I haven’t worn makeup since March: here are my 3 biggest takeaways
I’ve had quite a tumultuous relationship with makeup. Like many others, it began when I was 13, secretly hiding mascara in my middle school locker, and it eventually grew into an obsession. I spent many years bowing down to beauty gurus like Bethany Mota (MacBarbie07), Maddi Bragg (madisenrosebeauty1), and Meredith Foster (StilaBabe09), learning as much as I could from their YouTube channels. I was wearing makeup every day and constantly trying new products and looks. I’ll call this time (ages 13-16) my honeymoon phase with makeup.
From late high school to early college, I wore makeup almost every day, but kept it to the absolute bare minimum. By this time I had found the products that I loved and refused to stray from them. Aside from the occasional sparkly eyeshadow for a concert or special occasion, I stuck to the same concealer, bronzer, blush, and mascara, and it was pretty boring. I was feeling uninspired, but also scared to try anything new.
Once COVID caused me to trek home to New York last spring, I decided to take a break from makeup. Wearing sweats and chilling with my dog every day felt like a waste of products, and I thought my skin needed a breather. Like quarantine itself, what began as a three-week experiment quickly turned into my normal lifestyle. The last time I wore makeup was March 10, 2020. Here are the 3 biggest takeaways I’ve gotten from this experience.
#1: My interest in makeup hasn’t gone away.
I still scour my Instagram explore page looking at the newest palettes and brushes, and I can spend hours watching ‘Get Ready With Me’ or ‘Product Review’ YouTube videos. The fact that I still find so much interest in beauty products and trends has shown me that I enjoy makeup for what it is, not because I feel like I have to wear it.
#2: Sometimes, being bare-faced is just flat out convenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been late to things because I didn’t allot enough time for my makeup routine. Since not wearing makeup, my ‘getting ready’ time has been cut in half, which has allowed me to put more time into my outfit or hair. I’ve also had the luxury of not having to worry about smudging or touch-ups throughout the day. One instance that sticks out to me is a day over the summer when my boyfriend and I got caught in a torrential downpour. What normally would’ve ended in me running for cover to prevent a mascara river down my face turned into a dance party in the street, and it’s now one of my favorite memories.
#3: The less I wear makeup, the less it feels like a necessity.
I spent much of my adolescence unable to leave the house if I didn’t apply at least a base of concealer or a swipe of mascara. This came from a place of insecurity, whether it was in my acne, my under eye circles, or my general face shape. My time without makeup has given me the space to love my skin for what it is and grow more comfortable with myself.
This is not to say that everyone should boycott makeup and go bare-faced forever. I know there will be a time when I’ll go for the mascara again, but in this time, I’ve been able to pick myself up out of a makeup-rut, gain confidence in myself, and also gain a special appreciation for beauty products. This accidental experiment has come at the perfect time, and with all of the ways in which our world has gotten turned upside down in the past 9 months, this has been my silver lining.
Cassidy Sollazzo