Is There Such A Thing As Natural Beauty? My Journey Away From Make-Up

June 19th, 2012 - By Charing Ball

And according to the BBC documentary series, The Human Face, there may be a physiological reasoning behind our fixation with eye-liner, lipstick and blush. The short answer is sex. The longer answer is that makeup makes us look younger and healthier, which project the signs of fertility. Things like the darkening of the upper eyelids (also known as smoky eyes) helps to give the appearance of bedroom eyes – or emulates the time right before you orgasm. Lips tinted with lipstick and gloss, specifically bright colors, helps to emulate the fullness and flush tone of our…ahem vulva during arousal.

It may all seem like junk science but in the book Amusing Ourselves to Death:  Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (which is a fantastic read by the way), a major reason why John F. Kennedy was able to beat Richard Nixon for the presidency came down to the outcome of one single televised debate. Of the 70 million Americans who watched the debate on TV, the majority thought that Kennedy won whereas the smaller number of folks who listened via radio thought that Nixon had won.  Even though both groups heard the same words, it was the appearance of the candidates, which appeared to sway public opinion. Whereas Kennedy, who wore makeup for the debate, looked healthy and youthful, Nixon, who refused makeup (citing that makeup was for “fags”), came off looking sickly.

In one study from Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry and Procter and Gamble, women with makeup were not only perceived as more attractive but also more competent, likable and trustworthy compared those not wearing any makeup at all. But how much of that is based on actually perception of beauty than it is on what we have been conditioned to believe is beauty? Like, if all we ever see in these mediums are women – and some men – with overly-beated faces, isn’t it only natural that we begin to believe that’s what makes a person look good?

I’m not opposed to makeup – just bad make up. Like if you look like two different people with and without makeup – or if your face is brown skinned and your neck and arms are dark skinned – I consider that bad make up. And if you are among the 1 in 3 women who feel like you can’t run into the store without having some MAC tinted lip glass than you perhaps makeup ain’t what you need most. It is true that image matters but beauty does still remain in the eye of the beholder. And to believe that the natural face you were born with is not good enough to be considered beautiful is just flat out ridiculous – at least that’s what I tell myself.

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  • faith

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  • tayrat

    Just to say that my husband says that i look prettier without makeup.I´m dark skinned and he says that my skin shines and looks at it´s best without makeup.I like makeup and i buy them a lot most specially lipgloss because i love the colors,shades, textures etc…,but i only wear it on Sundays to attend church service or some special ocasions as weddings.Sometimes to stand in front of the mirror and makeup is a hard job 4 me.I agree that makeup can help you boost your confidence those bad days….lol.

  • queenietoo

    I had a co-worker that if she don’t have on any makeup, she looks like a blank canvass she shaves everything off and draws it back on everything. She draws her some lips, lashes and brows she is so pale that she looks like a ghost if you didn’t know that, that was her. When I saw her the first time without makeup omg! it was frightening as hell. Now it’s 2012 and the girl is still painting and the sun just messes it right back up.

  • deb

    I only wear eyeliner, browliner and mineral foundation (use sunscreen, antioxidant cream + turmeric underneath) and it makes a BIG difference because the foundation makes my scarred skin look more even toned and the eyeliner makes me look more awake by making my eyes look larger and defined

    My goal is to get more sleep and get rid of the scars (i use turmeric and rosehip seed oil) so I can use less foundation or just wear sunscreen and completely nix wearing eyeliner except for special occasions. I don’t feel comfy putting a tonic of chemicals near my eyes day after day.

    A couple good night’s rest does more for me than any amount of makeup…I look like a freaking different person it’s really weird!

    Anyway, I agree having a good pallette (skin) is more freeing because you only feel the need to wear makeup when you WANT to. Exercise, eating lots of fruits/vegetables, getting your omega 3 fats and adequate oils in diet (flax, fish oil, walnuts, almonds, etc), getting good sleep and drinking lots of water is the best place to start…that works for everyone but getting the skin right is very unique to each person!

    • deb

      ”
      but getting the skin right is very unique to each person! ”
      oops meant getting the right skin care routine is unique to each person. That takes some trial and error…

  • nisha136988

    I LOVE make up!!!! I prefer wearing it everywhere I go. It gives you that extra confidence and it hides all imperfection (if done right). If you have on make up that looks as though you are a clown then no you should stop wearing it. I have been wearing some sort of make up since I was 14. My philosophy is if it takes you more than 10 to 15 min to apply it, then your doing too much. Even though my whole face is covered in make up, I always received compliments that it looks so natural. And I reply ” maybe it’s maybelline” lol

  • Coco Black

    Oh please!! Some of these comments are really over the top!! There’s nada wrong with a bit of make up. I wear concealer my eyes, mascara, sometimes eyeliner and some gloss. It takes 5 mins and makes me look a bit fresher!! However, I have no issues popping to the shops without any makeup. Each to their own!!!

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  • colliz6

    I’m just getting over my make-up obsession. I was at the point where i felt ugly without makeup. So in April of this year i made the descision to start investing in skin care products that would help me get rid of my skin imperfections. Today i can truly say i don’t need makeup. The most i wear these days is tinted moisturising and a little blush. I went to a barbeque on saturday and didn’t have a stitch of makeup on. A few months back that would have never happened.It is very liberating when you don’t depend on makeup like i did. At this point to me makeup is just the icing and the cake. I’m a firm believer in skin care because so often women neglect to care for their skin because they know they have makeup to fall back on. Makeup is better and a lot more fun when it is used as an option not a necessity.

    • e-go

      Which skin products are you using now? Trying to wean myself off….

  • Johnylee

    I have only one question, if make-up is such a necessity, why don’t men wear it?

  • jackieOsassin

    isn’t this interesting… : ) i just stopped using makeup about three months ago after i got tired of sweating it away or having it “absorb” into my pores and ruin my skin. i just said that it only makes me look pretty on a 70 degree day 50% of the time and the other 50% of the time it makes me look like a problem. plus i get ready faster in the morning and my boyfriend loves it.

  • Lola

    Caboodle?? Wow, you took it way back. Lol.

  • NikkitaMichelle

    I pretty much only wear lip gloss. The only time I actually apply foundation or mascara is if I’m taking pictures. Most of the men that I would meet always commented that I didn’t need any extras to be pretty. I have friends who are make up freaks and they do look great. But anytime they don’t wear it people are asking them if their sick or tired or if they don’t feel well.

    • MLS2698

      LOL! at sick, tired, or don’t feel well. I guess a woman would feel like she has to continue to wear make-up if she gets that response. Maybe she is wearing too much.

    • Guest360

      In high school, there was this one girl in my class who ALWAYS wore make-up. On the slight chance she didn’t? Blotchy skin, red eyes, dark circles around her eyes, and her lips were so pale! Granted she probably looked so bad because she didn’t sleep lol, but I don’t think anyone would have been shocked if she wasnt the type to always come to school looking like she just came off a runway. It’s a bit of a conundrum. You use make-up to hide how you really look and when you take it off, people can’t recognize you without it and to me, that’s a sign you wear too much. No one should be shocked if go out without make-up because make-up shouldn’t change you THAT drastically. Most women need a tutorial on how to accentuate the positives of themselves and not using it to create a totally different face that doesn’t exist.

  • sammi_lu

    Makeup is just icing on the cake for me.. still a treat with or without it.

  • Jessica

    To comment on the statement made about the Kennedy and Nixon debate, the reason Nixon came off as sickly because in actuality in was sick. Nixon was suffering from a bad flu and was trying to fight off the urge of vomiting during that debate. It is true that Kennedy was more popular because of his looks, but I doubt is was because of a little makeup.

  • decembersfit

    I like makeup…. Not love it. I make sure my skin and body is right…. Then makeup is like a treat.

  • gmarie

    there is a such thing as natural beauty, but makeup is just so much fun! more power to ya

  • sabrina

    I personally love to wear makeup. I can’t lie, I feel more confident with it on…but I can also leave the house without it and not feel hideous.
    I also support the fact that it “accentuates your features” rather than using it to mask your own insecurities. But it also showcases my creativity: playing around with eyeshadow looks is my favorite part.
    However, there are some girls who don’t wear makeup and look beautiful with their natural face. Some days I sometimes feel my natural face looks prettier.
    I just hate when people refer to makeup wearers as “fake.” Sorry, but no matter what us women do, we can’t always be 100% real by that definition…whether it’s because of our weaves/relaxers, our clothes, our attitudes or whatever. So you can miss me with that “fake” mess.

    • Marco

      …as a man, i prefer a women who doesn’t look like a completely different person without makeup …a women who can go to the gym, grocery store or even the post office without declaring a State of Emergency bcuz she had forgotten to put on makeup. Also, if i were shacking with a women i’d prefer she not to come to bed with makeup on!

    • http://www.facebook.com/jcuetobenders Jessica G Cueto Benders

      I have to agree with you like sometimes you need to put makeup on and then other times my face is clear and even which is weird, This usually happens to me the day before wearing makeup. I would wash it off really good and then the next morning my face is clear I am guessing it is the mineral powder that is in it that is suppose to be good for your skin. I wear mascara, lipgloss, and fill in my eyebrows and then gloss it with this eyebrow gel from the MAC which I love cause it matches my hair and I don’t have to dye my eyebrows blondish brown, other time usually when I am going to the mall or out I will put the whole foundation, blot powder, blush and so on.

    • Anonymous

      True. Women should do whatever works for them, as long as they are also taking good care of their skin, where the difference of with or without is not huge. The one I don’t like is when I see dark skin women wear makeup that ruins their beauty more. I know, it’s hard to find the perfect foundation/makeup but many of them look better without it. They even have better advantages because their blemishes is not as obvious as lighter skin and a lot of chocolate women I know have beautiful skin. Why mess it up.