to wonder why some women don't wear make-up

[MeganCherry]

I'm sure I will get flamed for this but -

I don't mean trowel it on every morning, 3 lots of foundations, eyeshadow, eyeliner etc.

I have quite good skin, so on a usual day I'll wear - mascara and a lipstick/glass. On a bad day I'll probably wear concealer too.

I think make up is about enhancing your features and making the best of them. Me after a sleepless night I look like a zombie, add some concealer and I look like a human being again.

I like to wear make up for me and not to impress my husband or friends or strangers. I just know that I look better when I'm wearing it.

I don't wear make up and never have mostly because I can't be arsed. Yes I look old now but I really don't care, besides I get bad eczema so daren't use anything but my usual moisturisers on my face, or I would have red cheeks for other reasons.

I don't wear make up because I never have, and really can't be bothered to get into applying it every day. I also can't get my head round how expensive it is! I could think of 1000s of things I'd rather spend time and money on than makeup.

I'm also not keen on the idea of my body absorbing all that chemical crap (your skin is very porous) and I hate the taste and feel of lipstick!

I've never learnt to apply it properly, and on the rare occasions I've worn it I've found not being able to touch my face annoying and restricting. I didn't wear it as a teenager as I used to hang out with the boys, and had no interest in learning about it. I also used to get lots of hassle from random men on the street, and so I spent most of my time out of the house trying to look like a boy (hood up, long hair hidden). I certainly wouldn't have wanted to make myself look more girly or "attractive". I also looked old for my age so didn't need to wear it to get into pubs etc. Anyway, I just wasn't interested in it.

I'm not against wearing it! I do wear it very occasionally, for fun - say once or twice a decade But generally, this is me, this is what I really look like! I don't have a problem with that. (Even thou - sadly - I've not aged particularly well!)

That's just my personal opinion about my own relationship with makeup though! DD may want to wear it when she's older, that's up to her. (I'll be discouraging it when she's little though, I think make up aimed at little girls is an awful concept).

Not really sure what your issue is ledker responding twice to my posts. I called the Op tragic, not you. You haven't started a thread to slam women for not wearing makeup. But yes if you want to argue the point you do wear make up because society tells you to. If you lived on a desert island by yourself you wouldn;t be fashioning crude lipsticks to wear around to show off to the animals hanging out of the palm trees would you?

Society also tells you to be young and skinny

Being skinny is difficult to obtain not quite the same as sticking on a bit of lippy. Don't tell me you are overweight purely to give society the proverbial finger.

As for society telling you to look young and you not succumbing only starting to wear make up to hide your face at the age of 40... sure smacks of trying to remain youthful.

Adverse I heard that old saying years ago. I was roughly about 10, so about 25yrs ago.

OP, I very rarely put make up on because I always feel caked no matter how little I put on. I have broken out in a rash with every piece of make up I've used (even hypoallergenic). The last time I wore make-up was about a year ago.

If I put on the slap so rarely, there's no point in forking out for it if it's going to go off before I used it a 2nd time. Besides, it just slid off my face and never stayed on for more than 2hrs max.

I think it's unimaginative to wonder why some women don't wear make up.

Because they don't want to?
Because they can't be arsed/don't have time?
Because they dislike the feel of it on their skin?
Because they never have done and don't feel confident applying it?
Because they don't feel the need to and are comfortable in their own skin?

There are a myriad of reasons why people don't bother with it. I generally fall in line with the can't be arsed/happy enough with myself without putting on slap brigade.

Awww, poor OP (sincerely meant). I don't think she deserves a pasting.

I don't wear makeup.

I don't believe that youth = better looking. Or that women (or men even) should try to look pretty and younger.

I don't know how to use makeup, either. I sort of tried when I was younger & lost interest.

It seems expensive, I don't know what's in that stuff & whether it's really healthy to put on my skin. Do you understand what's in your makeup?

I suppose I'm lazy and I loathe strict routine, I don't want the regimentation of morning application before I set foot out the door & last thing evening removal.

I have an aversion to vanity. Not as strong as when I was a teenager, when it was overwhelming and made me feel sneery towards many people who tried hard to tart themselves up. But I still have a kind of instinctive dislike of vanity, for me personally. In the same way I don't like vanilla ice cream (yet I don't care if you like it).

Just don't ask me to embrace your values. I have my own I'm comfortable with.

I have a friend who looks hugely much better with make up but you can't tell she's wearing make up at all, iyswim? Maybe if I were that skilled I'd wear it.

I always wear make up unless I'm just nipping out to the park or the shop but I'm not afraid to leave the house without it.

Most of the mums I meet on the school run etc don't care about make up and my mum never wears any and never really has done. It's just part of my routine (I also have to dress smartly for work) shower, teeth, nice clothes, do hair, put on makeup. Some people just don't think it's important and that's fine with me. I don't think watching Eastenders is important. Different strokes and all that.

I don't wear it because apart from not being bothered I think women who wear make look so much older.

Worst thing is face powder.

I do wear make-up most days, but as I've gotten older I've started to realise that I don't HAVE to wear it everyday if I don't won't too. Society tells me I need it to fit in, but it's my fricking face if I want to go bare faced I will! I tend to wear it on weekdays and go bare faced at the weekend now.

I don't wear makeup because I have better things to do with my time and money.

i am pretty without make up and even prettier with it . i admit i only wear tinted moisturiser, mascara, blush and lipgloss but it makes me feel more like me and takes all of 3 mins to apply. i don't care if other women wear it or not! i am a feminist btw who just happens to like looking good. vain? probably (shrug)

YABU.

For me, it's because I don't see the point in wasting my time every morning trying to conform to everybody elses idea of 'beautiful' and think I look fine the way I am.

I have foundation for the rare times I want to wear it but I don't want to waste time changing the way I look when people should like me for who I am.

the time thing is a red herring though, surely? everyone has time to put make-up on; it's just a question of being arsed. it literally takes less than 5 mins.

Grey that may be, but they have different priorities for that time. You may choose to spend 5 minutes putting on make up; I may choose to have an extra few minutes in bed. Neither choice is better than the other.

Because I look fine without it.

There are also a million things I'd rather be doing with the 5 minutes.

I could have 5 mins more sleep, or 5 mins longer in the shower, or 5 mins longer MNing. All of these things are preferable.

I also don't blow dry or straighten my hair for the same reasons.

i know, i'm not judging, just pondering that it's fine to not wear make up but don't sort of apologise or make excuses for it if that makes sense? me, i go for the extra 5 mins and the make up, skip the washing up if necessary!

I agree that everybody has time to do it, I just see it as a waste of time!

I wish i could wear it everyday but as silly as it sounds, i don't have the confidence. I'm slim, long hair and pretty so i'm told . Some of the mums at school started to make comments to me and it wounded my confidence a lot. So i stopped wearing make up and started wearing jeans and trainers. They've left me alone now.

I work in a sterile environment so I'm not allowed to. Generally at the weekends I forget to put it on anyway

pixie

I used to wear full make-up (not ott, well I hope not!) most of the time throughout my teens and twenties - I see that more of a eighties/nineties thing though. Less is more! I manage some mascara and a dab of lipstick most days but not all. I think I look ok without the full works tbh during the day.

It would take me more than 5 mins to do makeup, but then I'm not very good at applying it.

Sorry to hear that Chickens*. Pressure of a whole different kind. Some people can't respect others' choices and have to cut people down to make themselves feel better about theirs.

Don't you dare change yourself to please a group of people who quite simply aren't very nice.

Piccadilly how lovely of you to be able to read my mind!
If you knew me then you would know how unlikely it is for me to follow the pack.
I'm not overweight but I'm also not skinny. I was a ten stone ballet dancer much to the horror of the company.
I honestly swear I wear make up because I like the way it makes me look. Maybe I have undeying issues with confidence but if that is the case I've found a cure.
I also colour my grey because I went grey very young due to chemo. Damn right I didn't want to look forty at 27 that's no crime.
You have. Very good point about the age thing actually I guess I didn't like what ageing was doing to me so attempt to cover up what I see as flaws.
I am also totally happy to be make up free anywhere at all.
I'm unsure as to why you feel so strongly about it either as I said earlier it can serve a very useful purpose.

I've started to make an effort. I do my nails every night and i have a good skin care routine.
I think i might start wearing make up bit by bit, over the weeks.