I have some thoughts on natural makeup that I’d like to share. No—this is not an influencer post nor an MLM opportunity for you to consider. I am not selling anything. All I want you to do is buy in to the notion that you (just you, not you with styled hair care or perfect makeup or trendy clothes or Instagram-worthy accessories) are a beautiful human.

Are you sold? Great. Love that for you. You must have an inherent self-confidence that many people would envy. Still need more info about this idea that the you that wakes up every morning with puffy eyes and unkempt hair is actually already perfect without a strict regimen of pruning and primping? Keep reading, my friend.

Since I was rather young, I possessed a healthy love of celebrity culture. Not to say I wanted to be a celebrity, I’ve just always been fascinated by the habits, hairstyles, wardrobes and whereabouts of some of the mortals who we elevate to demigod status in terms of standards of visual excellence. In high school, I poured over issues of People, Vogue, Seventeen and Harper’s Bazaar to find fashion inspiration and the “secrets” to other people’s beauty. I found myself swayed by the ads for the splashy drugstore brands and sophisticated luxury products and soon developed my own beauty routine full of creams, shadows, liners and glosses marketed to amplify my visage.

Through a series of trials and errors, by college I had eventually settled on a fairly minimal beauty look which I applied very consistently. My best friends and roommates saw me without makeup, but it was unlikely I’d be seen anywhere in public (including the beach) without some sort of natural enhancements. Because that was the overt message I was told—by society, by brands, by editorial spreads, by friends—makeup wasn’t meant to hide my features, just enhance them. It was not-so-subtly implied that I was meant to always be enhancing something. I took these concepts to heart and, while I avoided heavy makeup that significantly altered my features, I religiously put on products to make myself look desirable in an effort to keep up appearances.

But, gradually I tired of putting on and taking off makeup on a daily basis. During COVID, I thrived with no makeup throughout my work-from-home era. I saw no point in wasting products since Zoom seemed to distort my features regardless of my efforts. I also spent hours immersed in TikTok videos, most of which filled my screen with fun dances and interesting travel destinations, but often the algorithm delivered content overtaken by influencers (or would-be influencers) instructing me how to perfect a contoured face with about 10 different products in a routine that would take at least a quarter of an hour to complete. This type of content made me feel a bit ashamed, particularly when I went back to the office, and reassumed a makeup routine. Although the media format was new, the message was as old as time: I should be actively seeking ways to at least temporarily (if not permanently) shape shift my face.

I wanted to hold on to my quick and simple morning routine without a whole basket of beauty products, but was that to my detriment as a member of society? Plus, I was getting older and still single and didn’t want to be one of the only women in the world without a sun-kissed shimmer on her cheek or with a forehead that protruded. But, I considered, don’t my cheeks naturally have a bit of a pink flush? Is there even a “normal” standard for foreheads? Did I really need makeup to look like my best self? Or was it possible that my best self just me sans enhancements?

In the midst of the chaos of makeup tutorials, I found one satirical video which further challenged my reasons for wearing makeup at all. I increasingly asked myself questions like: Why did I “need” to change the arc of my nose with highlighter? Why should I be embarrassed by the natural shape of my eyebrows? Why did I need to minimize the size of my eyes or maximize the surface area of my lips? What was I trying to hide? Whose standards was I trying to live up to? Editorial magazines? Men? Influencers? Makeup companies? Was anyone actually keeping track of the level of my attractiveness? Why wasn’t my face good enough as it was?

As is often the case when we start asking big questions, I did not get any immediate answers, but spent many months mulling over my thoughts. Typically, we don’t expect men to wear makeup (and many are ridiculed if they do, even just to cover up dermatological issues). If we generally consider the males of the world to be naturally alluring, why can’t the same be said for women? That’s probably a whole different essay. My personal issue with makeup extended far beyond sexist double standards. I began to take issue with the idea that anyone in their natural form, created by a majestic Creator to exist in a world of so much natural beauty, needed to be enhanced.

Last summer, I traveled for eight weeks with a group of 20-somethings. Many days I didn’t wear any makeup (because heat and sweat and I just didn’t feel like it). At first, I was nervous that the college students would think I looked tired, or old, or ugly. Then, I realized I didn’t care. If I wanted to swipe on some mascara or a fun lip color because it was fun, yay! But if I had no time, no energy or no desire to make myself up, also yay! My face was already fine completely unadorned, I just needed to believe it.

Trends have changed over the years, but until the past few years, there have been few public conversations in my lifetime about forgoing makeup all together. Rather confusingly, even “no makeup” looks still require an armful of beauty products. This past spring, the actress Pamela Anderson made waves in the media when she wore no, absolutely NO, makeup to attend Paris fashion week. Why was that so notable? Because celebrities hardly ever show their actual face in public. For that matter, I considered, hardly any woman I know (none of which are celebrities) regularly shows their actual face in public. In the paparazzi photos, I thought Pamela looked very free and full of pure joy, unlike the majority of celebrities and/or regular people who pout their lips and vie for the best lighting to catch their best “angles.” There’s nothing wrong with a great beauty look or aiming to take a nice photo, but the public’s shocked reaction to Pamela daring to spend her time in Paris actually enjoying the city instead of doing “glam” for hours made me sad for all of us.

In March, I stopped wearing makeup pretty much all together. The more that I leaned into the comfort of my own skin, the more I forgot to notice that I wasn’t enhanced. The more I saw my undefined features in photos, the more I appreciated their subtleties and inherent quirks. In a similar vein, I have decided to not alter the silver hairs that have become more and more pronounced on the edges of my temples. It’s not because I think makeup or hair dye are evil (or that anyone who indulges in those natural enhancements is wrong for doing so). It’s because at this stage of life, I have prioritized seeing the unadulterated version of me on a regular basis over striving for manufactured “perfection.” I want to feel free to be just me.

My challenge for you, regardless of your current makeup routine (or lack thereof), your gender, or your age, is to allow yourself to believe you are a beautiful human. You, on your own, are enough. Material accessories of any kind do not increase your inherent worth. The temporary alterations of your appearance do not define your physical charm. Your face already possesses the marks of a skilled artist. Should you choose to cover up some grays or contour your cheekbones, I hope it is out of a sense of joy, rather than obligation. Whatever you choose to do, I hope that when you look in the mirror, you can still see your natural and beautiful makeup.

SDG

LMB #3