Image courtesy of models.com
I am waging a war against make-up.
A war of attrition. I don’t know if make-up knows about it, but my face sure does. As do some of my closest friends, who’ve recently seen me bare-faced and may not have recognized me for it.
I don’t really know quite how it started — or, at least, I can’t pinpoint its provenance — but I do know it’s about to become a lot more difficult. Ya see, sunglasses are my best friend right now; I’ve been wearing them for the majority of my time outdoors. Yes, yes, I’m waging a bit of a cop-out war thus far. Just call me Donny.
But come colder weather (and fall I do adore), and there go my shades. They’ve served as a handy cover-up for my visage sans actual cover-up, but once it gets colder, I can’t wear sunglasses without feeling like a total tool. I know, in the winter, the sun reflecting off the snow can apparently create harsher UV rays than the sun alone during summer, yet I immediately presume anyone wearing sunglasses in winter to be a tool. And I don’t see myself getting over this assumption anytime soon. Fashion over function, friends.
Anyways, back to the war at hand. I used to be able to easily depart for the day with nothing artificially enhancing my face but for some mascara. And I still can, but habitually I’m also wearing a bit of concealer, blush, and often enough, eyeliner.
But that mascara is still my real safety blanket. I don’t know what it is, but without it, I glance in the mirror and see something sallow and sunken. I know: mascara isn’t even really the product meant to deal with those problems, yet it somehow assuages my concerns.
And it’s this dependence I’m working to obliterate with my WMD: practice. That’s right, I’m talking about practice. So unlike my man Iverson there in that clip, I’m going to practice. Until I can leave the sunglasses behind willingly. No more everyday clown face for me.
My brother used to ask me if I realized that I was literally “painting my face on” every morning, and I think I finally have. So I’m at least going to try to do it less now. Maybe, eventually, never. And I can only wish that one day, in some way, I will look as good without make-up as do these beautiful, brave, fantastic women.
Big whoop dee do. I have been going without makeup forever. This is not ground breaking stuff.
You are quite beautiful without makeup.
I understand the *need* to wear makeup every day and the various reason many women feel they have to load it on every day.
I think it’s more important that women become comfortable with what they look like without makeup.
Again (even though I’m posting backwards), I’d much rather see a picture of you without makeup than a picture of a supermodel. I find you much easier to relate to than Helena Christensen.
Anon.: I didn’t mean for my post to sound like the herald for a revolution, just a personal development. My apologies if that didn’t come across clearly.
Miranda: Thank you.
I agree that what’s most important is women not using makeup as a shield for what they (erroneously) see as their natural defects, and instead as an occasional enhancement.
The problem is that the routine of wearing it everyday can make it hard to see yourself without it; I’m workin’ on it.
And I contemplate putting pictures of myself on here, but so far I like the slight spectre of mystery.