Not wearing any makeup for a week wasn’t as bad as I expected
It was only half as bad
If you ask me my opinion on makeup, I’ll tell you it’s the greatest thing ever invented, even before sliced bread. Makeup allows us to cover everything we don’t like, and shape and highlight what we do.
Going without makeup for more than a day is something that’s always been a huge no-no in my book – something that scared me and made me uncomfortable, which is precisely why I decided to go an entire week without wearing makeup.
Eyeliner so sharp it can cut my enemies
Day one
After spending approximately five minutes attacking my face with a makeup wipe, I was confident that all traces of the stuff were gone. I then proceeded to stare at my reflection in the mirror for approximately five more minutes, unsure what to do with all my newfound free time.
I spent my entire shift at work in constant fear of someone commenting on my lack of makeup. But after a six hour shift and zero comments on anything but my inability to operate the cash register fast enough, I started to relax.
It can’t be that bad, right? Right??
Day two
With my morning routine now consisting of little more than brushing my teeth and washing my face, I once again found myself with an abundance of free time before I actually needed to be ready.
With my fears of being without makeup somewhat subdued, I went to work with a lot more confidence than I had the day before. This confidence was quickly and painfully put to an end by a very kind elderly customer who decided to explain to me the value of a good night’s sleep and why I need one. I spent the rest of the day longing for my liquid eyeliner and an eyebrow pencil.
Contrary to what Disney tells us, sleep does not equal a perfectly dewy complexion
Day three
I was off from work and therefore not required to socialize with anyone unless I actually wanted to. Instead of wallowing on my couch all day as I had planned, I decided to try my luck and ventured out to the nearest bookstore.
After receiving no more or less notice than usual from the cashier, I started to relax.
Maybe life without makeup wasn’t so bad after all, but I was still mildly traumatized from the incident the day before.
To leave the house, or not to leave the house. That is the question
Day four
I finally realized that if I wasn’t going to spend 20 minutes on makeup every morning, I might as well spend it sleeping. Those extra 20 minutes of sleep almost made the less than attractive bags under my eyes worth it.
During my shift at work I received another comment on my lack of makeup from a younger customer, but all I could focus on was how her foundation was three shades too light.
That is three shades too light for her opinion to hold very much ground.
Too light or not, foundation is still foundation, and I wished desperately for some to hide the circles under my eyes.
TBH the extra sleep made it all worth it
Day two
Instead of enjoying my extra 20 minutes of sleep before work in the morning, I decided to put my free time to use in the form of a Starbucks run. I honestly thought the worst thing that could happen in a Starbucks was a skim milk shortage, I didn’t realize until this experiment that I was horribly wrong.
The worst thing that can happen in a Starbucks is having the barista give you your shot of expresso for free because “You look like you really need this today.”
Obviously I accepted the free espresso, because free is free, but it in no way lessened my horror.
You better bet I drank every last drop of my shame coffee
Day six
It was on this day that I started to notice the positive effects of living without makeup.
My skin was softer, my acne was clearing up and my eyes were less irritable. Makeup obviously has some negative effects on our skin, but I didn’t realize it until those effects were no longer present.
In addition to these positive changes, I was more rested and overall happier with my shortened routine. I received no further comments about my appearance from customers, though I did notice that people seemed less apt to seek me out for help. Then again, there’s a 90 percent chance that was in my head. The pros of life without makeup were making themselves known, but that didn’t mean I missed it any less.
And no makeup is for the week. Get it?
Day seven
The end was in sight, so close yet so far.
The final day in my quest to avoid makeup also coincided with my day off of work. I spent the day running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off doing errands.
While going to about a thousand different stores and Chipotle all in one day, I noticed that employees were actually nicer to me when I wasn’t wearing makeup.
One cashier actually went out of their way to find me a better deal on, ironically, new concealer.
The end was in sight, can you see the hope deep down in my eyes?
After seven consecutive days of no makeup, I was definitely glad to return to the world of concealing under eye circles and lining eyes.
My biggest critic throughout the entire process was myself, not the Starbucks barista or the foundation failed customer.
There were definitely more pros than I had anticipated – extra sleep, extra money (not spent on makeup/makeup wipes), and extra clear and soft skin.
My biggest problem was overcoming my own fear of what everyone else might think of me without makeup. Once I overcame this fear, the entire process was a lot easier, and while I definitely don’t foresee any more makeup free weeks, there will definitely be some makeup free days in the near future.