The Newest Makeup Trend: Not Wearing Any
By Glinda
At least, according to this article from The Telegraph.
I sort of get it, I really do.
It seems that many of the women featured in the article are almost afraid that wearing makeup will make people take them less seriously. As if applying makeup will make them appear clownish and inauthentic. And there’s the rub. Does wearing makeup automatically mean you are trying to hide something? That you are uncomfortable in your skin and feel the need to present yourself differently to the world?
Maybe yes, and maybe no.
No doubt for many women, wearing makeup makes them feel more confident about themselves. When you ask about the “fake” or “inauthentic” aspect of makeup, that’s when you get into some dicey territory. Is wanting to cover up imperfections a sign of low self-esteem?
Let me ask myself.
Do I feel better after applying makeup? Yes.
Do I ever walk out of the house without it? Very often, today in fact.
I don’t think wearing makeup is a problem unless you are using it as some sort of crutch, or if you don’t want anyone to see you without it.
I have no issue with people who don’t want to wear makeup, I’m all about whatever makes that person comfortable.
But upon looking at the pictures of the women featured without makeup, I noticed that these women had fantastic skin. I looked high and low for discolorations, blemishes, or any other type of skin problems, and I had a hard time finding any. Perhaps it was just some really good lighting, or excellent genetics, or a combination of both.
Part of me, though, wonders if they aren’t spending tons of money on services like masques and peels and goodness knows what else in lieu of makeup.
It is definitely more expensive to visit a salon regularly to keep your skin looking fabulous without the “help” of makeup, and I can’t help but think that women on a lower socioeconomic rung don’t have that option, but can usually buy some foundation and concealer that will last them a few months.
If wearing no makeup becomes completely trendy, I have the feeling that only a few will be able to afford it.
April 21st, 2011 at 6:31 am
First, it’s Tilda Swinton in the photo–and though she often goes without the amount of make up most women who get photographed for a living wear, she does have great genes and she works with the best photographers in the world. Depending on the age of this photo, there may even be a filter used on the lens to make her look like a dewy 20 year old. But she’s in her early 50’s, she’s enhanced her natural red hair with colour, and the skillful lighting almost completely obliterates the freckles we know are all over her skin. So this is artful, but not particularly “truthful”, and we haven’t even factored in photoshop yet.
Masks and treatments don’t have to be expensive unless you really want to go for the surgical kinds (like skin peels and microabrasion) or insist on going to spas (where you’re paying more for the service and prestige than you are for the product they use).
April 21st, 2011 at 9:43 am
First: SWINTON. That’s all that has to be said about that.
Second: In several of those pictures the people are wearing makeup – not a LOT, mind you but they aren’t out there having just washed, moisturized and walked out of the house. So, the article is a bit misleading in that regard.
April 21st, 2011 at 9:45 am
One factor that doesn’t get any mention here is that there are those situations where one would be taken less seriously without makeup. When I don’t wear makeup, I look like I’m still in high school (I’m 25). This is a good thing, generally, but very distinctly not good when I’m trying to be taken seriously in the professional world.
At my current job, we’re a small office and we all know each other, so I will go without makeup (although I tend to get questioned about my health if I don’t put on at least blush). But no way, no how would I turn up for a job interview without at least a little eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick because it makes me look older and also just more polished and professional, I think.
April 21st, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Maybe women who don’t wear makeup have nicer skin because makeup is bad for skin.
Or maybe only women who have nicer skin are comfortable going without makeup. 🙂
April 22nd, 2011 at 12:15 am
That one time I was engaged, The Ex would complain that I didn’t wear enough makeup. This, mind you, was when I was working two jobs, one that started at 6:30 AM, and planning a wedding and juggling family stuff. I just didn’t have the energy. I figured it was good enough some days that my hair was washed. Then after he dumped me, I was depressed and couldn’t bring myself to care. I did stage makeup, but when I wasn’t onstage, I usually didn’t wear a lot. Now that I’m back to a happy place, I just don’t think about often. I love makeup–I have it all and enjoy doing fantasy makeup for Halloween and parties–but I don’t wear it very much. And when I do, it’s usually just pressed powder, eyeshadow as eyeliner, and mascara. I really should wear it more often because I keep buying it. I’ve been blessed, too, with dark lashes and brows and some pretty good skin, and I spend good money on my skin care.
So, you know, I can see it both ways. There are times it doesn’t matter to me, and there are times it really does–I make a good effort to be appropriate to the situation, and I wouldn’t be caught DEAD without makeup at, say, a big awards banquet. Most days, though, I feel fine in my own skin.
April 22nd, 2011 at 1:57 pm
I don’t have perfect skin (though I did when I was younger — I’m in my 50s now). I just don’t like makeup and never have worn it other than onstage — it feels dirty and pore-clogging. There’s also the “they won’t take me seriously” factor: I would feel (and probably look) like an inept teenager who dug into mommy’s cosmetics box or one of those pathetic older women who’ve lost all sense of proportion and just cake it on. If an employer wouldn’t hire me without my painting my face, it’s not a place I want to work. Anyway, if the no-makeup look is truly gaining in popularity, I think this can only be a good thing.
April 23rd, 2011 at 12:48 am
I don’t wear makeup such as foundation and powder. It does require good skin (even skin tone and no blemishes) though. My forehead has been in bad shape since last September but I keep hoping that my skin will clear up and I can look good without makeup.
April 23rd, 2011 at 8:38 am
You know, I just took a look at those photos featured with the Telegraph article and ALL the women they show have make up on. That article prattles on about bare-faced women, but it doesn’t show us any. Just because one chooses to wear only mascara or a tinted moisturizer instead of a foundation product doesn’t mean they’re doing without. Many of the women shown are wearing obvious lipstick, gloss, or tint–and at least one photo has a fully done face.
As Sarah Dances says, there are situations where women would not be taken seriously without make-up: the workplace is one of them. To this day women are reprimanded for not wearing lipstick or cosmetics, because it makes them appear “less presentable”. Oh yes, many women protest that they are perfectly professional without makeup (just as men are) and they do protest that the discrimination is illegal…but you know how it is about those laws.
Anyway, an article that claims to go on about “bare-faced chic” and then illustrates itself with women wearing make-up as “examples” of their bare-facedness is a bit provocative, isn’t it? It’s one way of making actual clean faced women feel inadequate, that’s for sure.
April 25th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
The key to makeup, I think, is to experiment with it to such an extent that you figure out what you absolutely need (if anything), what you sometimes need, and what you never need. And this will change with age, and vary by situation.
I have weekends where I slap on a baseball cap and stick to a very casual look, but I am in my 40’s, with pale skin, pale lashes, no color in my lips, and red hair. Without primer and powder my skin is very oily, and without mascara and lipgloss I would frighten small children. So those are mandatory. Heck, I use 5K races as an opportunity to test out waterproof mascara (Tarte’s Lights Camera Splashes is the best).