I'm not sure if it's an age thing, or a downright laziness thing, but I have been spending many, many (many, many) more days without bothering to slap on a drop of foundation, or a splodge of mascara.
Now, you're probably shouting at the screen "well of course you have stupid, there's been nowhere to bloody go". And you're obviously right, but just hear me out.
I'm not the girliest of girls. I watch a lot of sport like rugby, football and MMA (and I know what's going on), I headbang to loud music, I burp with comfortable ease, and I am bloody clueless about makeup. For all of my adult years I have been winging it when it comes to doing up my face. I'm not saying I'm awful at it, but it is definitely a case of 'let's see what happens when I do this'.
But despite my lack of expertise, I still buy and use makeup as it made me feel better. I thought I could hide the spots and redness that regularly made an appearance, or try to make the black bags under my eyes suddenly disappear (I'm really talking myself up here I know). Makeup was a mask.
I also used it to stand out at gigs. You see, as I get older, I felt a lot more boring compared to a lot of the young, skinny rock chicks that frequent the same music venues. Their hair, their clothes... I felt so dull (and yes, was feeling my age), so sometimes used makeup and hair dye to show that I'm more than just ordinary.
Then lockdown came along. Working from home became the norm. Originally it was a case of utter laziness. What was the point in getting all done up just to sit on my laptop all day? The camera on my laptop was fuzzy enough to get away with a plain face during all those Microsoft Team meetings, result!
So, the days (then weeks, then months) of bare face meant that I had time to work on my skin. Unfortunately I suffer with hormonal acne (cheers endometriosis and PCOS 👍) so there is only so much I can do, but I did my research and tried some new products. There have been weeks of experimenting with varying combinations of products. I don't have the winning combo just yet but I have made a permanent change by adding SPF to my usual routine.
UV rays are the main cause of aging so I make sure I wear this stuff every day. I'm determined to age as naturally as possible (ie. no surgery or injections) but there's nothing wrong with using other bits and bobs to slow the process.
Anyway, my skin is slowly making some improvements so now going makeup free is an option for me. I also think other factors have helped to increase my confidence, like working on my physical health, and mental well-being.
So, have I decided to ditch makeup altogether? Hell no! However, I am feeling more confident about leaving the flat with any foundation or mascara. It could be because I'm used to going without it, because of my increased confidence, or maybe it could be because we're in the middle of a heatwave and makeup would just melt off in seconds anyway.
I can't speak for all women but for me, going without makeup has been a big step. I still have moments when I worry what people will think of me, based purely on what I look like (hence the change in hair and makeup above - I was only going to the cinema). But it's something I'm working on - not giving a fuck what people think. Something as frivolous as makeup is just the first step.
