The No-Makeup Experiment

As many of you already know, I'm on a personal quest to live a more natural, organic lifestyle. I want to make better choices for me and for my family. That means healthier food, more family activities, and more family based decisions. That's why we've spent so long making sure we pick the perfect place to move to raise our family.

In this quest for a more wholesome life, lived to the absolute fullest, I tried to evaluate which ways I could improve my day-to-day. How could I save time, how could I help myself feel more secure, confident, exactly how I am? And one thing occurred to me: I am far too dependent on makeup.

My daily routine used to include (but was not limited to): foundation, under-eye concealer, pressed powder, blush, highlighter, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and lipstick. No joke. It was getting out of control. So I asked myself "Who am I doing this for? God thinks I'm gorgeous exactly how he made me, my husband prefers when I don't wear it, and I'm not looking to impress any men out there. So who is this for? Other girls? What do I care what they think??"

It's so true. What do I care? If I'm trying to maintain friendships with people who require me to wear makeup, I shouldn't be pursuing those relationships. The people who love me should love me for exactly who I am, right at the very core of me. They should love my heart, and my soul. They should barely even notice my external appearance, and if they do notice it, they should be thinking "Man, she looks happy." Because we all should be valued for our inner beauty. Our appearance shouldn't matter at all, not even a little bit. In any facet of our lives.

So I decided then and there that I would conduct a personal experiment. Stop wearing makeup, cold turkey. Just not even touch it. I wanted to see how long I could survive without it, how it would make me feel to be without it. And you know what I discovered?

God made me so perfect.

Maybe not by society's standards, you probably wouldn't see this face in a magazine, but this is my face the way God created it. Not a speck of makeup on it. Natural, beautiful, and free.

Now, this isn't to say that I think there's anything wrong with wearing makeup, but I definitely think it should be viewed differently. I used to need to put something on if I was just running to the grocery store. "What if someone I know sees me?" I would think. I was just so worried what others would think of my face without makeup on it. And after these past couple of weeks it's really starting to occur to me how superficial it can be when it's used incorrectly.

I think that makeup and cosmetics should be viewed as an article of clothing, a mask if you will. Sometimes it's okay to wear a mask, if you're trying to create a certain brand for your business, or you're attending a special occasion, like a wedding. Sure, put on your high heels and your makeup, an additional article of clothing involved in "dressing up." But I do really feel as though it should be viewed as "dressing up." And that at the end of the day, and in everyday life, I need to be comfortable with who I am, exactly who I am. Exactly how I am made.

No other decision I have made so far has had a more profound impact on my life. I feel like it affects everything I do, the way I act, the way I feel. I have to confess though that at first it was far from easy.

I started by going to a shopping mall without any makeup on. A relatively easy thing to do, since it's likely I wouldn't know anybody there. I tried on some clothes, and had to look at my raw, "bare" face in every mirror. That was difficult, forcing myself to see past the superficial face I was used to seeing in those store mirrors. Trying to remind myself that I wasn't looking at some strange version of myself. Trying to remember that the made-up face was the strange version, and the one I saw before me was the natural, true version.

Next I went to shoot a photo session for a couple I had never met before. It took a lot of courage to go naked. That's how I felt. I found myself feeling vulnerable, because suddenly my truest self was shining through. I couldn't hide behind a mask, I couldn't play a different part. I had to be exactly myself, knowing full well that if I were rejected for that self, they would be rejecting the real me. At least with the mask on you can pretend they're rejecting a different person. But I did it. With a clean face I went to the shoot, I did my job.

The next hurdle I overcame was doing a shoot for a family that I had shot before. And I knew that they'd only ever seen me with my made-up face. I worried that they might think there's something wrong with me, that they might think I'm sick, or that I'm crazy, or that being a mother had somehow made me "let myself go." I worried that they might think I wasn't holding up well as a mother, that the fact that I didn't take the time to do my face would mean to them that I wasn't managing my life.

But I did that too. I went. I shot. I came home. And I discovered the most incredible thing.

Nobody cares.

Nobody cares even a little bit whether I've got makeup on or not. So long as I'm just acting like my normal, confident, funny quirky self they could not care less what my face looks like. They treated me exactly how they always treat me, and in some cases (like store clerks and sales people) I was actually treated in a more friendly and personable manner. I think because I didn't look intimidating. I looked approachable. And I think women in general felt more at ease because they didn't feel like they had to compete with me in any way, or like I might be judging them.

And as each day of my experiment passed, the more comfortable I became with my appearance. The more I began to appreciate every freckle on my face, the way my nose kind of bumps in the middle, the way the brown in my eyes really stands out without all of the extra all around them. I've realized that I have really naturally pink lips, and generally clear, even toned skin.

When I tell other women about this experiment, they don't react the way I expected. They don't tell me that I look terrible or sickly without it, they don't look at me like I'm a crazy naturalist hippie. They simply say "Wow, you're brave." or "I wish I could do that."

And there are so many other little benefits, too. The other day I laughed so hard at a movie that tears streamed down my face, and I didn't have to worry once that my makeup was destroyed. I can leave my home on a moments notice without needing half an hour to get ready. I can rub my eyes any time I feel like it (and I'm a BIG eye rubber!)

I generally feel happier, braver, more free, and more laid back. I feel like without focusing so much on my appearance I can focus more on how I love others, how I can give back to them, how I can affect the world around me so much farther without the added burden of putting on a mask. And maybe if I can be vulnerable, it will make others feel like they have permission to be vulnerable too.

So I challenge you.
Give it a try.

It probably won't be easy if you're as dependent on your makeup as I was. But I think it's definitely worth a try. You don't have to give it up completely. I'm not claiming to have done that myself (I'll probably still throw some on for weddings and extra special occasions!) but I think if you just give it a try once - just once - you might discover something about yourself, and about the world. And how can that be bad?

And maybe one day women won't have to wear makeup to feel strong and confident. Maybe there's a day in the future when we'll look back in history and laugh at the lengths women went to in pursuit of happiness in their personal beauty. Maybe there's a day women will be valued for their confidence, for their strength, for their intelligence and generosity of spirit, and appearance won't matter. That thought alone is enough to motivate me to continue with my "experiment" that has quickly become more than an experiment. It's becoming my way of life. And maybe, just maybe, I can inspire others to value themselves for more than their external beauty, too.

Here's hoping.