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Does Makeup Give You Greater Confidence?

29 August, 2021 - 08:47pm by - Head Pixie | 10 Comments

by BR Kellie

Initially this article was meant to be about whether or not makeup gives you confidence. Whether we wear it for ourselves or for the benefit of those around us. Whether we truly believe that we are wearing it for ourselves but it's actually a case of the patriarchy having gotten so under our skin we really don't know who we're wearing it for anymore? 

Things were going to get deep, man.

But then lockdown hit and, as you may have read in last week's poll, I stopped wearing makeup completely. A one-eighty turnaround from our first lockdown of 2020. I'd abandoned my brushes and sponges for a bare-faced look. At first I enjoyed the change. There was freedom in going makeup-free... until...

I started to feel sad within myself.

To be fair, not being able to have regular chats with favourite human beings outside of my bubble can do that to a person. Not being able to randomly hug those you enjoy hanging out with doesn't help either.

It was while I was in the doldrums that I asked myself... what can I do to make this better? The answer came to me quickly:

Put your face on.

Not 'go for a walk', not 'do a bit of yoga', not 'scoff chocolate', not 'pour a glass of something stronger than water'. 

Put your face on.

So I listened to my inner self and skincared up my face as I usually would pre-makeup application then sat in front of my wee mirror and dusted off my makeup cart. I'm not joking... I have a cart:

My Beauty Space aka That Uncurated Life

For fifteen minutes I primed and foundationed, concealed and bronzed, blushed and shadowed, then mascara'd up my lashes and popped on a tinted balm.

In that fifteen minutes as I brushed and bounced, dabbed and dotted I felt the sads sift away. The lifting of lashes lifted my soul. The concealing of scars healed the hurts.

It was like magic. And foundation was my little bottle of potion. 

So it turns out that for me makeup does gives me confidence. And it's not because I care about what others think, it's not because I'm out there trying to look better for anyone else, it's simply because the act of putting makeup on my face, of emphasising my good points while hiding my less than great bits, brings me joy. It makes me feel good. It's like yoga or cooking or getting Botox is to others.

Which leads me to the conclusion that I could've gotten as deep on the subject as I wanted but the result would be the same: If something brings you joy, if it doesn't hurt anyone else, if it puts a spring in your step and lifts your soul - do it. What others say or do doesn't matter. You do you. Hashtag-live-your-best-life. For me that means putting on my face. Even if the only people who are going to see me are my husband and daughter, who think I'm wonderful with or without makeup, or my cat - who only cares that I feed her and give her the appropriate amount of love throughout the day.

So, my lovelies, tell me... what brings you joy? What gives you confidence? What makes you hum with happiness? How are you keeping your spirits up this lockdown? Chat below...

Does makeup give you greater confidence?


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Comments

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11th September, 2021

This hits home for me . About a week or two before lockdown I stopped wearing make up . I haven’t worn it since. My mood has been low since . I’m working through this lockdown level 4 too with no make up totally different since I’ve changed jobs. I miss my make up.

9th September, 2021

It does make me feel more confident. It lifts my mood when I'm struggling to go outside.

9th September, 2021

I relate to this so much. Following on from last years lockdown I had got a bit slack and was not wearing makeup as much anymore. But I forgot how much joy the action of putting on makeup brings me. It just makes me feel relaxed and I swear it’s a form of meditation for me. So I’ve started to put my face on again, even if I am just working from home, it’s a little bit of self care and joy for me in my day.

9th September, 2021

It does but it can be incredibly frustrating especially if winged liner is the only eye makeup look that works for your eyes and it's just not working out that day. I have over the years gotten really confident going barefaced though I don't go barefaced to work or some social gatherings or during the day or evening at the start of a relationship.

7th September, 2021

It certainly does! But frustrating when you try make a effort and are not pleased with the results

7th September, 2021

I wear makeup for myself and it makes me feel better. For this lockdown I didn't wear it the first two weeks, but it's really perked me up the last week. A sense of normality and routine.

6th September, 2021

Absolutely agree with this article.I don't wear a lot of make up even when not in lockdown but just a bit of eyeliner and mascara makes a world of difference to how I feel.

6th September, 2021

For me make up is more about how I feel about myself than about impressing others. While in lockdown I don’t go the full schbang, but I still put in the basic stuff. Just a dash of lipstick and eye liner makes a world of difference. I was in a professional zoom meeting a few days back, where all the girls refused to put their videos on as they hadn’t put on any make up. So I guess it does make a difference both at personal and professional level.

6th September, 2021

Definitely yes! I don't need the whole shabang, but a lick of eyeliner and tinted lip balm really changes how I feel. It's like the difference between slopping around all day in my pjs and actually putting on proper clothes (yes, including a bra) for the day. I'm not talking ballgowns and heels, just comfortable, relaxed clothes, but clothes nonetheless. A friend of mine works from home and always - ALWAYS - gets up in the morning and puts on his suit before starting work at his desk. A bit over-the-top for me personally, but I do get where he's coming from. Are these patriarchal, societal pressures at play? I'm not sure, but I do know that for me they're small habits that work like mental triggers, prepping me for the day and making me feel more positive, pro-active and energised. Turns out, my mother was right all along...

6th September, 2021

100 percent yes , make up gives more confidence, and that is only ever a good thing !

Macs
11th September, 2021

I agree! I feel more confident with make up on.

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