Last week I had the rare opportunity to be a movie star for a day. A dear friend of mine was graduating from a hair and makeup course and convinced me to model for her final exam. Full hair, makeup and special effects were painted on throughout the day. “I could get used to this!” I thought. Staring at myself in the mirror all day got me thinking. Should I wear makeup everyday? Do I need to join the masses by smoking up my eyes every morning? Play into what the media tells us is beautiful and appealing to others? Is my natural radiance enough? Insecurities that plague most women.
Check out my transformation from real to glam and back again. This is a clip I shot for my travel blog TwoBackpacks.com…
My typical morning includes an oh so glamorous stumble out of bed followed by a face wash, hair pinning and dash to grab the cleanest workout garb in order to get to the studio on time. Can you say gym rat? Sweating is inevitable so showers are put off until bedtime. Make-up is a novelty worn only for shindigs with friends or nights out over the weekend. Even during these rare instances of dolly up the au natural look is my cup of tea. That’s my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I agree makeup makes you feel beautiful and more confident about yourself, but I wonder about hiding behind makeup.I always find it interesting when a client of mine walks in with a face full of makeup and hair pulled back in a “messy” bun that took them a good half hour to create. They know full well that the amount of time I will have them holding plank is enough to cause even the most water proof mascara to run, yet makeup is a must. Is looking in the mirror at your natural face that bad? I seriously doubt it!
If you talk to most guys they will tell you that they could care less about makeup and even clothes for that matter. That women really dress up for other women. What’s the deal ladies? I know I fall into this pit as well. We want to look that much better than the next girl in order to get noticed by some guy at the bar. But the truth is…1st of all no one ever met the man of their dreams at a bar, 2nd of all a guy who only see’s your superficial beauty isn’t worth your time anyway.
The most amazing men I have ever met happened to find me at my most disheveled moments. Laying in the park in sweats and a tank top reading a book…walking home dripping sweat from Bikram, and in the airport, jet lagged and in need of a shower. They all claimed it was my natural radiance that was attractive. My aura so to speak.
Imagine a world without mirrors! In episode 11 over at Only In A Woman’s World, Maya battles with her mirror. Moving to my latest apartment I was torn from my full length mirror set up and found myself having a hard time coping. I actually caught myself looking at my reflection in store front windows for a rather lengthen period of time. I just had to know how others saw me…ridiculous and insane! Hilarious at the same time. Who cares… we are all ants in a massive universe anyway.
My question to you epic men and women out there is which do you prefer and why? More importantly, why is beauty, image and what others think so damn important to woman and now more than ever men…yes I’m talking about all you metro guys out there. Start the discussion…I’d love to hear your thoughts.
This post was brought to you by Only In A Woman’s World.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s funny…a few months ago I would have never thought that I would be responding to this kind of post with what I’m about to write.
I’m a gym rat myself, but I can’t manage to go into the gym without a little bit of Bare Minerals and some eyeliner and a light coat of mascara. Just the basics, you know, since I have really blemishy skin and eyes that, despite their hazel twinkle, look very barren and buggy without a little accent. I know it’s silly, since I’ll sweat it off anyways, but I still do it.
Nonetheless, I get pretty sweaty during my workouts, and wouldn’t expect to meet anyone who would find me attractive at that stage….but I did. The guy I’ve been seeing for the past few days finds me sexy even when I’m drenched in sweat and have rubbed most of my makeup off on my gym towel…not only that, but he finds me sexy in gym sweats. Yep. It kinda rocks.
So, it’s entirely possible to do less, or nothing at all, and meet someone who will find you most attractive at your barest. It’s a total confidence boost, and definitely makes it a lot easier to get ready for a date.
Real, raw beauty does exist. Whether or not we are around people who are accepting of our real beauty is a different story. I plan to embrace mine a whole lot more.
I’m a guy, so for us it’s quite a different story, someone who plucks their eyebrows or uses paints.. is probably considered gay.
Natural is beautiful almost always.
With girls.. look: clever guys will figure it out anyway what the make-up hides underneath – this is a job they’ve been doing since their teenage years
P.S.: by the way I **really** felt like your before picture was more beautiful
For me, it really depends on the person. Whatever mode of operation (made up or not) is more comfortable will usually be the most attractive on a person, and you can generally see how comfortable they are based on how they carry themselves, make eye contact, etc. I personally find self-confidence to be very attractive, so I’ve found myself drawn to women with and without makeup, but always to ladies who knew themselves and were confident with their aesthetic choices.
Being a guy, I can tell you that we definitely notice when the girls get all glam’d up. Any of my relationships that have been based largely on superficial qualities have ended relatively quick. No one has make up on all the time. It’s got to come off at some point. Better get used to it now.
Hey Amber!
I like these topics about beauty and looks and people being superficial. There are endless debates possible.
Ooh, and good choice on the sushi, salmon is my fav kind too!
My view on makeup is that its okay when you go on a date, or go out clubbing or some social event, because when makeup is done classily on an already gorgeous girl it can make her look really amazing. All the other times, like for work, and when you are just hanging out then I think “less is more”.
I really think it’s a turnoff so see a thick layer of base plastered on some girl’s face, and where you can see where the makeup ends and her skin begins.
Like you say, I think many girls hide their insecurities behind a layer of makeup, but personally I think a girl doesn’t need it for me to find her attractive. I’d rather say to anyone to invest some time and effort at the gym and get a hot, toned body, it will have a much better effect on attracting men than another pot of Christian Dior makeup
Great post
Diggy
Upgradereality.com
@claire- “Whether or not we are around people who are accepting of our real beauty is a different story. I plan to embrace mine a whole lot more.”- this is awesome! The people we draw to us and put around us have everything to do with it. It’s amazing what one person can do for your self confidence. When they love you for who you really are and not for superficial reasons.
thanks for the novel length comment…i love those!
” love this! I too feel strutting your stuff because you put in the time and effort to take great care of yourself is the best. When you take care of yourself in the most epic ways possible a lot of the beauty issues women worry about disappear. Cut out the caffeine and booze and say bye bye to those bags under the eyes. When you eat well your complexion shows it.
@zoltan- haha. Oh so true…guys have figured out long ago that makeup doesn’t hide anything. Thanks for the compliment on the video.
@Colin- very true indeed. Posture and eye contact are huge. They speak volumes about someones self confidence. When a girl is constantly touching/fixing her hair and checking makeup you know it’s an issue. And yet there are many a strong women who wear makeup when they choose and rock it completely. Everyone is so unique.
@Ross- it’s great to hear from some guys on this subject and show women that superficiality is not all it’s cracked up to be. thanks for your thoughts.
@Diggy- “I think a girl doesn’t need it for me to find her attractive. I’d rather say to anyone to invest some time and effort at the gym and get a hot, toned body, it will have a much better effect on attracting men than another pot of Christian Dior makeup
Hey there, you rock! Great post I think that going natural is great although less accepted in our society than wearing make up. For me, I think Im pretty lazy about it… I usually do wear it to work though and actually I like Make up and its fun to paint your face with colors! but as long as you dont rely on it to be comfortable. My boyfriend likes me better without make up
I couldn’t agree with you more amber. This has always been a question the plagued my mind as well. I’ve always been a low maintenance, no frills, no make up kind of girl and had no problem with it. But when I meet people who have strict “rules” about not leaving their house with out a face full of makeup I think,”why?” Truth be told to be the occasional “natural” make up on a weekday but I find its only when I’m having a low-self esteem/low confidence day. So what does that really tell us about in terms of why people insist on burying the beautiful naked face under concealer, foundation and eye shadow? Almost every guy I’ve ever met didn’t like it when girls piled on make up and sometimes it made them like girls less because it said allowed about their personality. In fact, when ever I’m running my boyfriend late with putting on make up he always reminds me that I don’t need it. Make up enhances certain natural features and covers slight blemishes but it is our blemishes that make us unique and beyond that I think make up is a completely superficial mask.
@michelle and Care- hell ya for killer boyfriends!
Hey, I’m a girl dating another girl, and I have to say one of the things I find so attractive about her is that she’s just as comfortable in dressy clothes and makeup as she is in sweats and no makeup, and just as cute. I think low maitenance girls are attractive, to me at least, because they’re not so obsessed with frivolous things, and are usually the most fun to be around. I feel natural beauty will always, always win. I’m a confessor to my makeup addiction, I feel my ‘natural looks’ are pretty atrocious so I’ll admit to hiding them behind makeup. I always envy my girlfriend’s ability to just get up and go while I have this OCD-like compulsion to put on a shitton of eyeliner and coverup.
While at first glance ‘fake’ beauty may seem more desirable, it is merely a hollow shell that is empty inside. Natural or real beauty is, to me, a light that glows from the inside out to illuminate a woman and show her authentic beauty for all to see. There is no comparison.
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