation and scars.
“Yuk, her skin is actually so gross underneath all that makeup” “oh my god, I feel sorry for her boyfriend. I bet he’s never seen her makeup free” “stop caking our face, just embrace your natural beauty” – sounds familiar? Tired of it? Well here’s my two cents
First of all, our appearance is constantly examined by others, with or without makeup, we will never be able to please everyone, so just do what makes you feel good!! If makeup makes you feel confident, heck, keep fluttering those long eyelash extensions! If makeup makes you feel powerful, gal work that red lipstick! 😉 its your choice and you can do whatever you want, but I hope it’s not costing you your authenticity.
There is a harsh reality within the common phrase ‘MAKEUP IS A LIE’ as it has some sort of truth in it. Essentially, make up is a life IF you are UNABLE to accept your natural appearance.
Makeup is a lie if you feel like you can’t be yourself without makeup
Makeup is a life if you rely on wearing two layers of thick foundation and feel the need to wear it all the time
Makeup is a lie if you use it as a mask instead of a form of enhancement
For instance, I used to use make up to cover EVERY single spot on my face and couldn’t bear the thought of going outside without makeup because of my strong fear of judgement. I felt extremely pressured to maintain this unrealistic identity when I was in public domains because I believed my natural skin made me less attractive and less worthy.
As a result, this performative nature of my ‘public’ identity got really exhausting and placed me in this vicious cycle of depression. I was trapped and couldn’t form strong relationships because a part of me felt hidden, locked away.
How could I love another person without loving myself first?
However, it was only about a year ago that I was able to divorce the idea of my personal value from my surface level looks.
In other words, I was able to accept that my appearance DOES NOT define my self-worth. I no longer set myself up on an unrealistic pedestal that forces me to be perfect and this change feels super liberating.
I also understand the other side of this debate.
Women don’t just wear makeup because the NEED makeup. Sometimes they wear it because they WANT to, and I totally understand that because I do so myself!!
It invokes an element of happiness and a boost in confidence.
It can be used as a powerful weapon, in that it prepares us for the day – instead of looking tired, we wear concealer under our eyes to make us look and feel more alive. That’s not a lie?! We wear a face full of makeup on a night out to feel sexy, and we can do whatever we want so WHY NOT? :D as long as we don’t feel pressured to wear it, then makeup isn’t a lie to yourself or anyone for that matter.
All in all, I think each of you as beautiful human beings, unique in your own way and real beauty is accepting one another in spite of our different personal choices, whether it' is our choice to wear makeup or not. The only HERO who CAN and WILL save you is your OWN SELF CONFIDENCE.
XOXO Your gal, Liz