Makeup: celebration or prison?

Makeup usually starts off as a lot of fun!

I have always loved colour.  🌈😍

I remember when I was in primary school, there was a paint tray which we could mix different coloured paints in, and I vividly recall the delight I felt from mixing a little red with white to make a pale pink.  So much fun!

And I also have an early memory of grabbing a purple felt tip pen and being thrilled with how my nails looked when I coloured them in!  Again, so much fun! 

I’m not alone.  Many people all over the world take pleasure in adorning their bodies with colour.  It can be a wonderful celebration of the beauty of life.

But as we grow up, makeup often begins to reflect a belief that our natural appearance is inadequate.

And yet for many women, at some point, it can turn sour.  

I'm in touch with women who feel enslaved to their makeup routine, and they don’t even like how they look when it’s done.  It takes them hours to complete every day, and they are too afraid to leave the house without it.  

Makeup, for them, has turned into a mask, a way to conceal how they truly look.  It is no longer a celebration.  The joy has gone. They wear makeup, not because they want to, but because they think they have to.  Without it, they consider their face to be unacceptably ugly.

I stopped wearing makeup a few years ago.  It wasn’t a conscious decision.  It’s just something that transpired as part of my healing journey.  

I don’t feel strongly about it – maybe I’ll go back to wearing makeup in the future.  I love colour after all!  

And just as I enjoy writing poetry as a form of self-expression, I think applying makeup can be another way to play.

But I don’t want to go back to using makeup to cover how I naturally look because I’m ashamed of my body.  

You don't need to use makeup to make yourself look more beautiful.

And I’m glad I now see that makeup doesn’t make anyone look more beautiful or attractive.  

• Skin with acne doesn’t need to be concealed.
• Eyelashes don’t need to look thicker or longer than they already do.
• Lips don’t need to look fuller.

These rules are all made up.  Your face is fine as it is.  Don't believe the hype. 

I’m happy that I can leave the house in a hurry and spend my time how I want now. 🥰

And you can too!  

When you come to understand that beauty can’t come from makeup, then you’re free to enjoy it if you choose, safe in the knowledge you never need it.

If you’d like to feel less reliant on makeup, check out my free resources or how to work with me.

Conclusion

• Makeup can be fun. But it can also be used as a mask when we're feeling insecure.
• Using makeup can be a way to try to make your face conform with today's so-called 'beauty' standards.
• Applying makeup can be both costly and time-consuming if the objective is to significantly change your appearance.
• When you recognise that your value and beauty can't come from makeup - even when other people give you the opposite message - you will be free to use makeup if and when you choose without feeling beholden to it.

And now it's over to you.  Tell me about your experience with makeup.

• Do you wear makeup?
• How do you feel about it?

Let me know in the comment box below.  I'd love to hear about your experience.

Reach out if you'd like support

If you struggle to feel good enough in your body, check out my free resources or find out how you can work with me.

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