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My main issue with makeup is when people depend on it in order to feel good about themselves. A good example of what I am talking about is in episode 9 of Last Man Standing (Attractive Architect). For those who have not seen this episode or do not watch the show. Here is a little recap:
Eve takes all the makeup in the house and hides it to make a point to her makeup-obsessed sister, Mandy. Mandy is then forced to go to school with no makeup and she basically tried to hide her face from everyone. She is so dependent on makeup that she feels ugly and can't function without it.
Mandy learned that without makeup, people think she is smart and a lot of "nerds" try to talk to her, which she considered a bad thing. In the end, she comes to this conclusion:
"I learned something really important today. Life is beautiful. But it’s more beautiful when you’re beautiful." Mandy (The Last Man Standing).
This episode left a bad taste in my mouth for many reasons. One, you shouldn't judge someone based on how they look. Two, women should want to be seen for more than a pretty face. Unlike Mandy, I would rather be seen as smart and successful rather than attractive and dumb.
Here are my top 5 reasons for not wearing makeup:
1. Makeup Does Not Make You Beautiful
We should not need makeup to look and feel beautiful. In fact, I actually find people who do not wear makeup to be more attractive than those who do. The best kind of makeup, in my opinion, is the kind where you can't tell the person is even wearing makeup, but at that point, it's kind of like why bother putting on makeup?If you are so dependent on makeup in order to feel good, it's an addiction. Makeup may not be as damaging to the body as drugs or alcohol, but it definitely can affect your mental health and affect your self-esteem, especially if you depend on it to cover whatever flaws you feel you may have, which I can assure you, you don't have any. We are all beautiful in our own, unique way.
If you are so focused, so obsessed, on one "flaw," then you may have Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BBD) and should look into getting help.
If you use makeup to attract the opposite sex, that's problematic too. Honestly, who wants a guy who only wants you because of how you look?
When I first started getting interested in makeup (yes I have worn it in the past), I was in high school and it was my younger sister who actually was interested in first, which got me interested. My mom did not wear makeup, or if she did I could not tell and I never saw her put it on. I know she owned some tubes of lipstick, but again, I do not remember ever seeing her use it!
If my mom had been more into makeup, I am sure it would have impacted me sooner, which is why I am more hesitant now to even consider wearing makeup as I do not want my daughter to feel she needs it to be pretty. I want her to love the way she looks, so by seeing how confident I am in my own skin, I am hoping she will learn as I did from my mother, that makeup is not needed to be beautiful.
2. Time Consuming
As soon as I started putting on makeup, I began to realize it was not worth the time for me. For one I had no idea what I was doing and no one to really teach me, so applying makeup took me a good 30-45 mins in the morning just to make sure it looked okay or at least what I thought was okay, which often ended up with me looking well, just like me. I did play around more with eyeshadow as I loved the colors.Like I said in the intro, makeup is fun as an art, but I just didn't think the art was worth my time. I am still amazed at what some people can do with it though.
For those interested in what the average time spent on makeup for a woman is, well here is what a survey found:
"Women spend an average of 55 minutes every day working on their appearance... That amounts to 335 hours every year — or an entire two-week vacation — lost to their looks, according to the TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image Survey released Monday." (Source)
To me, that is time wasted. I have better things to do than paint my face every morning, only to wash it off before going to bed and starting again the next day. Personally, I would rather take that two-week vacation than wear makeup.
However, if that's your jam, then do it! I'm sure there are things I waste my time doing that you wouldn't do either, like binge-watching on Netflix or even writing this post!
3. Expensive
Makeup is just not cheap."A new survey from SkinStore.com reports that the average woman wears about $8 worth of makeup and skincare products every day. That adds up to almost $250 a month and well over $200,000 in a lifetime." (Source)
I don't know about you, but I can find a ton of other things I would rather spend $250 on, or better yet, save that up for a vacation!
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But again, if that's your jam, do it! I spend money on things you probably think are a waste too.
4. It's Uncomfortable & Inconvenient
I have attempted to wear mascara and it sucked when I couldn't rub my eyes in fear of smearing it everywhere, or even a tearful yawn could be a disaster. I did eventually get waterproof mascara, but even that would rub off. In the end, I ditched it.Eyeshadow was also a pain for this reason, but not as bad as Mascara.
I could never do lipstick or lip gloss. I wiped it off immediately. Having something sticky on your lips is just unpleasant. Plus then you have to worry about leaving lipstick stains on your glass or smearing it while eating. I think our wedding day was the only day I managed to wear lipstick, but I had it done at a Salon, so the quality was probably a lot better than what I had on hand.
I have tried face creams to hide blemishes and various other products, but the sticky textures annoyed me, so I never did them again. I couldn't do powders as they rub off if you touch your face.
Makeup was just a hassle I was not going to put up with on a daily basis and so it became more of a special event type of thing, and now I never put it on. Like I said, I think the last time I wore makeup was on my wedding day.
5. Animal Cruelty & The Environment
Many makeup products are still tested on animals to this day. Sure you can go out of your way to find cruelty-free products, but a lot of the time those can't be trusted either as cruelty-free can just mean the actual product hasn't been tested on animals, but the ingredients in them may have. You can read more about cruelty-free labels on MSPCA's website.
Makeup also uses a lot of plastic and thus creates a lot of plastic waste. It's more eco-friendly to not use makeup but you can find alternatives such as wooden brushes and making sure the products you buy do not create a lot of carbon emissions. Unfortunately, eco-friendly makeup products tend to be even more expensive.
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I would like to reiterate these are reasons I don't wear makeup. I also feel you don't need to either, but if you want to, that is YOUR decision. I am not telling anyone not to wear makeup, just sharing why I don't and feel you don't need to, but if you want to, then go ahead!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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