Why I Don't Wear Makeup, and That One Time I Did
Our wedding is in less than two months, and so this week I had my first ever wedding makeup trial!
Now, let's discuss the concept of makeup.
How does makeup fit into the life of a normal gal, as well as a traveler? Answer: I've never seen the point of makeup.
I've done pretty fine in my life without it (you know, career, family, friends, fiance, fun). So why would I spend the time and money on painting my face when it's unnecessary? Think about it this way: If you had the choice of breathing for free, versus breathing for $1 and an extra minute for every puff, which would you pick?
It's a similar choice to this: Would I rather wake up at 5:40am to get to school each morning makeup-free, or arise at 5:30am to paint my face with expensive chemicals? As far as I can tell, my 7th graders can still hear me without my lips being red, and that extra ten minutes of sleep at the crack of dawn is precious.
Now let's pause for a moment for photos from my admittedly super-fun wedding makeup trial this week:
Now, what about traveling with makeup? If you notice, my articles on what to pack for travel never include such items as "eyeliner" or "foundation." Why? First, I think it's downright dangerous. Eye makeup in particular can cause eye infections, and I sure as heck don't want to deal with conjunctivitis in rural Ghana.
During backpacking, it's hard enough to find a place to wash my hands well enough to take out my contact lenses without risk, let alone get enough water and scrubbing materials to fully take off eye makeup before sleep. Is the "benefit" of having slightly more defined eyelashes worth the risk of blindness from untreated or poorly treated infection?
And simply having a more defined eyelash line strikes me in itself as worrisome. Nearly all of my travels around the world have been as a solo female traveler, and for safety reasons, I often go out of my way to look less beautiful or feminine.
When I'm walking alone at night, I wear a baggy shirt to cover up, and night or day, I don't wear makeup in a strange city where I know no one. No woman should ever be assaulted, no matter how she's dressed, but, given that I had a scary episode in Vietnam involving a creepy man, I'm well aware that women always need to be aware of how we come across to people around us.
So that brings us to a final question regarding makeup: What's the point?
I'd actually love for any female readers to explain it to me in the comments section, below.
What are YOUR reasons for wearing makeup? What about during travel? What effects (positive or negative) have you experienced when painted and not? Do please share!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Makeup annoys me. Itches and I can never get it just right. Eyeliner irritates my eyes and I get too afraid I'm going to poke my eyes out. There really isn't much of point... But you look so different!
You are right! Makeup is unnecessary and the trade off is unfair. But it'll pay off once your wedding comes! :D Are you nervous? I know I would be! It'll be okay though, it's only one little day when you think about it!
I agree 100% with you Ms.Marshall. I also think make-up is just a tool we use that is completely useless. Make-up is like an impurity that you are polluting your face with. Nobody really cares if you have make-up on or not.
Good job on getting ready for your wedding! But make-up are basically a waste of time considering how it is not the image of the real you.
Don't worry Ms. Marshall! You are not the only one that does not put makeup everyday! I am one of those people who does not even buy makeup and thinks that it was a waste of money. I agree with you why people think that makeup has to be important in your life and has to wake up that early in the morning before school starts. A lot of girls I see has makeup on but people think I do too! They ask me if I have those eyelashes makeup and I was like no. Even though my eyelashes are long, that doesn't mean that I have makeup on.
Ms. Marshall, this would have to be one of my favorite articles ever. You look so beautiful, both with and without makeup. I hope you make an article about your wedding.
I will make a LOT of articles about my wedding, never fear :)
I think girls shouldn't have to wear make up to feel pretty or whatever.
WOW. You look so different after make-up, I didn't even realize it was you! However, about what you said about whether or not you should wear make-up, I think it depends on the person, I personally don't like make-up that much. It makes me feel clouded and it can be bad for you. Also, congratulations, I hope you have a wonderful wedding!
I agree with you. I think that make-up is a waste of money. You are just rubbing money all over your face. It doesn't matter how pretty a girl is. It depends on how they are in the inside. If you are pretty in the outside and ugly in the inside, it won't matter. I just want to say that makeup doesn't effect how you look. It is the inside that counts.
That doesn't even look like you!
Mad. Lilie
you look so very awesome and very young, You have really amazed me.happy you are getting married
. I AM HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Shulammite! Your powerful article continues to get comments from readers around the world: https://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2010/04/03/shulammites-article-extreme-poverty-and-my-classmate/
I don't really like makeup. Every time I put makeup on I end up looking like a clown anyways, so I don't really see a point in it.
Oh my goodness! You look amazing! I think that since you almost never wear makeup, you look so bold and beautiful. My favorite is definitely eyeliner... IT JUST MAKES YOUR EYES POP OUT! :D I really like the fact that you're very natural, not many women do that and it just makes you feel so much better because your fiance sees the beauty in you without the makeup.
Omg you look like a model! When I'm going to parties I do put on some makeup. I feel like a princess when having makeup on. :D Although it is negative at points. Seriously! It gets in your eyes and hard to do because your always messing up.
Wow! You look pretty all the time but here!?!?! You look GORGEOUS! You're right we don't need to wear makeup, but I still can't wait for my Quicenera so that I could wear make up from then and on, anyways Ms.Marshall I'm happy for you, and you truly deserve this because you do a lot for us, so thank you for that! Again you looked sooooooo pretty!
I certainly don't see why travelling girls would want makeup on when doing the travel part, but for the evenings, relaxing and stuff then I understand it makes a good release to feel away from the usual dirt and grime.
Great pics by the way, you actually wear make up well! My fiance seems to spend an age putting hers on and doesn't look all that different after all the effort (but don't tell her I said that!).
I really believe it's up to each individually how to then want to look. Personally I noticed as I've gotten older, I do like to look more polished especially at night for dinners out on the town, so a little bit of make-up gets put on really quickly in the morning or just before dinner (moisturizer+primer+light powder foundation+lip gloss/stain)
You look great Lillie! You must be getting excited about your upcoming wedding :)
Dear Ms Marshall,
Your lucky that you don't need makeup! Some of us (me, who have pimples) do. I like to wear makeup and most of the people I know like to wear makeup because it makes us feel pretty. I have know idea why but makeup just makes me feel confident. You probably think this is ridiculous but without makeup I kind of feel nervous people's eyes are wandering to my pimples and my pimples are for my eyes only!
I sometimes wear make-up while traveling for the same reasons we are wearing dresses here:
https://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2011/06/20/an-instant-way-to-add-flair-to-your-travel-and-tourism/
Sometimes you get a little better service when you look don't look like a grubby tourist, and, you might look a little better in your vacation photos.
This comment is coming from a former make-up-phobe. Lillie can confirm that I didn't wear any make-up for years, but now I usually wear it to work and when I go out at night. My make-up routine takes 5 minutes. Most of my travel is backpacking in the wilderness, so you won't ever find me wearing make-up there, but on urban vacations I usually take some.
I live and teach middle school in rural New Hampshire, and can count on one hand the number of times I have dragged out my sad, out-of-date makeup bag and applied anything to my face. I think I still own the same eyeshadow I bought for my wedding in 1996. When I do wear makeup, it is because I am trying to look like a grown-up teacher person for a presentation, appearance, or meeting - usually when I have to meet with students' parents about something serious. Maybe it's a very thin mask I am applying, but for whatever it seems to help.
However, when I bother to wear makeup, it's such a rare occurrence that my students ask if I am going out on a date with my husband after work or something. They notice EVERYTHING, so if I want the focus to be on class or the material I am teaching, rather than the state of my eyelashes, it's best to go au naturel to work. Besides...who the heck has that kind of time???
For what it's worth, I like the makeup for your wedding, as pictures will be taken with a flash. You'll appreciate the whole primer and spackle application when those shots come back and you don't look all blotchy or washed out. And as a Bostonian, I love the backdrop. I miss Copley Square. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
Make-up for me is an internal confidence booster. While other people may not notice my acne or uneven eyebrows, I do. Should I care? Probably not. Do I care? Yes. I wear make-up so that I can feel confident talking to other people without worrying about whether or not they are noticing things about me that make me insecure. I don't know if many people wear make-up with the goal of impressing others. It's awesome that you and so many of your readers feel comfortable enough in their own skin to go without anything on their faces. I feel like it goes hand-in-hand with all the other things we do to feel better about ourselves when we encounter others- straightening/curling/coloring hair, push-up bras, teeth whitening... I don't think it's all about being more attractive to others compared to feeling more confident. Even going to the gym isn't solely about fitness and health. I also enjoy make-up for the fun-factor. Crazy eyeshadow colors is a big draw for me.
Hi Lillie! Like everyone else in this comment thread, I think you look absolutely gorgeous without makeup. And I think that makes you unqualified to write the post! :p I mean, seriously, you look like a model; if I looked like you, I'd throw away all my makeup too.
When I take 5 minutes in the morning to put on a little make-up, it makes me feel pretty. Maybe I'm superficial. Or maybe I'm just a tad insecure. I know that's what in my brain and my heart are more important than what's on my face. But. I just like to feel pretty. And that's why women wear make-up.
Aw, you look so pretty! I loved that you're fiance said he loved you painted or not. So sweet! You're gonna look great at the wedding.(:
Whoa! You look so pretty! I think you look so different from before and after! I think you'll look stunning walking down the aisle! <3
Lillie! You are gorgeous!!! You are truly a naturally beautiful person inside and outside! I am fortunate to know you!
Ms. Marshall, you look so beautiful! I totally agree with you that people should not always cake their face with chemicals and colors. Everyone is beautiful in his or her own way and no one should rely on makeup to do that. I think that people wear makeup because they have insecurities about themselves that they want to hide with the makeup products. In addition, makeup is sometimes fun to put on because you can explore those wild colors that you would normally do not have or do not use. I think it is so cute that your fiancé loves you if you have makeup on or not. :)
Thanks, Elaine! :)
You look great with and without make-up! I wear make-up, but I definitely wear far less now than I used to. These days I tend to use powder, blusher and mascara - mainly because my features are not particularly striking without some emphasis. I don't do it to impress anybody else (I will happily go to the shop without any make-up on), but because I feel more confident when I'm wearing make-up. I also look older which is good because I still get asked for ID when I go into a bar!
So interesting! Thanks for sharing!
You are fortunate to be a natural beauty! I must wear some some make up or I frighten people. Having seen you in person I know you will look gorgeous at your wedding with or without it!
Gracias!!
I started wearing makeup when I wanted to look like a grown up employee - and *not* an intern (no offense to the wonderful interns who always had my back!) - at the company I worked for. I liked the way I looked au natural, but I felt like people didn't take me seriously. I stopped wearing it when I started grad school and stopped wearing suits! I'd put on some lip stain if I was working, but that was it. Then I bought make-up for my wedding (just basics from Bare Minerals), and practiced for a week leading up to the wedding to learn how to look like myself with a bit more polish. Then, y'know, I had it, so I just kept wearing it, and it has SPF and supposedly doesn't have the weird chemicals and all that... Now I finally ran out of the foundation, and I kind of miss it. No one but me can tell, apparently, (my friends were, shocked, SHOCKED to find makeup in my bathroom), so it must be internal... Husband definitely does NOT have any interest in my wearing makeup, but he's finally come to terms with it.
Fascinating!!!
I agree. You look lovely with or without makeup. I vote for the with since weddings really are semi performances with dress up clothes, fancy dancing, pretty flowers and huge cakes! Hey, how come we didn't get a glimpse of your mother all gussied up?
Yes, indeed it's a performance in a sense!
i wear makeup only if I'm performing - never in real life. I can't see the point, after all most men hate it, and I'm not gay so I don't care what women think.
Hi - I was wondering why you're deciding to do "full make-up" (fake eyelashes etc.) for your wedding if you don't wear any make-up on a daily basis.
I have been travelling for 7+ months and have basically stopped wearing make-up.
Ahh, you've caught me in the giant, embarrassing paradox of fashion: Though I'm against the idea of makeup in general, I'm totally seduced by the idea of going FULL-OUT diva for the day of my wedding!
You look gorgeous with our without the make up!
I do agree there is no need to wear make ups all the time, unless special occasions like wedding. I always feel as long as you are young, why do you need to wear make ups. being young is by itself a beauty... we are all beautiful under nature naturally.
All ages look beautiful in different ways!
As Amanda, my fellow Ohioan, said, you look great with or without. It's just great that you're taking everything in stride and enjoying every minute of the wedding process :) Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks! "Wedding Planning World" is truly travel to a different universe in its own way!!
I usually go little to no make up and decided to not bring any with me during my semester abroad in Senegal. Being cheap/on a budget I didn't buy any there and I regretted not having make up with me because of how heavily most women wear their make up on a daily basis. I felt completely out of place. Going back, even for a short visit, I would absolutely take up space for at least basic make up and colorful eyeshadow for a couple of special events. When in Rome...
Very interesting: Makeup to be culturally appropriate!
I'm not one of those make-up-crazy girls who won't leave the house if she is not wearing full foundation and eye makeup. I am usually pretty low maintenance. However, I do like a little bit of makeup!
My ordinary day makeup is: a spot of concealer on any zits or red spots and under my eyes so that I don't look too tired and a coat of mascara on my lashes because I have blonde eyelashes and they are invisible otherwise.
Sometimes when I am going out on a night out or to a special occasion I will add a little bit of eye liner or eye shadow and some tinted lip gloss to that look to make it more dramatic. I try not to overdo it though, because I don't like it when it looks too made-up and unnatural.
PS. You look gorgeous in your photos, with and without makeup!
Thanks for the report and the kind words!
Just don't let the wedding professionals mess with your hair. When my wife and I got married, the hairdresser put her hair in an updo, and my bride (who wasn't and isn't the updo type) pulled her hair loose before the ceremony. Good thing, too, or I might not have recognized her at the altar.
Hah!!! Thanks for the tip! Yes, it's a fine line between looking like yourself at your wedding and indulging the inner diva. I must say I'm rather intrigued at the idea of just going full-out diva...
i agree with amanda! you look great, with and without! but it is fun, yes? i wear makeup VERY occasionally for fun. definitely mascara, since my eyelashes are clear. travel? don't take much but sunscreen and mascara. i want room for all kinds of goodies to bring home (like bread and jam, or textiles)...
You look gorgeous, with or without make-up!
I've never really worn much either; a little cover-up and eye shadow at the most. For me, sometimes it just makes me feel a bit prettier, and therefore more confident. That's really the only reason I wear it. My sister on the other hand... she almost needs a separate suitcase for all her beauty stuff when we travel. Makes me really glad that I never wear much!
Thanks, Amanda! See, that detail about your sister is what confuses me. As my brother would say, "Who are you trying to impress?" I would be curious to know what her reasons are.