How Not Wearing Makeup for a Year Can Change Your Life

Not wearing makeup for an entire year sounds absolutely insane, especially as a girl in this crazy world we live in.

For one whole year, I made the decision that I would not wear makeup or use any heat on my hair. It wasn’t some huge epiphany or decision that I came to firmly, but rather a lifestyle that I began to develop after I got married.

And the longer I went without makeup or done-up hair, the more I wanted to see how long I could keep it up.

I used to be a girl that wouldn’t be caught dead without her hair curled or a full face of makeup on. I wanted to love my head and everything on it. Sounds weird right?

While my husband and I were engaged, he constantly told me that I didn’t need makeup everyday. That I was beautiful as I was. I decided to believe him and challenge myself to let all of this stuff go for a year, to remember who I was underneath the face I put on.

I wanted to love myself without my hair curled to perfection, without my eyelashes coated with mascara, without my eyebrows penciled in, without my cheekbones contoured, without my skin evened out by foundation, without my lips colored or glossed. I wanted to love my face without anything enhancing it.

Beautiful things start to happen when you’re not wearing makeup on the daily. My life and the way I viewed things began to shift and align. I changed.

Can you go a whole year without wearing makeup?

There are 5 HUGE benefits from taking on this challenge…

1

You will save money!

For years I had scavenged the MAC and Ulta stores, on the hunt for the latest eyeshadow palettes, hair products, lipsticks or brushes. And every month, I was spending at least $50-100, on products alone.

The financial aspect alone was such a huge factor. If you add the monthly $200 hair appointments, bi-monthly $50 nail appointments, and the quartly botox, I was spending thousands every single year.

I saved thousands of dollars throughout the course of the year. I don’t think it’s wrong to spend money on yourself, because ultimately you are the one you have to live with forever. And if it boosts your confidence or makes you feel more comfortable in your own skin, more power to you.

For me, it was just a wakeup call to the actual amount I was spending every single month and deciding how I actually wanted that money to be spent.

2

You will save time!

This one is a no brainer.

Never once did I have to wake up an hour earlier than I needed to just to make sure I had my hair and makeup done for the day.

I finally began to enjoy my mornings. I got at least an extra hour of sleep and didn’t have to fuss about caking my skin up (especially when I know it will melt off later living in FL).

I could spend my mornings reading, praying, drinking coffee and enjoying the sunrise tropical view from our balcony rather than rushing around to look as presentable to the world as possible.

3

Your skin and hair will repair itself!

It’s magic. Honestly.

FACE: Makeup clogs your skin and pores and interferes with your face’s natural process of “cell turnover”.

After just a month, the cells of your face renew along with your face’s adaptability to hydration, temperature, oil and natural exfoliation. So imagine the magic that a year will do for the skin on your face when you’re not wearing makeup!

Not once in 12 months did I breakout. My skin actually cleared and my skin tone evened out without all the foundation clogging my pores. My eyelashes grew longer without the daily mascara.

HAIR: After a year, you will notice a huge difference in the texture of your hair because of the strength restored to your strands.

My hair became softer and way more healthy without having any heat damage whatsoever. I learned how to get creative with styling it with braiding tutorials and just allowed it to be natural. My hair texture even changed from frizzy waves to actual curls.

I used this leave-in conditioner to keep it healthy and strong throughout the process. It saved my split-ends and strengthened every strand.

4

You actually start to love yourself!

It forced me to like myself.

Not like, love myself.

It took a while. I cried in front of the mirror some days, wishing I was more beautiful. Thinking in my head that somehow, makeup was what made me more beautiful.

Being married to a great guy also helped. When you are dating, you wear makeup to impress and look your “best”. But once you’re married, they see all of you. The good, the bad and the ugly.

My husband didn’t care for, much less, have an opinion on makeup. He just liked my natural face.

When I married him, I no longer had anyone to impress. If he loves me as I am, why do I need makeup? To impress myself?

I began to like the naked face in the mirror much m ore than the face I painted on. Makeup seemed like an elaborate façade and I just wanted to love who I was without altering my face in any way. I had to stop looking for parts of myself to change or enhance and love what God gave me.

Which brings me to…

5

Your relationships will change!

In a good way!

My marriage improved when I stopped trying to enhance myself and actually loved myself as I was.

I stopped comparing myself to others. I stopped being jealous of other women who I thought were prettier. I stopped looking for ways to make myself more beautiful. I stopped prioritizing beauty above character.

I was enough.

And it made our relationship blossom.

When you believe that you are enough, that you are beautiful as your are, other people will see it too. Your friends, your family, and your loved ones. It will help you to love others with the same kind of love, because everyone is perfect just the way God created them.

But most importantly, the relationship with yourself will change and you will be all the better for it.

Will you take on the challenge?

>>>Checkout How to Make the Best of Your Year here!