Sans Makeup, S'il Vous Plaît (NYT)

[Virginielle]

I think that most of the people who wear too much makeup can no longer imagine themselves without it---being able to see yourself without makeup is the first step in feeling comfortable wearing less. Just because it's different than what you usually wear doesn't mean it's worse, and usually the difference is more discernable to you than anyone. I think cakey, visible makeup is so much more unattractive than the imperfections it is attempting to conceal---but it almost never seems that way as you're getting ready in the morning. This is unfortunate for everyone who'd love to rock the minimal makeup look (and might even be able to get away with a lot less) but are afraid to try. Again, the first step is admitting you have a problem.

 

[cosmogrl5]

I think cakey, visible makeup is so much more unattractive than the imperfections it is attempting to conceal---but it almost never seems that way as you're getting ready in the morning.

ITA. For example, my best friend literally cakes her makeup on every morning. She stayed with me for a few days last month, and I could not believe how long it took her to get ready in the AM and literally watched in amazement as she put layer upon layer of foundation on her skin. She does this because she is insecure about her skin and breakouts. However, in the sunlight, it looks absolutely horrid! Whereas, at night when she took off her makeup, her face looked better- breakouts and all- without it than with that ten pounds of foundation she wore during the day!

I know that a good friend would have probably told her so, but knowing how insecure she is about her skin, I didn't want to touch upon a sore spot.

 

[baRose]

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I use a liquid foundation by Aveda with a little light yellow mineral make-up powder (Everyday Minerals) mixed in to get the right color and texture only as a consealer on some of my acne scars (hyperpigmatoin). I then use a transparent powder to finish the look. I can’t imagine wearing full face foundation despite my imperfections. I’ve tried over and over again and no matter what brand, type (liquid, cream, stick, loose powder, pressed powder) I look too “made up” and it instantly ages me.

I recently tried a foundation by Armani and for the first time, I looked totally normal! The price will keep me away from it for a while though.

Growing up, I knew an older woman who wore the classic pancake foundation (probably Max Factor) daily, not matter what the occasion was. She was African American and the color was always way too red for her completion. Her jaw line and neck was about 2 shades lighter. She would cake it on and it would come off every time she came in facial contact with someone. That definitely scared me from any kind of full coverage makeup for life.

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[trin]

i sooo agree with you virginielle. it was only after i returned from abroad that i said goodbye to lipstick, pressed powder and what not. what a great feeling. dunno, i think in the states we're conditioned by the male population to have to look like e.g. jessica simpson at all times. and abroad, many males judge beauty by how you look sans makeup. in fact, if you do have it on (a daily basis), they ask what for? or what's the occasion? i dont know if anyone else noticed, but you could see the layers of makeup coming off jessica simpson when she was dating john mayer. and she looked so much better. it's a beautiful thing when you're somewhere that girls around you are au naturel and it evokes you to try to strive for the same thing and eventually break free from the imposed 'standard of beauty' many males in the states have for females here..hehe...sorry for the rant!!

 

[Virginielle]

No apology necessary---we seem to be all about the ranting on this thread. I feel the same way---living abroad (in Paris) for a month changed my outlook on beauty completely. I do things differently now; I expend more effort and $$ on the actual condition of my skin and hair than on covering it up, which benefits me doubly. And I hate the idea of being practically unrecognizable without makeup---I like to look very similar during the day to how I look first thing in the morning.

...I'd imagine that many a fella has been turned off by how different his partner looks in the morning before a full face of makeup has been applied. Now if that's not reason enough to reconsider piling layer upon layer onto your face, a trip to France might be your only other chance for rescue. Kidding.
Sort of.

 

[Papyrus]

I love this thread!! I hardly ever wear makeup - absolutley no foundation, concealer, blush, etc. I do sometimes wear light eye makeup (I only own 3 eyeshadows, one eye pencil, and a mascara) and then I have one lipstick that I only wear for special occasions. I don't wear anything on my face because I hate the feeling of foundation and I think it is bad for your skin and also because I cannot find the right foundation for my very fair skin. I just take care of my skin and I have an amazing complexion (at least that's what people tell me). And I completely agree with you, Virginielle - I would hate to look different in the morning versus when I had makeup on, and I would hate to be so dependent on makeup that I could not go anywhere without it.

 

[ChloeFrancoise]

I love wearing lipstick but I never feel the need to cake makeup on my face. I care more about skin care than I do about applying makeup to cover stuff up. I don't even wear any makeup most of the time besides lipstick or even just chapstick. I hate articles about how to have perfect skin because they're always about how makeup can cover things up and never about how to take care of your skin which I rather read. I can't have my face covered with foundation without feeling like my skin is greasy and I want to wash it off the second it goes on my face. And I might as well not bother with it since I wouldn't use it frequently enough before it becomes old makeup I need to throw out. I probably haven't used any foundation since a couple of years ago.

 

[quimby]

putting on makeup makes me depressed. it makes me feel ugly. not because i think makeup is ugly, or a madeup woman is ugly. --in fact, i always admire girls who can apply makeup well...it's a womanly skill to have.

but for me, the self-scrutiny always ends with my feeling depressed and ugly, and then i wash off whatever i put on (unless i apply only a swipe of mascara, lipgloss, or blush...and never in tandem with each other).

so instead i try to have clean, fresh, clear skin. and i just go with that.

 

[pucci_mama]

I have been doing this for ages just a bit of mascara and YSL touche eclat. I think the full make-up look is terribly dated.. and tacky.

But now I feel I need some more help, not because my skin is bad but because it is looking a little dull atm I think living in London has done that to it. I really don't know where to start!

I use dermalogica on my skin which often gets dry. I'd like to get some kind of mask to really moisturise it though.

 

[baRose]

Now that my skin has improved (thanks to diet mostly) I’m down to just wearing translucent powder, mascara and lip gloss.

Sometimes if I’m wearing mostly or all black Ill wear a little bronzer or a tiny big of blush to add a little color to my skin.

 

[pucci_mama]

yes.. speaking of blush I am really looking for a cold pale pink blush. A creamy would be ideal... but something 'natural'.

 

[GasolineRainbow]

^^ Check out Bobbi Brown Rouge Pots - there are a couple of light shades there and they can also be used on lips.

 

[Fabulyss]

For those of you that never wear makeup - do you not ever have breakouts?? Because if that's true then I don't think it is right to judge a woman that does wear foundation to cover acne. Not all of us are blessed with perfect skin.

 

[ChloeFrancoise]

I get acne but wearing makeup just makes me feel like I'll get even more. And it's also annoying when I have clear skin, I wear makeup once, then I get acne again. I don't judge anyone else if they want to cover stuff up but I myself feel icky with foundation on my face.

 

[AdaK]

I don't wear as much makeup as I used to, that's for sure. I do get breakouts...in which case I use concealer. I own some foundation, but it's mostly there for my undereye area...

 

[Papyrus]

I don't worry so much about covering my spots because I feel that they will heal faster if I don't cover them up and just put some medication on them. I would never judge another woman for wanting to use makeup to cover her spots if that's what she wants to do.

 

[cyberfruit]

I get random breakouts (I'm still a teen, so it comes with the territory) and I even have a few marks because my skin brusies easily, but I just can't stand the thought, or feeling, of makeup on my skin.

I feel that at this point and time, I don't want it and I don't need it, so I go without.

I don't judge people who use foundation to cover their marks, either. My mother does it because she's terribly self-concious about hers. It's just the super cakey "what the hell possesed you to wear that much make up on your face?" look that I take offense to. It's so unflattering and not attractive at all. Less is more!

 

[cjseattle]

I grew up in Asia and did not really wear an ounce of makeup because I didn't know anyone who did. And then after college, I moved to the US and started wearing a bit more, mostly because people thought I was in high school. I don't wear any makeup during the weekend though!

 

[junegloom]

^ That's how it was for me too. I grew up on an island in the pacific and sticking to our culture my mother has never worn much more than mascara, which I think is why she's nearly fifty, has never had any 'work' on her face and has better skin than most girls twenty years younger. So following in her footsteps I rarely touch the stuff myself, though I'll admit to testing some powder for a little while when I was more influenced by my peers. The most make up I tend to wear is eyeliner and a dash of mascara but other than that I'd rather not cake anything on my face.

 

[The_Ida]

I have been doing this for ages just a bit of mascara and YSL touche eclat. I think the full make-up look is terribly dated.. and tacky.

But now I feel I need some more help, not because my skin is bad but because it is looking a little dull atm I think living in London has done that to it. I really don't know where to start!

I use dermalogica on my skin which often gets dry. I'd like to get some kind of mask to really moisturise it though.

Try another cleanser instead. I use Dermalogica too, and their moisturizers aren't very...moisturizing So I switched from Special Cleansing Gel to Precleanse, a cleansing oil (doubles as makeup remover and clanser). It did the trick.