I've been mulling this over for a couple months now, ever since the Natural Living Expo.
Make-Up. Cosmetics. The irony of it in the "natural"living community. There were at least three booths for cosmetics at the expo. Beauty products. And the new trend is "green" products (well, "green" everything really...." But the be your more healthy natural self crowd should really see the funny in this.
I stopped wearing even the little bit I did wear while pregnant with Blueberry because of the aluminum issue. I'm sure I wrote about this before. I packed a kit in the hospital bag, sure to have it so when guests visited I would not look like a goon.
A goon. Yes, that was my thought. Me without make-up=goon.
I was pushed to wear make up in 5th grade by a family member. Looking back I now see how sad it was that she pushed it on me, but in a way it led to growth for me. Another person took me aside and said that the pretties women in the world wear make up so that it looks like they don't.
You know, that's not even going far enough. I wanted to quit, but I always felt like my adult acne and splotchy completion was embarrassing and so on caked the foundation, if just that.
But 12 hours after Blueberry was extracted I lurched toward the bathroom to wash up and braced my hands on the sink for the first look in the mirror.
Huh. Pretty?
Yeah. I liked, for the first time in my adult life, my naked face.
Since I stopped, I still have acne but WAY less. I feel different, more confident. The downside is that I am not constantly spot checking in mirrors so sometimes I miss a streak of paint or tot launched spaghetti sauce, ect.
Another issue: since not covering them, my lips rosied up in the sunshine and stopped being constantly chapped. My eyelashes darkened up too, since they were not shielded either, became fuller since not being crimped, painted, and scrubbed. Huh. Freckles. :)
Natural. We all have flaws. Are they really less apparent hidden under a mask? Or a mound of concealer?
The comment: "I should take more time for myself." Ha. I HAVE more time for myself now that it is not spent messing with goo and worrying about lipstick. I also have more money to spend on chocolate. I also have more love for myself. My kiddos don't have to see me looking at myself in a mirror so often, wondering what they'd have to apply to be "pretty" too.
My beauty routine? Wash, rinse, repeat. Now I can afford the special soap I love. :)
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I was a horrid looking creature after giving birth to #2. Every blood vessel in my face and neck popped so I was covered in red freckles. Still no make-up though, even in public.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what your special soap is, but I love using a mix of olive oil and castor oil on my face.
I've moved away from make up too. I admit to still wearing mascara, but my eyelashes are blonde and my eyebrows are dark - it's kind of a freaky combination.
ReplyDeleteAmy@thefoilhat.com
oh, so many things about the trendy aspects of the natural living community make me laugh, and the cosmetics industry is one of them.
ReplyDeleteI stopped wearing makeup in high school, with the exception of when all dolled up 40s vintage, because it wouldn't be right to be in the fancy pants dress with sausage rolls but no lipstick.
I live in a very crunchy, natural living kind of place where make up wearing is abnormal, not wearing make up is the norm. I personally like some make up sometimes, but it's nice to wear it because I'm feeling like being theatrical, or a bit rock and roll, insterad of because I feel like I need to. I'm sorry you wore it because you felt you needed to. Maybe sometimes you can wear it because it's fun :)
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