The other day a 2nd grader made a comment about my glasses, which I’ve been wearing nonstop since January.
“Mrs. Kendall,” she said. “I think you’re pretty, but you’re a million times prettier without your glasses.” I laughed and told her she’d have to learn to like my glasses because I can’t see without them.
I didn’t take offense. Kids are honest, and she prefers me without glasses. I know my glasses–red, heavy and large–are arguably man repellers and not for everyone. I like them, and I’ve grown so accustomed to them that my reflection in the mirror looks odd on the rare occasion I don’t have them on. I have only one problem with wearing glasses: I can’t wear mascara. When I do, my lashes brush up against the lenses and leave a coating. That’s what I get for picking glasses that sit high on the bridge of my nose.
Here’s the thing; I shouldn’t wear mascara with or without glasses. I’m allergic to some chemical in most mascaras. Whatever it is burns my eyes something fierce and makes them red and glassy. Tearing up while wearing mascara is like splashing my eyes with rubbing alcohol. You would think this would be enough of a reason to forgo wearing mascara. It was not. Instead, I’d wait to put on mascara until right before “the event” so I had an hour or two of comfortable vision. (?) If I had a long commute to where I was going, I would put on my mascara in the parking lot. No sense wasting good eyes on the drive! And yes, I tried many of the natural mascaras on the market. Those produced some of the worst reactions for some reason.
I also rarely leave the house without makeup. I wear Garnier’s BB Cream and dark circle eye roller, which I then seal with a powder. Once I’m done, I add a little cream blush and tinted lip gloss because the unnaturally smooth and uniform appearance of my skin reminds me of a corpse. Finally, I fix my eyebrows with a gel, making sure to hide the scar I have in my right eyebrow. This is what I do on most days, and what I did in the above picture. On very, very special occasions I will use eyeshadow and eye liner and, yes, mascara.
At night I take it all off with an oil cleanser, also by Garnier. I follow that up with their dark spot mask and lotion. (I swear, this is not a sponsored post.)
My skin has never been in such poor condition. I have dark circles from lack of sleep and genetics. My skin is uneven, dry, and rough. My cheeks will itch for no reason. I get breakouts. There is a dry spot on my chin that I pick at repeatedly, often without realizing it. You can see it peaking out of my makeup in the picture. I didn’t realize it was so bad until twice I went without makeup and twice people asked me about the bruise on my chin. Both people jokingly asked if the Mister punched me. Nope! That skin damage is self inflicted, thanks. (I just caught myself doing it just now. I do it a lot when I’m thinking, reading, editing, etc.)
I don’t think it’s the products because my skin was worse before I started using the oil cleanser a few weeks ago. This post isn’t a slam on Garnier products.
This is me on the day of my high school graduation in May of 1990. Maybe June? Point: almost 24 years ago. A lot can happen in 24 years.
I rarely wore makeup, not even to my graduation. My skin! I can’t believe how fantastic my skin looks, and how absolutely clueless I was about my fantastic skin. Sure, my eyebrows are an uneven mess and my hair is crawling up my skull like a cresting tsunami, but my eyelashes were naturally thick. Not as thick as they appear in the picture–that’s just a fortunate lighting illusion–but thick enough that I never wore mascara. Far thicker than they are now. (Eyelashes thin with age, sadly.) I never wore face makeup of any kind. Blush and eyeliner, sometimes. At night, I splashed my face with cold water. I did the same thing in the morning. That was my grand beauty routine.
If I could blame the condition of my skin on one thing, even though I know it’s not just one thing, I would point the finger at regular makeup use. When I graduated college and started working, wearing makeup, everything went to pot.
Nicole linked to two interesting posts on her weekly round up on Friday. This one, by 25 year old Man Repeller Leandra Medine, talks about why she doesn’t wear makeup. The other link, by Jezebel, rightly argues that going without makeup isn’t that big a deal–or shouldn’t be.
Those posts got me thinking about my face, what I put on it, and why. I should toss out my mascara now while I’m feeling empowered (haha). More food for thought: Jessica Ledwich’s Monstrous Feminine series, featured here.
You have the most fabulous eyebrows!
Thanks. ;)
I love this. I rarely wear make up except for lipstick. I always have something on my lips. I wear glasses most of the time, and prefer them over contacts. I like contacts if I am exercising or will be doing outdoor activities. When I take my glasses of people look at me weird. It makes me think I look better with them on, or maybe I am so beautiful they are stunned that I look the way I do without my glasses. lol
See, I never feel the urge to have something on my lips, but I know that’s a very real feeling for lots of women. My SIL, for one, could never last a minute without a balm/lipstick/gloss on her lips. Never!
I wore contacts for many years under the impression that it made me look better (and maybe it did) – but I could never ever get the comfort level I needed or the vision correction that was best with them. I finally gave up. Glasses it is. I like to think they give me a studious look LOL.
But seriously, I think I killed my skin with sun damage. I never wore sunscreen on my face consistently until maybe 10 years ago? And now? I’m blotchy sunspotty. I’m sort of tired of trying so many different lotions and potions.
I’m unbelievably rambling.
Anyway, I think you look best when you are happy and you can certainly be happy when you can see good, right?
Yes, that is when you’re most attractive. Good reminder. :)
I recently stopped wearing my contacts. My eyes are just too dry. So I treated myself to a fabulous new pair of glasses. And they aren’t that different from your’s. Big bold frames are back in! You are cool, see there?
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/189010515584228542/
http://piperlime.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=70261&vid=1&pid=667630002
I’m a face product junkie but I only wear makeup 3-4 times a month (coffee with my girlfriends might rate a tinted moisturizer and under eye concealer because I have genetic dark circles that NEVER go away, for a special occasion I add lipstick and eye makeup). I don’t use mascara unless it’s a really important occasion, but makeup or not I don’t leave the house without curling my eyelashes. I hardly have any – and the ones I do are thin and straight but long so curling helps. I’m not feeling bad for you with the whole “my eyelashes hit my glasses” thing :)
I liked the Jezebel article you shared – was less of a fan of the man repeller one (I don’t get that site, but I’m deficient at “cool”)
As far as skin care goes, I highly recommend the Clarisonic (not that you asked but whatever). I bought the original Mia (the cheapest one – still expensive – but less so) about four years ago and I LOVE it. It makes such a huge difference in the texture of my skin.
I want a Clarisonic badly! I keep hearing great things about it.
I hear good things about the Neutragena version and its a lot less expensive.
Throughout high school and college I wore hard contacts because I thought I was prettier without glasses. (An opinion that many boys felt the need to share with me.) Then I started working at a data entry job where I stared at the computer all day, and I got insane, excruciating headaches, and I switched to glasses full time, because I needed my job so I could eat. (At that job many more men told me how much prettier I was with contacts, including my favorite, “men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.”) I only wore contacts for special occasion. Even then, like you with the mascara, I would put them in as close to the event as possible, because they gave me a headache.
Two years ago I went back to the optometrist, thinking that since I no longer need to stare at a computer screen all day I might be able to wear contacts again. Nope. I spent six months trying every single brand in every single prescription combination. They make my eyes dry and uncomfortable and I get a headache after wearing them for about an hour. I am Glasses Girl Forever.
What breaks my heart is my four year old has to wear glasses, and we have a fight every single day over wearing them. She says “but I’m so much prettier without them.” WHAT?? Where did you hear that??? Who told you that??? That’s baloney! And you are four, why are you already internalizing what society thinks is appropriate for female appearance??
I am also not a makeup wearer (eyes itch, just don’t care about it, I always seem to get it on my shirt, I feel it is a tool of female oppression) but I think I’ve already written a novel on responding to this post.
You don’t need makeup. Your skin is like a bowl of cream with freckles on top.
I don’t know where kids get their body/beauty issues, but they’re pervasive. The books I’m reading on the subject are really fascinating, in that gnash your teeth because it’s all pointless kind of way.
I’m quite the opposite. I have had acne-prone skin since I hit puberty. The only saving grace was finding a good skin regimen that works for me, and hence works wonders for my self esteem. I now feel comfortable walking out of the house with no makeup on, which I do frequently.
One of the links mentioned washing your face at night, and that has also been a key lesson for me. At the very least, even if I’m tired, I will wipe off the dirt from the day with a makeup-remover cloth.
I need to be better about washing my face, even on the days I don’t wear makeup.
Oh, good grief — I hear you. My skin was so beautiful when I was a teenager; my graduation picture makes me want to weep. Then I developed rosacea in my twenties, and it’s been craziness ever since. And now, in my forties — BAM! — my skin always feels a little greasy and breaks out more, too. Much like you would expect in a teenager. Wha?? And I’m not nearly the slave to wearing makeup that I was then, but I caught sight of my makeup-free face in the rearview the other day, and almost hit the curb. Yikes! (I didn’t bother putting any on, though. It’s not fooling anyone, and there was shopping to be done.)
The mascara part of you story cracks me up! It doesn’t bother my eyes to the extent you describe, but it’s pretty irritating, yet when I put it on, I think, “Maybe today it won’t bother me.” Well, why wouldn’t it, but I really like the way it finishes my eye makeup, so that’s what I choose to believe. (I haven’t had that great day yet.)
I say the same thing, too! Maybe THIS will be the brand that doesn’t melt my eyeballs!
I think that you look great….and, I’m like you, I can’t wear mascara with my glasses. I think that I must be at the I-don’t-give-much-of-a-care stage of life because I find myself wearing my glasses more and more since I know that makeup on those days won’t work. Also, I second the comment about your eyebrows…they are fabulous!
My lashes are long, but they also grow straight out and don’t hold a curl. Honestly, one of the best things about wearing glasses is the “excuse” to get out of wearing mascara. I don’t think people can tell the difference with glasses like mine.
My 17 month old tossed my makeup bag in the toilet recently and so, due to budget constraints mainly, I’ve been going mostly makeup free (although I HAD to fine me a brow pencil, even if it’s a $4 compared to my old $22 standby). It’s an interesting place to find myself. I love the freedom of not having to find time for a makeup routine. I hate that my skin is rebelling against me lately due to pregnancy and I don’t have my arsenal of products to hide the fact (really rosy cheeks). I miss my under eye concealer too, but my husband says he doesn’t notice a difference?! I had actually stopped wearing mascara earlier this year except for special occasions as well. It irritates my eyes and I don’t believe you can even tell I am wearing it if I have my glasses on.
I’m debating seriously limiting my makeup use over the summer. I’m hoping it will calm my skin down.
I never wear makeup but not for any noble reasons… I just always thought I looked fine and I didn’t like how my friends, once the started, never felt like they could go without it again. On the one hand, that means that there was a potential for a much prettier version of my face, but the daily commitment scared me off. And like the glasses thing, I didn’t want to give ppl ammunition to tell me I was so much prettier with my makeup on. No makeup it is. I didn’t even wear any for my wedding (weird in retrospect but I didn’t think of it and wouldn’t have known what to buy if I did.)
There was an article on Yahoo about a bride who didn’t wear makeup. This made world-wide news! Crazy.
I have extremely finicky skin. My nose used to peel constantly, I had splotches of red dry spots, etc. etc., ad nauseum. Then I bit the bullet and bought Dr. Weil’s Mega Mushroom line and I find myself using less makeup. Now all I use is Benefit BeneTint on my cheeks and lips, and Tarte clay eyebrow definer.
In short: Dr. Weil. It’s a bit pricey, but it lasts forever and actually works.
I’ve used Dr. Weil’s brand once when it first came out. So, I had to be in my 20s or early 30s. I didn’t notice much of a difference then, but my skin wasn’t like it is now. I should try it again.
Great post!
As a long-time acne sufferer, I rarely walk out the door without makeup on, especially to work. On the rare occasions that I do, students ask me if I’m sick, depressed, or had some kind of rough facial. BB creams are my failsafe when it comes to makeup – covers just enough, but not so much that my skin gets clogged.
But seriously…the real reason I’m here is those eyebrows! They are amazing!
Have a great day!
Yeah, a couple of times I went without my BB Cream–wasn’t in the library, but was dropping something off or whatever–and students asked if I was sick/depressed/dying. Charming.
The eyebrows! You can’t have eyebrows like mine as an adult unless you grew up looking like Bert from Sesame Street.
Your HS pic looks like a cross between a 1980s Jami Gertz and Mia Sara (meant as a compliment!) And right now, menopausal me is rocking generic Cetaphil mixed with baking soda, followed by 2drops of Sea Buckthorn oil massaged in for a minute or so.
I used to get Ione Skye a lot. This is the picture people are thinking of, I hear: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxmfhxVzsy1r2kncco1_500.png
Yep, I see it! So basically, the 80s girlfriend? I’m officially jealous!
Since I retired, I stopped wearing makeup regularly. My skin is much improved, even though I’m now almost a year older:). Also, a Clairisonic is good. Also, you’re beautiful!
I have dry spots on my face that I pick too. Something that helps a lot, coconut oil. Try it!
I try to remember to sunscreen because a coworker had to get a chunk out of his nose last year, and my sister is a derm… According to her, nothing is that special, other than retin-A, so don’t bother with all that expensive stuff. I think what the expensive stuff DOES do, is get you to moisturize regularly. I also often fall asleep without washing my face, but it’s usually not a big deal since there is nothing on there but sunscreen…and maybe some eyeshadow or liner. I also don’t do mascara but mostly because when I do, it ends up below my face, like a football player.
I got sent the Roc daily moisturizer with sunscreen from my sister and I’m loving it so far!
I feel like there should be a “no mascara if you don’t feel like it” revolution. Maybe then women wouldn’t be expected to have these amazingly long lush lashes.
You are probably sick of hearing me say this, but day-um, woman, you are gorgeous. Both 25 years ago AND now. The skin thing is interesting as you get older, though, I agree. I do not wear makeup on a daily basis (it has to be a special occasion), and I often get compliments on my skin … I doubt they’re looking at the gigantic bags under my eyes for inspiration, though. ;-)
I want to get better about wearing sunscreen. I know it’s good for me to avoid sun damage … it’s just that wearing anything on my face makes me feel like I’m suffocating.
Do you drink a lot of water? Great for your skin. I would die if I couldn’t wear mascara! Its the one thing, other than Chapstick, that I won’t leave home without. Makes me look awake! I’ve been blessed with great skin but it’s gotten so oily in the past 6 months, more so on my forehead. I read it comes with age. If I know I’m not leaving the house, I’ll skip the make up but I just like to feel my best when I’m out and about and a little makeup helps. I’ve used Bare Essentials for years. Love that it’s quick, light, natural looking and I don’t have to blend anything. I don’t wash my face at night either, I just wipe it off with a towel. My mom is the lipstick freak, even at home, she reapplies after a meal! I think if you feel great without makeup, then that’s all that matters!
Well, I’m going to be the odd man out on this one, but I wear make-up every work day. For the same reasons that I take care with the outfit that I put together and why I buy nice shoes. I like looking put together. It makes me feel professional and empowered. I feel polished. Maybe its the Southerner in me. I don’t wear a lot – primer to control shine, foundation, blush, a quick swipe of eye shadow, pencil and mascara. Takes me less than 4 minutes. On the weekend, BB creme and mascara. I can’t leave the house without mascara.
My skin has gotten weirder as I’ve gotten older. I’ve been on a retin-A creme since my mid 20s for acne, so I actually have pretty good skin for 39. I wear Neutragena sunblock everyday. My chin is both flaky and and prone to acne if I’m not careful. I’ve stopped washing my face in the morning, just splashing with water, and that has helped. I use the Cera-ve creme and face wash and they are wonderful. In the winter I use Carita face oil. One bottle lasts for years. And I confess I don’t buy it; a girlfriend works for the brand and gives me freebies. Otherwise I would look for something cheaper. It takes care of the flakiness on my chin, and I’m sure the oil products you’ve have switched too will bring your spot under control.
I could go on and on about my own skin issues — I’ve sensitive skin, with major keratosis pilaris, which causes breakouts, which cause hyperpigmentation and scars — ugh. And I have to wear glasses because I’m sensitive to the preservatives in contact lens solutions. :-( Though I did want to mention that I also use Cetaphil cleanser and baking soda as a scrub, and it works really well — the only thing better, IMO, is a regular washcloth — no fancy brushes here. ;-)
But I wanted to comment with some suggestions in regards to mascara. I’m allergic to bees, and therefore also allergic to honey and beeswax. I can’t use any products on my body with those ingredients without serious itching. Beeswax is in a LOT of mascaras and eyeliners, and once I stopped using those my eye problems decreased dramatically.
You can use other products to mimic the effect of mascara. A felt-tipped eyeliner can be swiped across the lashes to darken them. You can use a push-liner brush to push eyeshadow [either powder or cream] into your lash line to make the lashes appear thicker. You can go old-school and use an actual powder mascara, or substitute an eyeshadow or liner. I’m typing all of this out and remembered that makeup artist Wayne Goss did a video about this: http://youtu.be/uKdEEO2pQOw [if that link doesn’t work, the title is “THE NEW WAY TO APPLY MASCARA!!!!” on his Youtube channel ‘gossmakeupartist’] — there are several steps, but you can pick and choose which you’d like to try.
And ALWAYS curl your lashes before applying any product! It makes the eyes appear brighter, larger, more wide-awake, and [most importantly] helps prevent the tips of the lashes from brushing against your lenses. My lashes are stick-straight, and I absolutely have to curl them when I’m wearing mascara or else they dirty my lenses and poke my eyelid [hitting the lens pushes the hairs back into my skin] — not a pleasant sensation.
Leaving a separate comment since that last one was so long�
My mom doesn’t wear makeup at all. I can count on one hand the number of times I remember seeing her wear it, and those were when I was in grade school. The main reason, I think, is that she doesn’t know what to do. Secondly, her motto has always been, “If they don’t like it, they don’t have to look at me!”
On the other hand, I enjoy makeup. More than once I’ve had to explain to my mom and my husband that I don’t wear it to impress/attract other people, I wear it because it makes me feel good about myself. Consciously I know that most people probably don’t care one bit about my skin, but *I* do. If my flaws are covered, I don’t have to worry about them, and that makes me feel less stressed [which is a huge problem unto itself, since I have Asperger’s].
I’ve recently decided to start taking better care of my skin too, including wearing less makeup. I was never very good about washing my face, but I want to change that. I’m trying to follow the French idea of taking care of my skin so I don’t *need* makeup, so I focus on cleaning my face every night and moisturizing afterward (and eye cream in the morning), and I’ve traded my foundation for a tinted moisturizer, and wear only concealer (for my dark eye circles, thanks genes!), eyeliner and lipstick. I’m hoping this will keep my skin youthful longer (I’m almost 34.) Fingers crossed! I don’t know about youthful, but it has helped me look less tired. But anyway, along the lines of mascara, have you tried Blinc mascara? (http://www.sephora.com/blinc-mascara-P46017) It’s amazing stuff. Never smudges or smears because it’s not exactly like regular mascara.
I wear make up pretty much every day, although it’s fairly light. BB cream, undereye concealer, blush + mascara. Even though I’ve been religious with sunscreen use since I was in high school (45 SPF moisturizer every darn day of my adult life – everyone on my mom’s side is always getting skin cancers removed), I’ve still managed to develop quite a few large dark spots that drive me crazy. I console myself by thinking of how brutalized my light skin would have been without it.
I had to stop wearing my contacts and mascara for a couple months because of eye issues and I can’t tell you how sad it made me. As in, I was embarrassed that something so superficial could drag me down SO much. At one point I found myself wearing the same yoga pants three days in a row (yes, even to work) because it just seemed like there was no point even trying. I think what this taught me is that I’m superficial and may need to seek medical advice for my mascara addiction.
FYI – Many people have amazing, skin-changing experiences with the Clarisonic, but I didn’t. I got one a few years ago and D and I both use it (separate brush heads!). Him daily, me a few times a week. I like it because I feel like it does a good job getting my skin totally clean but it has made absolutely zero difference in my skin texture, pore size, etc. Same for D. I’d recommend it only if you’re comfortable spending the money and are okay if it doesn’t end up being a game changer.
Yes! Join the bare-faced! I wear no makeup and I do it happily. Saves me a bucketload of time and money, and doesn’t cost me any respect.