Back in middle and high school, successful makeup experiments would leave our adolescent selves feeling beautiful.
Makeup allowed us to gently draw attention to our beauty while blurring out the blemishes we wanted to hide. Over time, however, we’ve become desensitized to the amount of makeup that is being piled onto our faces.
The extended cat eye seems like a natural extension and without it, your eye looks bare and lonely. The once “bold red lip” is now meek in comparison to the oranges and hot pinks of the lipstick world. Mascaras now promise longer, thicker, bigger lashes than before.
Makeup devotees chase the next big product which inevitably offers a better version of an old product, but this time on steroids. Consequently, we’ve become dramatized versions of our old selves.
The best way to know when you’ve become too dependent on makeup is when you don’t feel comfortable without it. When walking around in your natural skin is a new form of torture, you've gone too far.
Cutting down on your makeup usage is always a good idea. Get back to feeling confident with yourself without the help of MAC or Benefit products.
If confidence isn't a factor for you, think about the sheer amount of time you’ll save. The horror stories of hour long morning-mirror-sessions before class are becoming far too common. It shouldn't be an ordeal to get ready for your day-to-day life.
Applying less makeup in the morning might seem scary because unfortunately it has practically become a part of your being. Taking it step by step will make the process easy.
Start with toning down the makeup you already apply.
Normally do two swipes of mascara? Try one. Use your eyeliner to just line your top lash instead of continuing into a cat eye. Try a subtler shade of the lipstick or lip gloss you already wear. Switch out your foundation and concealer for a BB or CC cream.
After your whole look has become a little more natural, try enhancing just one feature. Remember, enhancement, not transformation, is the point of makeup, so don’t try to change your whole face. Pick your favorite feature and play it up, but keep the rest natural.
Sky high cheekbones can get a healthy dose of bronzer, big eyes can get the Bambi treatment, and full lips can get lined and glossed. But pick one!
Choosing one feature will keep the focus on your natural beauty. Think about those girls who look like they “woke up like that.” It’s because they're keeping their look simple and it’s believable that they might have woken up like that.
Try products that keep the focus on you and not the product. A clear brow gel will give your eyebrows and your the rest of your face more definition. Dark lipsticks can shrink your lips while a tinted lip balm will make your lips look full and healthy because they're actually being moisturized. Wake up and open your eyes with slightly shimmery, neutral eye shadows.
Enhance your favorite features one at a time and keep your natural beauty on display.
