I wear makeup. A lot. I have been wearing it probably since the end of middle school, and I can count on one hand the number of times I have ventured out in public without first applying a couple dabs of concealer or swipes of mascara. And, as sad as it is, I'm sure most girls my age can probably relate.
We have been raised with magazine covers practically shouting at us that a made-up face is a pretty face and the Target makeup aisle being one of the first things you see. We have been taught by society that the dark circles under our eyes are unsightly and the red splotches on our skin are meant to be covered up.
While this may be true, I believe God created us to be just the way we are. He didn't intend for us to cover up the beautiful faces he blessed us with. If he wanted us to look the way we do with pounds of makeup on he would've given us inch-long lashes, pouty pink lips, and bright red cheeks. He didn't, though, because we don't need them.
We all have issues with what how we look, and I believe there are two paths we can take: we can either cover these insecurities up, or we can embrace them.
I am choosing to embrace them through an idea I came up with: Fresh Face Fridays (cheesy, I know, but it sounded good!). Basically, I am choosing to not wear makeup on Fridays. No concealer to cover up my zits, no mascara or eyeliner to fix up my eyes. Just my face, au naturel. I know its may be a scary idea to some, but once you get over the initial fact that you are exposing your bare face to the world it feels awesome!
Now don't get me wrong, I do love makeup, but I think we view it sometimes as a mask to cover things up instead of a tool to enhance our natural beauty. And there is nothing wrong with the latter, but I have been growing closer to the mask idea, and I don't like this. So, I am choosing to change. Not wearing makeup once a week will, for one, let my sad pores breathe, but also it will show people that I am okay with who I am. And I am okay with who I am :)
So, cheers to embracing our God-given beauty and growing to love how we look without all that makeup on. I hope you'll join me on Fresh Face Fridays!
