I Stopped Wearing Makeup for Two Weeks and This Is What Happened

Working at home has become my 99% full-time work schedule, and as a result, I'll be honest, I don't wear makeup that much anymore. Maybe a little mascara here and there if I'm just hanging out. Recently, I just stopped wearing it altogether. Granted, we didn't have to be anywhere fancy, so it didn't matter much. I pretty much sat inside working while it snowed outside for a couple weeks, and only went to the grocery store, a few other public places, and my ice skating lessons.

I used to put mascara on everyday, no matter what, because, I didn't want to look tired, and, for some reason, not having black eyelashes means I obviously look sick or tired and HEAVEN FORBID I LOOK EITHER OF THOSE THINGS. I am a woman, I must look energized and happy and SMILE and be pretty no matter what! It's the law!

I don't wear a lot of makeup normally, and my makeup rarely changes how I look that much, but I've grown up in this world where I, and other women, feel some sort of expectation to paint our faces in order to be acceptable in public. And, for some reason, once you hit puberty, you're kind of just transitioned into this world of hiding how you look naturally with makeup, razors, waxes, padded bras, flat irons, hair dye and everything.

So, I just didn't put any makeup on for two weeks. At first I thought I looked sloppy, but I wasn't actually a total slob. I was dressed in my normal clothing, and did my hair. I just didn't wear any face paint. By the end of the week, I just didn't care. I stopped looking as tired, to myself, and just looked like normal me. My eyelashes, eyebrows and natural hair color are all the same -- a dark shade of dishwater blonde.

Nobody said anything weird to me out in public, or even looked at me weird. Why do we have this preoccupation with people thinking anything about us? I never care if a woman doesn't wear makeup, why would anyone care if I do? My husband often says I look great without it, and doesn't know why women even feel like they even have to wear it. (Love him.)

The lessons I learned that week were valuable.

1. No one cares what I look like. They really, truly, don't care. Like, why would they even?
2. Without makeup, my skin and eyes felt MUCH healthier.
3. I am perfectly fine the way I am.

If you haven't done this, I recommend it. Over time you start to see yourself as you really are, and it's a beautiful thing to begin to accept yourself. Over those two weeks, I started to get used to seeing myself without makeup, and appreciate my appearance instead of want to alter it.

Here are some other beautiful women without makeup. I love these Hollywood before and afters, it just goes to show you that these flawless women we see on the big screen, are normal people just like us. They just have really good makeup artists.
(Photos from insider.com)

++ Have you gone without makeup for a while? What was your experience? 

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