How often do you wear makeup? Whether it’s everyday, three times a week, or only on special occasions, chances are you’d be shocked if you had to go without it completely. If you know me, then you probably know that I usually wear a full face. That means: foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer, blush, highlighter, eyebrow pencils and the occasional pink or nude lip. It sounds like a ton of stuff that is sitting on my face every single day. To me, makeup isn’t something that sits on my face, but rather a way of expressing myself. I love how a bronzer can hide my pale jawline and I am amazed at the coverage of my favorite concealer. It’s not that I hate my bare face, but let’s be honest here. We all have one or two flaws that we’d love to conceal once in a while. For me, it’s the scar that I got when a firecracker flew into my face on New Year’s Eve and my dark under eyes that reveal how little I have slept the night before.

So, this experiment of going makeup-free for a week has been an idea at our office for a while. Since I am known to have an extensive makeup collection and … slight obsession, it was my turn to finally show my colleagues what my face looks like when I skip the 30 minutes each morning of putting my ‘face’ on. I must admit, the whole thing freaked me out a little. The only ones who see me without makeup is my boyfriend and my two cats. That’s it. There was hardly a day I didn’t leave the house with some sort of CC-cream and powder. Until now.

Day 1

It’s a Saturday. Which means that I can hide my pale blemished face for another day or two before I I have to go to work. I spent the day trying to not look in the mirror while running around my apartment. My boyfriend says I look pretty. He always does that… Little does he know how much I struggle inside. I decide to take public transportation and do some shopping, whilst hiding my irritated skin behind the biggest scarf I can find. I also try to not look at people so they won’t look at me. I feel like I’m acting weird. This is not going well so far.

Day 2

My skin got even more irritated over night. I have red spots around my nose and chin. Could it be that my face misses my full-coverage foundation as much as I do? I decide to give the Tata Harper Purifying Mask a go. Just because I can’t wear makeup doesn’t mean I am not allowed to pamper my self. Before bedtime I slather on some Pai Rosehip Oil and pray to god that my face decides to calm down eventually.

Day 3

Today is the day. I get up in the morning, take a shower, eat breakfast and actually skip my makeup routine. Which saves me at least half an hour, so I end up being the first one at work. I brushed my hair into my face and act like everything’s ok. On the inside though, I am preparing myself for all the comments I am gonna get about my bare face. Turns out, NOBODY said anything. One of my colleagues applauds me for going makeup-free. That’s it. How could be this such a big deal for me and then no one says anything about it? I definitely felt slightly confused.

Day 4

Since I have more time in the mornings now, I actually decide to go to a workout class. 45 minutes of body combat and my face is sweating and super red. This is definitely not my color. My skin is still extremely irritated when I get to work and my muscles are sore. I do notice though that I don’t run around with smudged mascara. Something I usually end up with after getting some exercise in. No more panda eyes for me. It’s already Tuesday… the end is in sight.

Day 5

I oversleep and feel so lucky that I don’t have to bother with putting my makeup on. Instead of wearing bright lipstick, I decide to put on an orange sweater. I also realized that my hair looks much better. Maybe because I finally have the time to style it in the morning. It is slowly creeping up on me that I like not having to bother with my makeup anymore. My skin is still occasionally breaking out though. I am giving it so much time to ‘breath’, but unfortunately it still doesn’t help.

Day 6

Through this experiment, I discovered my new best friend. His name is Face Tan Water and he has saved me from blinding the people around me with my super pale face. I am not kidding. This little bottle has been my steady companion the last few evenings. I wake up with a slightly bronzed face and feel much more comfortable. Otherwise, my skin hasn’t changed. I am hoping that the extremely luxurious sample of the Vintner’s Daughter Botanical Serum will do the trick.

Day 7

Last day hooray! I have finally gotten used to my foundation-free skin. Also, my blemishes seem to fade and the redness has gotten down a lot. I celebrate by having too much dairy, which sadly breaks me out. In any case, I’ve decide to go makeup-free more often.

Verdict

Showing the world my scars and blemishes every day was more of a psychological challenge than anything else. I am used to hiding my flaws and finding myself beautiful only when I have coated lashes and tinted lips. This experiment has showed me though, that you do not have to bother every day with covering yourself up. I used to be the person who would never dare to go out with a bare face, now I do it much more frequently. Oh, and all this extra time I have on my hands now is actually the best thing ever. I feel way more relaxed and less stressed. If you are like me and have a really close relationship with your makeup stash, take a break for a day or two. See how you and your skin feels during that time. You may be surprised how your body reacts.

How often do you wear makeup? Do you go makeup-free a lot? Let me know in the comments below?