Would You Go Makeup Less?

Saturday 26 March 2011

Hey Ladies,

Overnight bags are a pain to lump about on public transport are they not? We all have our overnight kits & mine is rather heavy & I lug it about on public transport to get to & from my destination, it contains everything I could possibly need for a night away & I dread the thought of being without something so I overpack & being the dedicated blogger I am I tend to take my Macbook with me so I can blog or reply to YouTube comments. My bag is therefore very heavy, don't you just wish you could travel with only your handbag containing your face wash & the next days clothing within it & do away with the overnight bag. My question is would you go without makeup the next day if you were travelling home on public transport?


My basic kit minus a laptop & handbag.
Well today I did just that, not as a social experiment or to see if I actually could go without makeup I was just too lazy to apply my makeup at 8am!

And do you know what, I never thought it would be so difficult to feel confident without that layer of makeup. How is it that all our confidence is reliant in that little bag of tricks we cart around with us? I think of myself as a confident person in life I don't really care too much what others think of me yet I found myself convinced that people were staring at my makeup-less face & talking to the person next to them pointing out all my flaws & when walking past two young (20+) males made my stomach turn. Now I'm no Kate Moss so I don't expect wolf whistles when I walk past people but when I have that layer of magic on my face I can walk past with my head held confidently & men notice that, I'm ashamed to admit I walked past with most of my hair covering my face! I even felt judged for looking like crap by the woman getting me my sausage McMuffin. Self confidence is something that apparently is easily bought with a simple trip to Boots (other self confidence shops are available) & it makes me feel so shallow to know that at 24 years old I'd rather go without food on a day out than go without makeup on my face. Don't judge me.

So what is it that stops us from leaving the house without makeup? I really believe it's harder to be a woman than a man most of the time, men can get up 10 minutes before they have to leave the house & just throw on some clothes use the bathroom then go, women get up an hour (?? for me 30 mins) before they have to leave the house, we have to prepare the skin, apply makeup, get dressed & do our hair. (i'm being very general here obviously there are exceptions)

Why is this the case? I really believe women are expected to look a certain way in this society, to look as good as they possibly can by having 'perfect' skin, hair, makeup, nails & body & if they don't reach their 'potential' get judged by other people ie women. I'm sure most of us can admit to saying something bitchy about another woman's appearance, it's a self assurance thing that you have to look better than a person who doesn't try, your friend agrees with the bitchy comment & life goes on. Why is it not acceptable at times to look like a tramp & not feel judged for doing so??

I'd love all your opinions on this, do you go out in full public view makeup less? & what do you think it is that makes it pretty unacceptable to dare leave the house looking less than polished?

15 comments

  1. i did the same thing today, went on the train with no makeup, i felt ok but i don't think i'd feel the same if i was around a lot of people i would see again

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is such a brilliant, well written post!

    I think its great that you went out in no makeup. I could never ever do that. I have so little confidence even with makeup, I couldnt possible leave the house without it. I don't even like my own family seeing me without makeup, so even the though of going into town without it fills me with fear.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know exactly what you mean.
    Now I am willing to leave the house without make-up on, but I feel like I look awful, especially when people comment on how tired I look. They think that I don't know this, so feel the need to inform me. Grrr. It's like slapping you round the face and saying, 'oooh you look awful.'
    I feel make-up boosts my confidence. Now I don't use it like a mask to cover my features, but I like to slightly tone them down.
    Like my freckles for example: I have a lot, mostly you wouldn't notice when I'm wearing make-up, because it tones them down. You can still see them, but not as vividly.
    Make-up hides my bags, and my dreaded spots, but it also highlights my eyes and my cheeks. (quite literally at times)
    I love how make-up gives you confidence, and I'm not ashamed of it. I think my problem is people's honestly when you don't look you bright and colourful self.
    It may take a bit longer in the mornings to get ready, but if I'm using a foundation that's easy to work with, I enjoy putting on my make-up. And while I enjoy it, I won't change it. When the time comes that I hate putting make-up on, then might be the time to change my opinion.
    Thank you for this post, I really enjoyed it, as you can tell. haha.
    Katie
    x

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm afraid to say that as much as I love makeup, I'm very lazy! Most days, I tend not to wear it as I roll out of bed at 8:30 and am in school by 8:45! :o

    Luckily, I've got pretty good skin (not taking into account it's as dry as sandpaper) so I don't feel too self conscious without it. Actually, I'd say if I wear makeup I always feel more self-conscious at school simply because I always end up feeling over made up!

    Some days, I'll use a radiance balm or a sheer foundation/tinted moisturiser to even out my skin tone and make my skin more glowy most of the time, I just don't bother! :o

    Great post! :) x

    ReplyDelete
  5. i would never do it, unless i had to leave the house because of an emergency, just because my face is red and purple and i dont feel confident at all with it x

    ReplyDelete
  6. I used to never ever under any circumstances go out without makeup. That has gradually ground to a halt since being with my boyfriend because he is such an ego-booster, always reassuring me that I look just as lovely without makeup as I do with. I have to admit though that a small part of me still resents wearing no makeup whatsoever, I feel much better even if I just shade my eyebrows in and put on a little bit of mascara. I know exactly what you mean, you don't feel as attractive and as such your self-confidence is sucked out of you then you begin to feel insecure about your other bodily 'imperfections'. I'm slowly getting to the point where I don't have to wear makeup, but I think I'll always reach for the little bits when I have time. It's such a shame that we women feel this way because there really is nothing wrong with us, but the focus on beauty and perfection is and always has been everywhere you go, in magazines, on tv adverts, posters, billboards, buses, newspapers etc. I think also once you're in the habit of drawing confidence from feeling like you look good from your makeup it makes it all the more difficult to feel confident without it. A very thoughtful post, I like it :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your post is perfect timing. I literally just got home today from a five day trip to Colorado and as soon as i arrived there I realized I had left my makeup/skincare bag in my bathroom at home. So for three days I went without makeup, since I didn't want to spend loads of money getting new makeup that I really only needed for the week. I felt so awkward going out makeup-less but after I was out for a couple hours I didn't even realize I didn't have it on, which was great. But the first hour of two being out each day I was quite nervous, especially since I don't have clear skin. Anyways after about three days I started using a tiny bit of my mom's loose powder (which was much more tan than my skin color so I had to blend away) with a little mascara. But after putting just that little bit of makeup on I had a lot more confidence going out.
    Anyways great post, it made me think of how reliant I am of makeup and how I desperately wish I could go back to the days where a bit of mascara was all I needed!

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh no i couldnt live without my make up - not even for a day xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. You know, I'm OK leaving the house without makeup on.I always put on sunscreen, but I don't hate myself if I go out without makeup on.I try and take really good care of my skin and keep my eye brows groomed so that I always look a little polished.When I was younger I used to wear a lot more makeup.I had to force myself out of it because I didn't want to get to the point where I hated seeing myself without makeup on. I'm not perfect, I have blemishes and pores and stuff. But I just tell myself that I should enjoy it as much as I can now, because when I'm 50 I will look back and think how beautiful I looked!

    ReplyDelete
  10. on the way down to London last month I had to get a 7am train, get up at 5 & put makeup on? chance. So I went with nothing on apart from a bit of mascara, I felt like a tramp, & like you said I felt like everyone was staring at me because of this. Horrible!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I always wear make up when I'm out, I'm just so in the habit of getting up and making time to apply at least foundation, concealer, powder, blusher and mascara. I had to pop to get milk this morning but still showered, put my hair up nicely and applied light make up before I went over the road.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I dont think ive ever gone a day without makeup outdoors for the past 4/5 years and im only 17. I think there is pressure on women to look perfect or "a certain way" and it shouldnt be like that :) x

    ReplyDelete
  13. I try to go at least 2 days a week without wearing no make up at all just to let my skin breathe and whenever I get on the tube I feel so self conscious. I don’t know if its paranoia or people are actually staring in shock at my bare face but I never seem to feel this way when I am wearing make up.

    It’s a horrible feeling being so dependent on make up to feel confident but its due today’s society and the pressures put on women to look “perfect”.

    Things only seem to be getting worse, I saw a documentary recently about 8 and 9 year olds needing foundation and spray tans to look pretty at school!! Fashion and media industries only seem to promote this ideal further leading to more pressure being placed on women which quite sad really.

    Great post, keep them coming:)

    esha x

    ReplyDelete
  14. I absolutely love make-up and everything to do with it but i only ever wear make-up on special occasions and feel self-conscious when i do so. so pretty much the opposite.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is a tricky one...
    I personally NEVER leave the house without make-up, there's something about being bare faced which makes me want to run and hide. I suppose the lack of self confidence is to do with that and although my other half tells me often that he loves me with or without make-up, I still can't bring myself to brave the outside world without that layer of magic!!
    A great post, it really highlights the trials that women (young and old) go through with self esteem.
    Maybe a sponsored "no make-up day" is in order?
    Katie x

    www.blueberriesnstrawberries.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Obsessed By Beauty © . Design by Berenica Designs.