Why I Decided Not To Wear Makeup To Work For A Month

I took some time away from writing articles and discussing the latest beauty trends to go on a journey (one of more natural beauty techniques and self discovery). Being that I’m so intrigued by the makeup world it’s hard to see what path you really want to take at times. I always advocate taking care of your skin and loving your skin but I took some time to figure out what that really meant.

In recent years, I thought I was comfortable in my own skin with no makeup. It was one day that I was headed to work early in the morning and I was running late that I met a challenge: I could either put on my full face of makeup or be much later than expected to work. When I saw myself going back and forth with these two options it hit me. Why was I so uncomfortable with the idea of not wearing any makeup if I was so comfortable in my own skin? To make a long story short I chose to bypass the makeup that day. I received more smiles and more compliments than I ever had working with a full face of makeup. This was so puzzling to me because here I am thinking I could have at least thrown some concealer on and some mascara.

As the day went by I took a bathroom break where I stopped to look at myself in the mirror and I stared at myself for about a minute. I smiled and in my head I said, “Wow, I love how I look. I look beautiful and this feels really good!” If you’re wondering what it is that felt good, I will explain. After taking off my makeup at times I would notice that I would feel different and not in a good way. It was as if the good day that I had ended because I took my makeup off. When I looked in the mirror that day, I was really happy with what I saw. I realized that was the moment I was truly able to say, “I am comfortable in my own skin.”

With this beautiful discovery I challenge myself to not wear makeup at all to work for a full month and to keep it to a minimum outside of work. This forced me to love my skin. The acne scars, the eczema, and the discoloration. They say it takes 30 days to break a habit and I feel like my unintentional habit of needing makeup has been broken. Not only did I find a new love for myself but, I was able to discover new and more natural ways to grow with my beauty routine.

This isn’t meant to take away from anyone who enjoys wearing makeup daily. This was simply a message to myself and others that you can love you and still enjoy the fun of makeup. If you have ever had any similar feelings like the ones I discussed above then I challenge you to create your own challenge of personal growth. I can truly say now that I don’t need makeup and when I put it on, I know that it’s because I want to and not because I feel like I need to. I will continue to cover the beauty community but through a set of new eyes.

Follow my Instagram: @keenicxle

-Keisha Campbell