The origin
There are a handful of defining moments in life that really solidify the transition from a girl to a grown-ass woman. I won’t get into all the deets, but, for me, one of those moments was the first time I wore makeup to school. Like most young girls, I occasionally played with my mom’s makeup stash – meaning I just smeared it on my face like war paint – but I was never interested in actually learning the craft until 7th grade, when the other girls in my class started coming to school with shiny, overly pink lips, colors on their eyelids, and even mascara. A FOMO-er from an early age, I obviously didn’t want to be cast as the ‘ugly girl’ due to my lack of concealer and lipgloss. I knew immediate action had to be taken.
After school one day, my friend Hanna and I dropped by the local drugstore to purchase a few makeup items with our hard-earned allowance. I remember my selections like it was yesterday: a light purple Covergirl eye shadow; Wet N’ Wild bronzer; an eyebrow brush; the vanilla frosting flavored Lip Smackers (it really tasted like icing). The next day, I woke up extra early to try out my new goodies. As soon as I ventured downstairs for breakfast, I was stopped dead in my tracks by my mom – and interrogated about what was on my face. After a lot of begging (and maybe a mini-tantrum or two), I left the house wearing makeup for the first time.
Since then, I’ve always had an arsenal of beauty products that I’ve used religiously each morning. In college, I made sure my bare face was fully covered before I left for my 8am class. I’ve even been a loyal Birchbox member for the past three years, hoarding more lipsticks and eye shadows than I know what to do with.
Lately though, during recent after work happy hours and weeknight dinners, I’ve noticed that most of my girl friends brave work without a lick of makeup. With my face fully painted, I felt like a clown compared to them. When I questioned one of my friends about it, she shrugged and said, “I just don’t give a shit.” They didn’t feel the need to waste time getting dolled up each morning. But for some reason, I did. I couldn’t imagine walking out the door without – at minimum – a few dabs of concealer and a swipe of mascara. And that got me thinking – why wasn’t I more confident in my own skin? Why did I feel the need to cover up every blemish, red spot, and pale cheek while others were happy to parade around in the figurative nude?
Well, I’m not going to hide behind a mask of makeup this week. I’m stashing my stash and challenging myself to bare it all.
This week was reminiscent of that time I stepped outside my comfort zone for seven days straight. I’ve deliberately left my face bare on weekends – especially if I’m just running to the grocery store or meeting friends for brunch. But the thought of walking into work sans makeup was so nerve-wracking that I tried to come up with a completely different challenge to tackle. And when a pesky pimple popped up Sunday night, I almost threw in the towel altogether. I was terrified of those “Are you sick?” or “You look exhausted” remarks I’d received in the past when I’d skimped on my usual morning routine.
But come Monday, I braved the corporate world with minimal makeup. I’ll admit that I didn’t go completely bare – I couldn’t force myself out the door without attempting to camouflage that pimple with some concealer and a light dusting of powder. But I managed to bypass most of my go-to’s: mascara, blush, highlighter, and, my all-time favorite, red lipstick. Much to my surprise, those products went unused for the entire week – and I actually enjoyed it. Of course, there were a few low points, but I’ll let you read about those for yourself. Here’s a rundown of the pros and cons from this week:
I actually had time for breakfast. Forgoing makeup saved me roughly 15 minutes each morning, which left just enough time to construct an egg sandwich.
Without all the layers of chemicals smothering it, my skin actually had a chance to breathe. That pimple disappeared in less than 24 hours and I had a Jennifer Aniston-like glow all week.
On Friday night, I fell asleep without washing my face – and I didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it.
If I happened to get caught in a torrential downpour or experienced a sudden excessive crying bout, I wouldn’t have to worry about my mascara running.
Half the fun of hitting the town on the weekend is getting dolled up. Without my typical Friday night routine, an evening out with friends lost a little luster.
Even though my skin was on it’s A-game, there were definitely moments where my confidence experienced a slight dip due to lack of highlighter and red lip.
I missed my beauty products. After investing so much time and money into them, it was depressing to watch them sit under the skin, unused.
My Birchbox arrived early and I wasn’t able to try any of the samples for an entire week. It was torture.
I hate to admit it, but since this challenge ended, I’ve returned to my typical morning routine. I can’t help it. I’m just as obsessed with blushes and highlighters and bronzers today as I was back when I was a little girl. I definitely gained a new appreciation for women who are confident enough to bare it all. And while I’ll probably never join them, I’ll continue to admire their bravery from afar.
I’m doling out compliments next week – stop by for yours.
