Why Do We Wear Makeup?

As a teenager experiencing life in the early 2010s, I stumbled across videos offering simple makeup tips and tutorials on YouTube by accident. At the time, I was looking for a way to cover up my acne and improve the look of my skin. I turned to makeup to hide insecurities underneath a veil of foundation and powder; but as years went by, my hormones changed and my acne started to go away, I've continued to wear it. Why?

In only a few short years, the world of makeup has completely transformed, evolving from a tool to "look pretty" to a powerful form of self-expression and art. Many of us stopped considering makeup a part of our identity and started to feel confident in our skin with or without it. We have stopped wearing makeup to impress others and started wearing it for ourselves.

As a society, we have moved from a reliance on makeup in order to feel confident to empowered individuals who just happen to enjoy experimenting with makeup. A full face of makeup may make us feel beautiful and happy, but we know that the makeup is not what makes us either of those things.

To me, wearing makeup is my creative output. It makes me feel unique, because I apply my eyeshadow, or my lip liner, or my blush in a way that no one else can. Wearing makeup is another way that I appreciate my individuality. With patience and practice, I have learned skills that allowed me to make my passion for makeup my career, helping others feel beautiful and express themselves, too. For that, I am so very grateful!

Those of us who wear makeup all have our own reasons for doing so, whether we are consciously aware of them or not. I would love to know--why do you wear makeup? Do you opt for a makeup-free face on a daily basis, saving the shimmery glam for special occasions? Or do you rock a bold lipstick every day of the week? And if you don't wear makeup, why do you choose not to?