in my skin

4/10/2018

I'm trying to embrace my natural-ness as much as my comfort allows. :) For me...right now, this means that I don't wear makeup most days. I spent years battling acne, so it feels quite liberating to go without makeup. That being said, I appreciate that make-up can be helpful. This is just a personal story...not any sort of prescription.

History :: I started wearing face powder when I was in sixth grade by (well-meaning) suggestion. I'm assuming that my acne started then. As the years went on, I wore heavier foundation under that powder along with blush, lipstick, mascara + eyeshadow...every day. Big hair + nail polish was part of the look of the day as well. I started to be afraid of swimming with friends (we lived in a town on the shores of Lake Michigan), for fear of being caught without my "face" + hairstyle. I received the (unwelcomed) nickname of "glamour girl" at my hospital job as a teenager. All the while, I dreamed of having clear enough skin + thick enough hair to just leave all of the makeup + hairspray behind.

Baseball cap ponytails were a favorite hairstyle during my sleep deprived college days. I stopped wearing lipstick when I couldn't resist kissing my babies all the time + didn't want to leave my lips all over them. I stopped wearing eye make-up quite so much when I started wearing glasses. I feel like the glasses add some definition there + sometimes feel like my mascara-ed lashes look a little odd magnified behind glasses. As my skin cleared, I wore less + less make-up.

Less waste :: Zero-waste makeup options do exist, but can be quite pricey + involve packages in the mail (which are not without waste + transport impacts). As I move toward zero-waste, I realize that one of the best ways to reduce my waste is simply to use fewer products where possible. Last summer, while I had my summer glow + as I did my zero-waste check-in...I realized that I was hardly wearing make-up at all. I decided to just put it away + see how it went. I kept my blush, eye shadow + mascara...just not in the top drawer. I haven't really looked back. Most days, I just apply some face cream (in the cold months) + lip balm...done.

Acclimating :: I found that there was a bit of an adjustment to "seeing" + accepting myself without (or even with less) makeup. When we see a friend that we are used to seeing only with makeup...without makeup...we notice. The same goes for when we see someone who usually doesn't wear much makeup...and seeing them fully made up. We just notice. It's mostly about being used to a look. I'm now used to seeing myself without makeup...and I'm good with it, because it is me. :) Today, my most likely (but not at all usual) additions would be a little bronzy blush + a little brownish eye-shadow. (I tried bulk cocoa + cinnamon, but neither seemed to show up at all.)

Eye training :: Another help for me is admiring confident, intelligent, beautiful, inspiring, talented, empowering women who (at least sometimes) embrace the natural look. I've always been most attracted to this look + tried to emulate it with make-up too. As I peel away another layer, I especially notice photos of beauties without eye make-up. I love a good smokey eye, but there is also so much beauty, confidence, acceptance, generosity + joy that shines through a bare face. :) I am so grateful to all of these women for sharing theirs with me. I came across these beautiful words...and since I had just written this...reading it brought tears: "It feels good to truly love yourself the way you are. Where you are. As you are." Thank you, LaTonya. I'm trying to let that sink down deep.

Values :: What do I want to communicate with my appearance? What do I really want to do? I'd like to communicate that I am approachable, kind, compassionate, loving, friendly, down-to-earth, + yes, have a sense of my own style. I'd like to be ready for a walk or a picnic or a smooch or a squeeze or a laugh so hard + long that it makes tears stream. Not saying that any of this can't be done while wearing make-up...just that none of them are make-up dependent. :)

We women are unique beauties + every freckle, scar, + wrinkle is part of that. We are our own + each other's harshest critics, but we can choose to celebrate one another (+ our own skin too) instead. Wear makeup, if you like. Don't, if you don't want to. We all deserve to feel good in our skin.

Loads of love to all of you beautiful friends,
Jane

4 Comments

Priscilla Bettis link

4/10/2018 10:51:34 am

Thanks for sharing your story, Jane. I have a similar story. I had adult acne until my mid 30s. When I finally started waking up in the morning without looking in the mirror to see what blemishes I needed to cover up, it was so FREEing. No more spending time and money on makeup, no bathroom clutter, no carrying it around for touch-ups, no more worrying if I got some on the sofa if I took nap. . . just all around better. I was completely happy with my healthy skin and the looks of my face (big nose and all!).

Then at a ladies' gathering, I won a makeover. I didn't want it, but I tried to be gracious and accept it, and I dutifully showed up for my makeover a few days later. When the makeup artist asked me what I didn't like concerning my face, I said, "Nothing! It's finally healthy-looking." She looked me over and said, "Your pores are too big. We can do something about that so they're less noticeable."

I understand how professional women in certain careers are basically expected to wear make up. (Sales and newscasting come to mind.) But at that moment, for me in my sports-related profession, I thought, "What a shallow comment! Pores? Who cares? I love my skin and how healthy it finally is!"

So still even with my pores and now with wrinkles and some age spots, I don't wear makeup. I prefer to enjoy that happy feeling and not be weighed down by the time and money commitment and the clutter of makeup.

As far as waste goes, I don't think about makeup waste at all since I haven't worn makeup in years.

As a p.s. I do know some people who use makeup as art, their faces become a canvas. I get that. I like to be creative, too. I just enjoy my art in either the written word or in paintings I can hang on a wall.

Jane link

4/10/2018 02:33:20 pm

I love this story, Priscilla. Thank you for sharing it. I love your attitude + confidence. I don't like that you remember what the makeover person said to you...but I hope that she remembers that moment too. I hope that it makes her stop to consider that your answer is what her job is all about...not selling another product or adding just a little bit more. I would have loved for that conversation to have resulted in her saying something more along the lines of- How refreshing! I couldn't agree more! You look vibrant + beautiful in your own skin. What's your secret? :)

Kari

4/10/2018 12:32:59 pm

I don't wear makeup when I'm at home and going nowhere that day. But I do wear a touch of blush and face powder on days when I'm going out and I add lipstick for church and special occasions. After I hit 50 all the natural colour seemed to vanish from my face, hence the blush and lipstick. I just got tired of people asking if I was feeling okay. And you'd think, now that I'm in my 50s, that my face wouldn't be shiny anymore. But it is, hence the powder on the t-zone.

Jane link

4/10/2018 02:39:43 pm

I resisted the urge to name this post- embracing my pale. I hear you. It sounds like we are quite similar...even down to that shine. It's been interesting to note that it actually lends itself to the desired "dewy" look lately. :)

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in my skin

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