Here’s What Happened When I Didn’t Wear Makeup for a Week
I recently made the decision to free my face of any makeup for an entire (work) week.
Something you should know about me—I love makeup, so I was weary going into this. Will I miss lipstick, colorful eyeshadows and highlighter? Simply put—yes, but I lived to tell the tale.
You might be asking yourself, why would I even decide to do this? For multiple reasons, actually. After lots of research and talking to experts, there are multiple benefits to not wearing makeup. Keep reading for my makeup-free experience.
The Research
In terms of overall skin-health, Dr. Alain Michon from The Ottawa Skin Clinic, gave me some great insight:
"Going makeup-free for a week will help clean your pores and improve your skin's natural renewal process. This way, you'll have fresher, clearer and more hydrated-looking skin."
(via Shutterstock)
In regards to inner-confidence, Cara Owens of Kindly Unspoken, said:
"The more you wear no makeup, the easier it is to let go of that sense of needing to wear makeup to feel beautiful, and as a result you'll start to love your skin more and treat it better. Being able to rock no makeup with confidence is beautiful to me!"
Christina Flach of Pretty Girl Makeup, gave me some great advice about taking advantage of the extra time:
"Focus for one week on only caring for your skin. Exfoliate and moisturize your face, neck and chest. You will be shocked after one week how fresh and alive your skin is and how much less makeup you actually need."
Personally, I wear makeup to make my face look less dull and because it's fun to apply. But after speaking with the experts, I finally took the leap and swore off makeup for a week.
The Experience
Each day I was able to get in a few extra zzz's and didn't have to worry about putting on my "face." My boyfriend didn't even notice I wasn't wearing makeup—not sure what that says about me. Either I'm really good at the no-makeup-makeup look or he is a nut (definitely the latter, if I'm being honest).
I wasn't too worried about ditching makeup because I didn't have any breakouts at the beginning of the week. I did, however, have a burn above my lip from cooking (ugh stupid hot oil), and was a bit self-conscious about it.
I woke up mid-week with a sinking feeling—a pimple was forming on my chin. Was my body rejecting my new, makeup free face? I had hope that it wouldn't come to fruition because I wouldn't be wearing makeup, aka, adding bacteria to the area. This same day I had a cute outfit in mind that I wanted to wear to work, but once I put it on, I couldn't justify wearing it. It looked like I was half-ready, so I decided to not "waste" it and wore something else.
Upon arriving to work one morning, a rep sent me a new Tarte liquid highlighter to review. It looked super interesting, but I knew I had to wait a few days till I could test it out. I applied it on my hand to get an idea of what it looked like, and it was beautiful. I really wanted to cheat and wear it, but I pushed through! That night I did a mini at-home facial to appease my skincare needs (proof below)!
On Thursday I met up with my mom and dad for dinner—I was not looking my best. It felt weird going to a public social setting bare-faced. Don't get me wrong—I've done it plenty of times before, but when I make plans to go out to dinner, I typically put more effort into my look.
The last morning I woke up with a full-blown pimple on my chin. Ugh. It was very disconcerting not being able to cover it up and it felt like I had a big arrow pointing at my face. I was going out to dinner that night with my boyfriend's family, so I kinda sorta cheated and put on minimal makeup. But for the most part, I was able to power through the whole week without an ounce of makeup on my face.
Bottom Line
Reflecting on the week, I was pretty happy with my decision to go makeup-free. I gave my face the much-needed break it deserved and was able to get over my insecurities. When you really think about it, no one cares whether you're wearing makeup or not—it's all in your head. While I'm still a makeup-fanatic, this is something that I definitely plan on doing again, maybe even a few times a year!
If makeup hiatuses aren't your thing, click HERE to find out which makeup brand is perfect for you, based on your zodiac sign!