Anyone else given up make-up?

[lazylinguist]

I wore foundation pretty much every single day for 30 years. Started as a teenager to hide adolescent skin, continued as an adult because I was pale, thought I had a poor complexion and had got used to thinking I needed to wear it.

I know plenty of women who don't wear it, and finally realised that if I don't think they look crap without it, why do I think I do? It took me a week, and now I look in the mirror at my own unmade-up face without thinking "Ugh!".

It's pretty liberating, but I feel kind of sad that it's taken me this long. I know some people enjoy choosing, wearing and putting on make-up, and that's great, but I didn't. I found it a chore and used it to make me look 'acceptable'.

Anyone else ditched it?

I stopped as I became chronically ill and need a lot of sleep during the day. Putting a made up face on my pillow didn't feel right. I never wore a lot anyway. I don't miss it.

Never worn makeup everyday. Tailed off completely after dc. None of my friends use more than mascara day to day and only a few do more for nights out. Skin condition is so much healthier and no one seems to find us offensive to look at so no reason to go back to it.

Yes! Spent years (and loads of money) trying all kinds of foundation/primers/concealers/mascara/eyeshadow etc, not to mention the stuff required to take it all off.

Then saw the light about two years ago (I'm mi-40s) and just stopped. No clumpy, blotty mascara, no foundation sinking in/rubbing off, less faff in the mornings. Small children and animals do not flee from me in the street and my DP hasn't left me. It's all fine. I never really understood it anyway –what order do you apply it all in? Why DOES foundation just not work on me? How the fuck do you do 'a smoky eye'? How do you 'touch up' make-up without carrying around a giant kit bag full of it?

I will add that I work at home, alone, and almost all client communication is by email and phone, so no colleagues, clients etc to worry about. But actually I think my colleagues from when I did work in an office would either have not noticed, or not given a shit.

I do go out with friends and, again, no one has dumped me out of disgust for make-up-free me.

I've never really worn make-up. I was a bit crap at it when I was a teenager, and it's always so expensive.
I sometimes dye my eyelashes & eyebrows, Christmas and birthday, that kind of thing. I put mascara and concealer on if I'm going out for a night, and if I do get made up with blusher etc people always say oooh you look A-mazing!!
So I'm under no illusion that I look better without makeup, quite the opposite in fact as I have poor skin, bags under my eyes and pale eyelashes & eyebrows.
I've just never really been arsed with it, people manage to speak to me and even be friends with me without physically recoiling, and if the vast majority of men don't have to faff around with cosmetics without the world coming to an end, I don't see why I should have to.
The very real fact that many women don't have the confidence to be seen in public without wearing cosmetics to 'improve' their face makes me quite sad, actually.

I haven’t worn make up for years.

I don’t like the look of it. On anybody. I think people always look better without. I think eyebrows and eyelashes are better left alone too. I can’t think of a trend from over plucked to HD that looks good.

The only time I do like make up is if it’s used as a statement look rather to “enhance” - so very dark gothic or strong vivid colours.

Can’t stand the teenage make up fashions for drawing round lips, false eyelashes and contouring. Looks drag queen to me and they definitely don’t look better!!

It is a bit of a feminist issue too. On the one hand, I wouldn't want to criticise women who say they find make-up empowering and expressive. But on the other hand, how come men have quite happily managed to be powerful and express themselves without it?

I have a 14 yo dd who has so far shown no interest in wearing make-up. She's quite 'alternative' in her style and likes the look of some people with a goth/emo make-up style but says she can't be arsed with the faff of using it herself! In spite of being a bit spotty at times she's shown no inclination to try and cover her blemishes. But then she's a lot more confident than I was as a teen.

Gosh I’ve worn it for about 50 years
Can’t imagine life without it
Just evens out my skin

I've never worn foundation and stopped wearing make-up several years ago. I feel fresher without it and am happy with my look.

Gosh I’ve worn it for about 50 years Can’t imagine life without it Just evens out my skin

I was the same. Turns out I can manage perfectly well without having evened-out skin, just like all the non-even-skinned men I've ever met and the non-even-skinned, non-make-up-wearing women I've ever met. What I'm wondering is why I spent 30 years firmly believing I needed make-up when all those men and women apparently didn't need it.

I would love to wear no makeup, but my brows are virtually non existent which makes me look odd as my hair is dark and my skin is quite olive, you'd expect me to have thick natural brows, bloody hell I have hair growing out my nose and chin but my brows are crap! Lol. I don't mind not wearing mascara, or eyeliner, 8 could probably swap foundations for a tinted moisturiser and some concealer. I may look into this.

I was a bit scathing on another thread about sober October because I generally think what's the point in giving up something temporarily if you then just go back to your old habits.

But it occurs to me that entirely giving up make-up for a month, or even a couple of weeks, might actually help people realise their own face looks fine without it, and maybe become less dependent on it, or at least lose their fear of letting people see them without it. I wish I'd done this years ago!

but my brows are virtually non existent which makes me look odd

I bet it's pretty much only you that thinks you look odd though. We get very ingrained in our ways of seeing ourselves, especially our supposed faults.

I just wear a bit of eyebrow stuff and mascara as my lashes and brows are blonde. That’s all though

I also don’t like the feel of it

But do what works for you!

I've never worn make up every day, just for nights out and job interviews. I'm mid 40's now. My mum was (and still is) the same. I have my eyebrows and eyelashes tinted every few months, generally coming into the summer and before Christmas party season and leave it at that. My DD13 dabbles more than me but as she swims most days she can't really be bothered either.

I do blowdry my hair on work days as it does look better if I try, but I can't be arsed on days I'm not at work - loved my fortnight's holiday in the summer when I barely even bothered with a brush! OH of 15 years still wants me, which is my main concern

I'm mid 40's and I've never worn make up except on a rare night out. I just don't care enough.

No one at my work wears make up either.

I’d rather give up breathing than stop wearing make up!

I used to wear a full face of makeup every day, I wouldn’t even pop to the corner shop or answer the door to a delivery person without makeup on but I gave it up a few years ago and there’s so, so many benefits to not wearing it that I’ve never been tempted to use it again.

About a year ago I started to take my skincare seriously, and since then I hardly wear makeup at all.

A touch of mascara and a tinted lip balm here and there, but certainly not the foundation / bronzer / liquid eyeliner / mascara / lipstick shebang that I used to.

My skin looks so much better, I wouldn't want to cover it up anymore! And I'm much happier spending my money on making sure my face is clean and healthy than on hiding it away.

Interesting ladybee. I'd like my skin to look as good as it can naturally without make-up, but I was planning to do that by drinking more water, not too much caffeine or booze etc. I'm always very sceptical of expensive skincare - have you honestly found it's made a big difference?

The thing with makeup is that it makes me look less tired - and I seem to look tired regardless of how much sleep I get. I hate it when people comment on it! All I use is a bit of Benetint on my cheeks and lips - and it makes the most enormous difference, or at least I think it does.

@lazylinguist I really have! I've never had 'problem' skin, but these days it's super-clear, even-toned, soft, plump and a bit dewy. WAY better than it used to be when I was clogging up my pores with makeup and not cleaning it properly / not wearing a decent SPF.

And I totally hear you on being wary of snake-oil - I don't use expensive brands. I used to splurge every now and again on something pricy, but that was usually me 'making up for' my lack of knowledge and hoping that price = quality.

Now, educating myself a little bit about the different ingredients in skincare products means I'm only buying the things that MY skin actually needs and wants and likes (vs. what we're told we 'should' use / what other people are using), and I can look out for the things I need in much cheaper brands... does that make sense?

But as you say, hydrating properly and cutting down on booze and caffeine is never a bad thing, so maybe start there and see if you want to do anything more.

I joined the Caroline Hirons group on Facebook – it can be pretty overwhelming at first and some of the people on there are serious skincare junkies, but they're all lovely and reading their posts and asking 'newbie' questions helped me build a routine that's no-bullshit and effective without a big price tag.

Putting a bit of effort into my skincare has just felt like a really nice thing to do for myself, and like it's improving my health as well as what I look like and how I feel about myself.

Wow - that all sounds very common-sense and non snake-oily! Might check out the Caroline Hirons thing. I've got quite 'young' skin for my age (the upside of it having been fairly oily when I was younger I guess). But it is a bit sallow and dull looking (hence the previous desire to cover it up).

I actually think I look better without make up ( the full works ) and just use a bit of blush and lipstick daily, I love my lipstick!
Also get my eyebrows waxed and tinted every 4 weeks, have very dark hair, almost black and my eyebrows look shit if not maintained.

I was recently a maid of honour and had a full professional make up done for the wedding. It was atrocious and there must have been about 8 layers of crap on my face, felt like a drag queen....

I've become allergic to virtually all makeup. I can get away with some loreal powder and some eyebrow pencil and that's it. I enjoy the non clogged feeling on my face, but I feel as though I look a bit washed out. Skin is clearer and less dry though.