Disclaimer: Reasons to wear makeup or not to varies from person to person. Here at shame free life, I personally don’t care either way whether people wear makeup or not. It is a personal choice.
However, I just want to put this out there that at one point or another, we have to think and answer this question: “what does wearing makeup mean to you”?
At the same time as you come up with an answer, bear in mind that there are negative effects of wearing makeup everyday on your skin.
Recently, I read a post that was titled ” Couple divorces on the day of their honeymoon after husband sees his wife for the first time without make-up!” I will put a link down below so you can read the story in full.
After reading the story, I felt a burning desire on encouraging all of us to be true to ourselves (and perhaps others too) and not let the cosmetic, social media and newsoutlet industries run and destroy our lives.
So this post is going to cover the 17 advantages and disadvantages of wearing wakeup!
This couple’s story broke my heart because nobody should have to go through that. Not the husband and certainly not the wife.
The husband maybe felt very deceived and cheated.
The wife probably felt judged and rejected. Now, they both probably will have to endure years of possible counseling and therapy for year to come.
Nobody wants to be rejected, judged or made to feel any sort of way!
In my opinion, certainly no rejection should be caused by wearing make-up! We all want to feel loved and be loved!
That’s why this post will discuss pros and cons of wearing makeup and provide some tips and hacks on how to ditch your makeup for life.
I will arm you with a combined list of 17 advantages and disadvantages of wearing makeup, then you decide for yourself.
As I said before, it is a personal choice to wear or not to wear make. I won’t judge either way!
When it comes to wearing make-up, make-up is nothing but a cover up!
Let me put this again in a different way.
I currently don’t wear make-up. But when I did, for me; it was for no other reason than to mask my insecurities, deceive myself (perhaps others too) that I was more beautifully than I really was.
One thing I now know for sure, is that I failed to realize that beauty is from within and if I didn’t feel good from inside to outside, then nothing else really mattered.
Day in and day out I hear about people going under the knife to enhance their appearance on that and this, but that is just a short term fix, for a long term and lasting problem.
So, it seems that in these days and age, natural beautify is not as admired as it once was! It is increasingly becoming difficult to distinguish who is naturally beautiful as the advance superficial skin makeup and plastic surgery can completely transform a person.
Even the dead are fixed up with make-up before being buried…I’m not making fun of the idea here. I am just saying that the makeup/cosmetic industry has figured out a way to make us feel so insecure on how we look that even those who no longer can feel anything (so they say) have their faces made-up before they’re sent six feet under.
So how do we defend ourselves from these big giants industries (the social media, the cosmetic industry, news outlets…) from making us feel so low and insecure about our looks? There is a pressure to look a certain way from every angle.
First off, let me share with you some of the pros of going make-up free:
Pros:
- You’ll save yourself some money!
Image by Charles Thompson from Pixabay
In the United States alone, a survey done by Statista in 2019, estimated that an average American woman spends over $500 per year on makeup alone. You can only imagine how much that will add up to per lifetime. This is a lot of money to say the least!
- Decrease the risk of skin irritation
ll the fragrances, dyes, colors and preservatives that are in many makeup can cause contact dermatitis which can cause your skin to be itchy. According to this 2018 post, it is factually stated that cosmetics are the most common cause of fragrance-related contact dermatitis.
- Lower the exposure to very harmful ingredients
Most people do not know that make ups have ingredients that can be harming their skin. Nor do they check their makeup expiration date, nor discard them on their expiry date. This is important to pay attention to. Makeup industries are not strictly regulated, so the manufacturers are the ones making sure that the products they put out in the market are safe.
- You’ll love and be more on peace with yourself
This means that you stop caring about what others may say or post about you. You just embrace your flaws and yourself the very best way that you can. Learning how to stop wearing makeup gradually is the key.
- Fewer odor induced headaches
It is not unusual for companies to scent their makeup with artificial fragrances to mask or enhance the real smell of other ingredients. However, according to this highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health, odors can trigger headaches in people who are especially at high risk to migraines.
- Absolutely clear skin
No makeup, no more unwanted skin problems caused by wearing them, whew!!! Doesn’t that sound nice? Your pores will thank you as they breathe easily leading to you having a freshly looking skin. Your pores also look smaller.
- Getting ready and heading out of the door becomes a breeze!
This means no more spending precious minutes and hours trying to get ready and making sure that the makeup you’re wearing is spot on. Now you’ll have time to spend on other more important things!
- No more photoshoping and editing pictures and videos before posting on social media
This once again will save you time so you can focus more on other things.
- Feel more confident
Your self confidence will no longer depend on the makeup you have on. It will merely depend on your inner beauty which everyone possesses, by the way! Just spend a little time with yourself to find your inner peace!
- Reduce wrinkles and dry skin
As stated above, cosmetic products have a lot of ingredients in them that affect your skin in a negative way such as increase the rate your skin ages and increased dry skin. So by going makeup free, you pretty much eliminate this problem. This translates into your skin staying healthier and looking younger. Who doesn’t want that!!!
- Possibly lower your risk of some cancer
It is a well known fact that there are some concerns with beauty products that contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) according to a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Lorenzo Cohen. These chemicals raise some concerns as they can interfere with the hormones in your body especially if the makeup is worn every day.
We just presented you with 11 advantages of not wearing makeup so let us now dive into the disadvantages.
The cons are self explanatory so I will not be going into many details.
Cons:
- Makeup on the skin clogs pores and prevents skin from breathing
- Can cause serious skin problems
Makeup contains too much chemicals, colors, additives and preservatives all of which can lead to bad skin or skin breakouts.
- Some make-up can be toxic – e.g. some lip sticks contain lead.
- Can’t transform yourself, anymore!
If you liked experimenting with different types of makeup, going make up free will change that.
- Can’t hide your flaws anymore!
If you have a skin that is prone to acne and occasional pimples, once you decide to give up make-up completely, then you won’t be able to hide any of your skin’s imperfections.
Clearly, the benefits of not wearing makeup outweigh the ones for wearing make-up on a daily basis! You now have many bold reasons to stop wearing makeup and be just your “real” you. Just “love you”!!!
Be yourself in the way your creator intend you to be! Just as you were born! No makeup! No look worries!
Now that you’re not wearing makeup anymore, here are some ways you still can achieve a makeup free look!
- Avoid having dry lips
There is nothing cute or funny about dry, chapped and or cracked lips. So do use some Aquaphor lip repair to keep them nice and moisturized. Any vaseline lip therapy will also do the trick.
- Take care of your skin the best way you know how
If you don’t know how, start hydrating with water (not the type of sugary drinks that mess up your system and add some unwanted weight to your body) a lot of it to and making healthier choices. Consuming plenty of water hydrates your skin more than anything!
- Consume lots of fruits and veggies
Healthier choices include eating your fruits, vegetables and legumes
- Do some simple exercises
Exercising doesn’t have to be that hard and definitely you don’t have to go to the gym (if you don’t want to) or don’t have the means. I personally push myself to accomplish over 10,000 steps daily and that has served well. In a later post I will share with you how I complete over 10K steps at least six days of the week.
Having the right type of stepping shoes is the key to reaching your exercise goal. So, what are you waiting for, get your comfortable shoes on and get the stepping!
- Brush up your eyesbrows
Use a brush (even if it is unused) tooth brush to brush up on your brows. The fuller they look the better overall perfect facial look.
- Get enough rest
Science has proven time and time again that getting at least, minimum of six hours a night has effect on your day to day functioning. Getting enough rest gives your body some time to heal and replenish its own energy so you can live longer and healthier life. In addition, when you sleep it is another way to distress! Won’t you agree?
I hope you like the natural suggestions above and that you will stay true to yourself and feel beautiful inside and outside without any cosmetics.
I presented you a combined list of 17 advantages and disadvantages of wearing makeup so the rest is up to you!
As promised earlier, here is the link to the full story if interested in reading it.
Please don’t forget to share, like and comment! Remember, sharing is caring and don’t forget to live your best shame free life ever!
