For someone who claims to be a beauty blogger (or at least – blogs about beauty) I actually very rarely wear a full face of make-up, if any make-up products at all. In my eyes, there is no better feeling that having no make-up on – especially during the summer months, and so when I do actually wear it out, it’s almost a special occasion.
It’s not that I can’t be bothered, or that I’m overly confident with my skin (I can assure you – I’m not, and if you want to read all about my skin traumas, Tattooed Tealady is featuring me as one of her skincare bloggers in her new project here). But I just like going bare-faced and I don’t really think anything of it.
Of course, make-up isn’t damaging to your skin unless you sleep in endlessly, but it can clog up your pores if worn in excessive amounts, which in turn means that you end up slapping on more to cover up blemishes and become embroiled in a never ending cycle.
I’ve read numerous amounts of articles that say if you don’t wear make-up every day to work, you are presenting yourself as unprofessional and untidy, which I completely disagree with, but I know many people wouldn’t leave the house without make-up – so I guess it’s a personal preference. For me, I usually spend 3 out of 7 days make-up free (whether those fall on work days or not) and no-one really bats an eyelid. I don’t feel any less confident without make-up – in fact normally, I never know if I’m wearing it or not and have to quickly touch my eyelashes to double check (strange, I know).
In a professional situation where I am trying to make an effort with my appearance or an impact (ie: in an interview) I do make-up my face, in the most natural way possible, but it wouldn’t faze me if I didn’t have any make-up on. I’ve previously got the usual ‘oh, you look a little tired today’ or ‘are you feeling alright’ when I haven’t been wearing make-up, but these are only during Winter months usually, when my foundation gives me a much needed base colour that I don’t have when I’m not wearing it and in turn – can look paler than they’re used to.
In essence, my opinion is that we shouldn’t worry about going make-up free. I know for some it’s a confidence thing, but if anyone is going to judge you on something as trivial as not wearing a bit of slap, then they’re really not worth the time and effort you put in. I don’t think it’s lazy, nor is it unprofessional to not wear make-up – men can get away with going bare faced, so why can’t we, but I know in some institutions it is looked down upon. It’s a tricky subject topic and don’t get me wrong – I am as obsessed with make-up products as I make out to be (I wouldn’t be able to review them otherwise) but I do love the feeling of no base products clogging up my skin, or mascara free lashes!
What are your thoughts on the matter? Would you go make-up free at work or do you prefer wearing make-up? Do you have make-up free days?
