Makeup is and has been a big part of my life. Up until recently, I was a somewhat busy actress doing show after show to the point of burnout. Looking your best is part of that job. In fact, onstage with those intense lights, you just have to wear the stuff, otherwise you look a little ghastly.
I have become very attached to makeup to the point of needing it with me at all times (you know, for touch-ups). I think part of my attachment is that I grew up around some incredibly insecure women. Or...maybe it's not that they're insecure, they are just sure that appearance is the key to being satisfied with oneself. I struggle with this myself. I certainly like the way I look with makeup on, prefer how I look with it on, let's be real honest. My eyes are bigger, my complexion more uniform, my lips plump and stained, rosy cheeks and smoky eyes. Sure, I get it...it looks great! But it also takes up a lot of my time. And then I spend hours agonizing over the mess it makes of my pores. The fine lines, the splotches, and here's where it gets ugly...the blackheads. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have these hideous things if I didn't wear makeup. I could learn a foreign language in the time it takes me each night cleaning these things out of my face. It takes me a half-hour or more to get ready for bed, and that sometimes does not include the simple things like taking out my contact lenses and brushing/flossing my teeth. And I'm sure it's not good for me. In fact, I know picking at my face just makes it worse. I end up going to bed feeling bad about myself, over-tired from staying up too late and fretting over my face...it's just a downright dumb behavior!
This week I am taking a break from fakeup, I mean makeup. I want to see my real skin, sun spots and all. I will wash it and oil it only with olive oil (A trick I learned from a dear friend and so far I love it! Hey, if it works for the Italians...I'm in!). I'm going to be kind to myself and not criticize or tell myself I look less-than. My skin needs a break and my mind needs a break from caring so much about it. If a week is successful, maybe I'll go a month. Then maybe I can limit makeup to only special occasions. Maybe I'll never spend money on the stuff ever again (whoa, I just panicked a little there...let's not go to extremes, Alexis)!
So far, here's what I've experienced in just the first two days:
1) Time! I don't feel so rushed to spend that extra ten-fifteen minutes on doing my makeup. I am usually late for everything, so maybe this is a solution to that nasty habit.
2) A lovely facial massage with olive oil in the mornings and evenings. It feels divine and my hands are even softer as a result! My face feels soft and supple, and the super dry skin around my nose from blowing it every two minutes (thank you perma-drip, courtesy of cold MN weather) seems to be going away more and more.
3) It doesn't hurt to smile! My face usually feels so tight and stretched at the end of the day because I think my makeup kind of dries on my face and doesn't move with me.
4) My skin tone seems less blotchy already.
5) I looked in the mirror today and didn't hate how I look. I saw a clean, fresh face and could appreciate the small but pretty almond-shaped eyes, the natural pink in my lips and cheeks. It was a younger face, a less-stressed, less-severe face.
I like this experiment. More to come, I'll report back at the end of this week...
