Has anyone just stopped wearing make up?

[LadyContrary]

It’s a complete non issue and I’m well aware of it but....
I’ve been wearing make up all my life (since I was maybe 13-14). My twenties and early 30s - full face on every day. I’m now nearer my 40s and possibly just having a midlife crisis
I stopped colouring my hair and have a lovely salt and pepper mix on my head now. I still cut and style my hair, obviously. I wear a lot less make up (for my standards) too: mascara, eyeliner, matting powder and concealer, possibly a bit of bronzer if I’m feeling wild.
I have a professional job, I try and look presentable for work (most days anyway ). Last couple of weekends I went without make up and actually felt great.
Here comes the big question: has anyone ditched make up completely and avoided all the stupid “oh you look tired” or “are you ill” comments? I don’t think I can cope with them.
Or is make up a part of tidy professional look?
I’m not really sure what I’m asking, excuse my ramblings.

I look better with it on but feel better with it off. My children hate it and I'm also starting to think that makeup is ageing me.

(I have also worn full make since 12 or 13.)
I cant imagine being brave enough to go to work without it though! I will be reading this post with interest.

I was just thinking about it all recently and think maybe I would be ok without the foundation.
I associate it with not going anywhere, because when I have no make up on, I also haven't done my hair or am probably wearing laid back clothes, but if I got ready as usual for work and did all the things except the make up, it might be ok.

Try it-do the basics well and everyone’ll get used to it.
The ‘tired’ thing will perhaps be commented on for a day or two but then it’ll go!
I like the idea of a few tanning drops in the moisturiser. I do this in summer but not as a basic at other times.
Give it a go!

In terms of what other women in my line of work do (and I’ve only recently started noticing it), there are plenty looking fabulous and wearing zero makeup. Some wear a little, some wear loads. It doesn’t seem to be linked to their performance or position though
I use the tanning drops every now and again. I don’t think I’m ready to go cold turkey though. I’ll maybe get my lashes tinted and ditch the mascara and eyeliner first.

I've never worn it other than for work in my 20s/early 30s. I don't have great, glowing skin to show off and I do wear a pore filler on my very porous nose and add two dots of concealer on each side of my nose to cover my permanent malor rash (which is mostly mild and 'coverable'). Lip gloss, sometimes with a tint of colour. I fill in my patchy brows discreetly so that the bald spots are not quite noticeable.

The irony is that I was a model for 15 years then a make-up artist. I think living with slap on my face and then slapping it on everyone else's really put me off wearing it (and nice clothes- I always dressed like a dumpster on fire and still do . At risk of sounding like a total ponce: There's only so much haute couture one can take!)

I'm 47. Make-up doesn't sit well on my rather porous skin anyway. I think the years of harsh lights and pancake make-up did permanently damage my skin, as well as not wearing SPF when I was younger. Make-up tends to highlight my many flaws. Clean skin is everything at a certain age.

@Alonelonelyloner something similar happened me. I met a manager from work and i had no makeup on and he said 'so this is what you REALLY look like'
He is the nicest man ever and was probably joking but it has stuck in my mind now!

I think going without foundation would be the first step, maybe I will try that first.

I haven't worn it in years. I stopped before I left employment and set up my own business. No one has ever said to my face that I look bad, but then I never wore much in the first place.

If I'm feeling exhausted and look crap I sometimes do tinted moisturiser, mascara and some blush but mostly it's nothing except moisturiser

I work in a professional office and there are many women who don’t wear make up. They never have. They aren’t treated any differently to the majority of the rest of us, and their performance isn’t in any way linked to whether they wear it or not. They’re all well liked and respected by men and women. They are aged between about 25 and 50.

I find lash tint makes a big difference. I tried with a home kit and it was ok but then went to a salon and had it done professionally and it was so much better.
You also get to lie down in a warm quiet room on your own for 10 minutes which is very nice indeed!

I used to wear full makeup. I stopped since baby number 2 as I was too tired to put it all on. My skin is in it's best condition, inused to be very spotty with blackheads. No spots nor a black head in sight now! If we go somewhere special, I'll apply eyeliner, mascara and tinted lip balm. Which is a 5 minute job. Agree with pp that having eyebrows tinted and shaped makes a difference.

I recently started wearing makeup again after nearly 7ish years without and no one has noticed except my 4 year old who finds it fascinating.

I'm not sure why I'm bothering if I'm honest, no one cares. I definitely think i look nicer when i look in the mirror but not sure that outweighs the faff in the morning and it feels a little self absorbed. I started again because I feel old and tired and thought it would make me feel better... I still feel old and tired!

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that this only really matters to you. So do whatever you feel most comfortable doing.

I get my eyebrows shaped and tinted anyway (they’re grey and sparse so it’s a necessity, sadly), I think I’ll add eyelash tint to the routine now.
I am loving the positive stories of skin improvement. My nose is porous and forever shiny, hoping this will improve once I take the zero makeup plunge.

I wear undereye concealer (v dark rings), foundation and powder for work, and nothing if working from home and on weekends. I have good skin and like a good moisturiser!

This is largely due to an early start/commute and my workplace being fairly casual - most women wear a little make up, some younger ones wear a lot.

If I do wear “full make up” (occasional evenings out) I usually get one or two seemingly positive but actually a bit surprised/negative comments, from acquaintances.

The negative implied comments usually go something on the lines of how good I look and why don’t I “make up” more.

Couldn’t be arsed for my job/the school run!

I've done a no-makeup January for the last couple of years. Last year it was because I could tell something wasn't right about my make up it but the only way I could get enough distance from the problem to spot it was to stop wearing it altogether for a while. It turned out to be my foundation. I decided to do it regularly so I've just done a repeat. This time I'm re-introducing makeup more slowly, one item for a week at a time and taking lots of before and after photos. I've realised the item that makes most difference to my face is lipstick.

I also do it because I don't ever want to be so reliant on makeup that I daren't go anywhere without it. I did lose my nerve for a party on New Year's Day but that aside I've gone bare faced to work, restaurants, family events, a birthday party. Nobody Says A Word. Now admittedly I'm 63 and people don't look at me as much but even so I've had no 'Are you I'll?' comments. Nothing. I can see from the photos that, although makeup does make a difference, I look absolutely fine without it. In fact in some ways I arguably look more interesting.

@Floisme I love the idea of no make up January.

I’ve just made an appointment for an eyelash tint. It’s happening. I’m quite excited now.

I wear a lot less make up these days, and have make up free days, I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing that in my 20’s or 30’s.

I don't wear it and haven't for about 3 years. My face feels weird and sticky with it on now. I get my eyebrows shaped and tinted and the last year have discovered not just tinting my eyelashes but having them lifted too. Makes a lot of difference, I look way more put together. So I do both those regularly and only wear make up if I'm going out in the evening.

When I started a new role last year I decided to wear makeup, most of the women I work with wear subtle makeup. I kept it up for about a fortnight too much effort!

I have two kids under 5 though so I may rediscover it when I get time to myself again...

OP get a lash lift at the same time!! I love them.

I’d forgotten - I practise a makeup free August, always. And, tbh, don’t even attempt makeup on any of those record-breakingly sweltering days we endure now.

If I could get my skin into better shape I would do this - my skin isn’t spotty (although I do get the occasional hormonal spot before period) but it’s quite red in places and I’m very pale so it’s not a great look. I’m going to start getting facials for my wedding soon so hopefully that will improve it.

I think with good skin and an eyebrow and eyelash tint it would be fine. An eyelash lift is a really great way to open up your eyes as well to help achieve the mascara effect.

I wear some makeup at work, not caked on but I do it because my skin isn't great. I have alot of redness and breakouts. However at the weekends and outside of work I wear no makeup at all. If my skin were better I would definitely wear less.
Where I work in my department I would say roughly half the women wear makeup and half dont, but the ones that do keep it minimal I would say.

I have never got the hang of make up.
I never manage to make it look nice and natural and always end up deflated and feeling like a drag queen.

I do pencil my brows in everyday because they are super sparse but that’s about it.
I may occasionally swipe some lipstick/lip pencil on, blusher if I really want to make an effort.

I don’t style or blow dry my hair either, it’s naturally wavy and shiny, I’ve always had it super long.
Recently cut it which I really regret, before the stylist cut it she asked me how I style it/what I do with it.

I literally just brush it 😂

I’m not one for maintenance, I wear all of my jewellery 24/7 including in bed and bath unless I’m going swimming (chlorine tarnishes silver) and I do like to wear perfume but I like as little effort as possible!

I stopped wearing makeup about a year ago. I'm late 40s. I only wear it now if I'm going out out. It been liberating, plus I can get up later for work!
I've focused more on skin care and getting glowy skin. I still love make up but really cba to do it every day.

I never wear make up to work (I already leave the house before 7, no way am I getting up earlier for the sake of making up my face!) so haven’t done the transition from made up to barefaced, but I think usually people get used to things pretty quickly (eg a colleague had her long hair completely shaved off for charity last year and it very quickly just became normal - a way more drastic change than makeup). I think just weather the week of possible comments then enjoy the extra 5 minutes of duvet/coffee/snoozing forever after!

I’m a secondary teacher and think particularly for the girls it’s good for them to see a range of confident, capable women who are good at our jobs regardless of whether we’re beautifully made up every day (many are), bare faced, or somewhere in between. If you’re clean and appropriately dressed, you’re professional in my opinion.

I never started. I did wear some eye liner when I got married and a couple of times since, but that is it.

I never even think about it.