Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Talking The Talk: How I Look/How I Feel

Barbara: We’ve talked a lot here how we look and feel best, but since we’re focusing on The Conversation, I want to open it up a bit further. Where does the line hover for why we feel best at any give moment?

When I was thirteen I had just begun to wear makeup. I don’t remember it being a big deal, or my parents being against it. My mother was an active arts student at the time and relied on my independence, my dad probably teased me gently about the fact that I was growing up. What I do remember very clearly was my immediate sense that, as far as the big picture goes, I was somehow less when I wasn’t wearing it. It got so bad that I actually refused to be seen in public without it!

One particularly strong memory from that 13th year: my family was driving home from our cottage one lazy Sunday afternoon and my parents decided to stop at a roadside chips’ truck for a snack. I refused to get out of the car—because I WASN’T WEARING MAKEUP!! What did I think would happen? That the chip truck attendants would scoff at my slovenliness? That the teaming throng of hot young 13-year-olds would condemn me on sight because … I was wearing no mascara???!!! My parents, as you can imagine, were aghast. I huddled in the car, determined to keep up the bargain I had made with my self-slash-the devil.

It took many years of growing up to develop a sense that I was okay without makeup. Interestingly, I get as many compliments for my fresh-scrubbed look (“so natural!”) as I do for my makeupped version (“so nice!”). Rather more interesting, these compliments often come from two different sets of people. Hence, the certain sense that one man/woman’s idea of beauty is another man/woman’s “yeah, whatevs”.  To this day, I go without a second thought to the gym without a stitch of makeup, but when I get ready for my day—which is often midday!—I don’t think twice about applying my routine look: under-eye concealer, mascara, eyeliner (on inside of upper lashes), brow brush. If I’m getting more dressed up, say for an audition or a night out: the same, plus eye shadow, blush and lipstick (I never wear foundation).

I—get this—just feel better with that little bit of makeup. Even if I’m the exact same person. I want to know that if I catch my reflection somewhere—in a window, in a mirror—I look a certain way (ie a bit of pop in the eyes, not as much of a dark circle underneath). But the question remains: why do I feel better? Is it because I feel brighter? Or is it because of this engrained notion that my looks must be amplified in order for me to be valued?

I doubt my mind-set will ever change vis a vis my face and its adornments. I will always love a special outfit or a pretty necklace or a lovely fragrance. These things will always make me feel better, even if they don’t exactly “make me”. But why?

These are 2 photos from my files (I'd wanted to do a little session for you, but lost track of time). Sorry for the poor quality: they're with my computer camera, but they are reasonably similar in composition and timing. The first is not a stitch of makeup, at work at my computer, the second is my "day look" (but also showing off the gorgeous necklace a friend gave me).

PS As another point of interest, someone once asked Deb and I how we could dare show our non-makeupped faces on the blog. Not like an insult, but like a truly perplexed, couldn't-undestand-the-logic question. Obviously there was a time when I would NOT! But no more. This is me, baby.

Deb: When I think of makeup it always amuses me that it was men who first started wearing it and women who ended up getting stuck with it! :-) As for me, I am not an obsessed makeup gal either. Like Barb, I will go out without it. When I am in my ‘hood, just shopping around and doing chores, I more than often go out without any at all. I am fine with my naked face and quite comfortable with it. When I am in the house for the day doing house chores, I never wear makeup, but I certainly do my face for events and for anything social. Like Barb, I do not dramatically change my look. It does help to have long black eyelashes and that makes it easy when I am sporting the natural look. As to why we feel better with makeup, I don’t know. I guess it’s because we sat at our mother’s dressing tables as tots while they put on their faces and thought how glamourous it was and how pretty they looked. It was a right of passage, this makeup. Made us feel grown up. And when I am getting ready to go out on a date with my husband and I see a little colour on my cheeks and lips and the depth of my eyes popping, I feel pretty. Can’t help it. I like the naked faced Deb in the mirror, but I also love to see my “Sunday go to meeting face”. 

67 comments:

  1. is it possible that, without makeup, we're "invisible," and with makeup: "visible"? so, when we apply makeup, we are choosing to be visible?

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    1. Yes! like when I walk out the door, no makeup, I'm actually slipping through the crowds. When I put makeup on: I'm here!

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  2. I have to say I don't wear makeup at all. Can't stand the stuff. Sometimes I think more is less. You can be totally bare with no make up on and still be just as beautiful. Now I do wear lip gloss and I do like to look nice but as far as any kind of other makeup goes it's not gonna happen with me. I think I dont wear it also out of respect for my grandfather. He hated to see anyone in my family with makeup on. Even my grandmother so she dosen' even wear it. So more for me it's out of respect of my grandfather.

    PS: Barb and Deb you two are pretty with or without makeup.

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    1. And I think you look beautiful w/o makeup, Lyndsie!!

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  3. I think you both are gorgeous without makeup :) love you both. Great blog today, it was a great way to start my morning.xoxo

    ~Katelyn

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    1. Thanks, Katelyn, you just made mine :) !! xo

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  4. Beautiful pics both of them. Like Lyndise I usually don't wear any makeup. So if I do I have pics to prove it (like the blog pic). I spent most of my time working from home, so I don't see the point to put anything on my face. I do have friends that can't do anything unless they have makeup on. I try to put makeup if it is an event (birthdays etc.). Ha! I don't know what to write... Not an expert on this matter, so I'm just going to wait and see what others write.

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    1. I do love your blog pic, but I can also imagine you just as beautiful w/o makeup. I'm curious to hear if people think we do it because it's so engrained, or because it's a sweet luxury, or... I love Deb's take about watching our moms. So true!

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    2. Yes, hmmm. I do remember that I have been told that when the three of us were small (me 3, my sis 4, our aunt 4,5), we once ventured to a makeup bag. I was told that I was the willing model and my sis and aunts were the artist. Scissors were also used... It is not always a good idea to watch our moms :)) At least my mother didn't quite like it. But yeah, never leave small children unwatched with makeup bags :D

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  5. Will own it...Love the make-up...don't wear a lot...at least I don't think I do but do enjoy the whole ritual. The thing about me I have always had problem skin...sensitive, acne-prone, breakouts...so make-up allows me to cover whatever has popped up now. I'll leave the house without it but will admit to feeling less polished when I do. I appreciate the conundrum that make-up inspires in women and for that reason, totally respect if someone chooses to wear or not to wear...and I appreciate having the same consideration extended to me. Funnily enough, was getting back in my car yesterday when a young woman...probably late 20's...got out of the vehicle beside me and I did a discreet double-take such was the heavy hand that she had used to apply her cosmetic enhancement. Was reminded of a quote "“For the love of God, unless you’re prepping for Rigoletto at the Met, go easy on the eyeliner.” (Cheryl Cory) I suppose that reveals a tendency to judge on my part - I'm all down with make-up as long as you wear what I deem to be the correct amount. Not sure I should be earning any stars for that attitude...

    And now for the day's non sequitor, another quote featuring make-up as metaphor that I share just because it tickles my kohl-rimmed eyes' fancy...

    “Failed relationships can be described as so much wasted makeup.
    Forget the laughs, forget the fights, forget the sex, forget the jealousy. But take off your hat and observe a moment's silence for the legions of unknown tubes of foundation, mascara, eyeliner, blusher and lipstick who died that it might all have been possible. But who died in vain.”
    ― Marian Keyes, Watermelon

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  6. Just an fyi, I am off to pick up my daughter from Montreal so it could be several hours before I weigh in again. That said, I will read all and respond later!! xoxo

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  7. Oh my gosh Barbara, are you kidding me? You look gorgeous!

    Haven't worn makeup since high school. Can't stand it.

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    1. Hi all, as Barb said she is on the road today and I too am in Montreal packing up the boy. But I will weigh in periodically for her today. In fairness, I ambushed her with this blog. This one was supposed to be Friday and mine today but for a number of personal reasons I did not get mine done and will post on Friday. Thanks Barb for posting yours early on a busy day for you! And yes Holly she always looks gorgeous.

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    2. OFCOURSE SHE DOES...AND HELLLLOWWW YOU DO TOO !!!

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  8. First off I say it again.....GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS !!! Mwah! And We skyped so Ive seen both of you without makeup.....And you both look stunning! And I am EXACTLY like you....I was curious about makeup when I was 11-12 but my mom didnt like it so I never got a chance to actually wear it a lot...But I have never been obsessed with it...IDK And I HATE foundation....I mean My cousin always made me use it...sometimes for a social event I kinda have to...but I dont like it...I still go out without makeup...or even if I am wearing makeup all I use is an eyeliner and a lip-balm and probably compact...sometimes. Thats all I use because I like to highlight my eyes and my smile. Its not even an eyeliner more like an ayurvedic kohl that my mom got for my eyes coz I work on the computer. And yes I use lip balm and some gloss on it...very little. Lipstick only when its a BIG OCCASION. And I dont give a rip what people think...FEEL BEAUTIFUL AND YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL. The people who see my radiant face come to me...and I ignore the once that say "no makeup ???". And people are anyway looking at me..no no not bragging...but because a 5'9, 19 year old is kinda RARE here....they give me the shocked how-can-you-be-so-TALL look. Ya know If I'm lucky and dont have any 5'10 or 5'11 to compete me. lol

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    1. Wow Shalaka I had no idea that it was a rare thing for a young girl to be tall! I have friends who's daughters are 5'11 and 6 ft. Can you imagine how you would stick out then. And as far as make up goes, you are stunning without it. We saw you too!

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    2. AWWWH aren't you sweet !!! LOL I KNOW...well atleast the way people stare I hope It is rare here..And I know a lotta people here and I think, I just know 3 girls who are like an inch taller than me..!!..I do stand out! Tallest in girls in my family...and trust me THEY HATE IT ;)

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    3. 5'9... What can I say. I am jealous. But hey, if you come over you can take stuff that I can't reach :))

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    5. I DO THAT HERE TOO :P...
      But the thing is I really like "TALL" guys ...and there aren't any here....So I need to do something about that too.....
      Kasku you find anyone whose above 6FT , wonderful person and like really cute...YOU LEMME KNOW....RIGHT AWAY!

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    6. Unfortunately my brother is married :-\ my sisters hubby is really tall too but also married. You just need to come over here as there are plenty tall men here ;-)

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    7. I'm 5'9" too, ladies!! It's a club!

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    8. Baw, everybody's taller than me!

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  9. I wear makeup always when I leave the house unless I forget which is not often and then I see myself in my car mirror and I, too, look naked to me. Everything stands out on my fair skin if I don't wear foundation, a little blush, powder, eye shadow, mascara and light eyeliner. It is more a habit than anything but I look so washed out without it. It feels good to me to do it as I do so little else that is fashion forward.

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  10. Madge I think that is the bottom line. If you feel good with it, then you should wear it. I feel great with it. Just not all the time and part of that...laziness and time issues!!!!!

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  11. I haven't worn makeup for years, but I think the reason I used to enjoy putting it on was that my body loved that few minutes of gentle, focused attention. Now it gets that attention when I rub oil into it after a bath, or lotion into my feet. My body feels seen and appreciated.

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  12. I grew up in The Partridge Family days, and as a teenager bought a book written by actress Susan Dey, one of the stars of the show, who preached "the natural look." After that, the minute I looked like I was wearing makeup, I felt foolish and phoney and would always tone it down so that it did its "job" but you'd have to look very closely to tell I was wearing it.

    In my early twenties I had quite the judgmental attitude toward women who wore a lot of obvious makeup; I thought they weren't genuine and/or didn't have the courage to show their natural selves.

    Thankfully I grew out of that one!

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    1. Kate I love that-"seen and appreciated" And wasn't Susan Dey so pretty? Loved her face.
      Roz I think that's why I love the picture of Barb and I at the top of our blog. Now make-up and right off the ski hills.
      Wow punk look Erin? I love it. Rebellion and personal statement period!
      Katsu green hair? So did my son and I did it, but not on purpose!

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    2. Well on my defense I had just turned 16 and was living alone with sis :-D Iron plumbing is good too if you like green hair. I had to take my color from a bottle.

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    3. Yeah. it's funny, I feel more natural w/o makeup now. I have started to think of my makeupped photos as being "posed". I long for a great natural resume shot for acting: no makeup, no fuss. Would it go over???

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  13. Well, you both look great either way. :) I have to say that I very rarely wear any make-up, apart from special occasions (and even then it's only a little), and luckily my husband prefers it that way! There's something to be said for natural beauty, especially in an age where so much is fake, but it's nice to make your natural beauty shine a little brighter sometimes.

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    1. Yeah, exactly. I'm just catching up now with all the comments (from Mtl, with a bit of a wine on), but I do find I like the look less of me with makeup than me w/o. Even though it is my easiest go-to.

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  14. Most days I don't wear makeup and when I do it's with a fairly light hand. I do feel that it makes me appear more energized and as if I get enough sleep on a regular basis (which I most decidedly don't). Also it's the only time I appear to have eye-lashes since they're so blonde. That said I'm comfortable in my own skin with or without makeup.

    It's certainly a far cry from those few teenage years when I went with the punk look. I look back at those very few pictures (I think my Mom didn't want any reminders for the future)and laugh my ass off. It was fun though and I don't regret my years of copious makeup, jewlery and hair dye. It was never a neccessity for me though, I went without when need be. For some reason my Mom had something against taking a racoon with blue or green hair to see my grandparents and I did tone it down for work.

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    1. Oh, I would love to die my hair a crazy color, but since I am in the education field (or will be) it is sort of frowned upon.

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    2. I had green hair too... Well I had long blond hear and I coloured only the tip so that I could have my hair on pony tail and the green wouldn't show up in pics.

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    3. I don't think I could get away with it now! I've already had it pointed out to me that I don't "dress the part" of a business women. I've been told I should only have one earring in each ear and try to cover my tattoos better. I have 7 piercings left and they're all in my ears and my two tattoos are small and non offensive so why should I cover them up? I mean really the one on my ankle is a maple leaf its downright unpatriotic to leave it covered year round!
      Kasku I did something similiar with black and red hair at the tips once near the end of my punk days, that one I regretted a bit as getting back to my natural blonde took FOREVER and I spent months looking like a vampire ghost or shold I say ghost vampire? Pale skin and black hair is a definite no-no!

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    4. Noooo Don't say that! I had totally black hair about four years ago. I rocked the black hair. I took highlights and cut my hair short when I decided to change back. Damn phone and third time is the charm.

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    5. To me, hair colour is the cutest form of "rad". Every now and then I still dream of the cute nose piercing. Too old though, huh???

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  15. I think so much of this is where you live and what you do. I grew up in a smallish town in Idaho and make-up was proof you were a female. EVERYONE wore it ALL the time. I wore it every day for YEARS. After college I worked in Advertising. Though I was in Portland (a relatively enlightened city) I still ALWAYS wore it, as did all the women I worked with. Then came the brewpub years... when you are working in a greasy environment, often sweating a little to do your job, make-up becomes a hazard. I quit wearing it to work--only to go out independently... then I had babies... The make-up entirely disappeared except for special occassions. it has stayed that way. it should be noted though, that I am now an academic researcher--I put it on for conferences or presentations, but other than that professionally, it seems like overkill. I only wear it when I 'go out' (and then only mascara, a bit of eyeliner/shadow and blusher). The BIG deal is if I bother to do anything with my hair other than just let it dry or pull it back.

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    1. I love the history of your make-up wearing. My early days included chalk white lips!!!
      Samara that story made me crazy! How was he not called on the carpet for that? wow!

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    2. DEb, I didn't know about the chalk white lips!! I wanna see pix!! Anyway love the history too. I was wondering the same thing-- about if where we live doesn't also dictate how we see our look...

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    3. @Deb, I know, it's crazy to think that he could get away with it, but it was back in the 90's and this woman was only just out of law school. Perth (the city I live) is quite small and isolated and finding a job in a law firm in is all about who you know and who your enemies are, so I guess in a still very much male dominated world she was too scared to rock the boat. He started off by saying "I can hear you madam, but I cant see you"- actually saying that she was invisible to him in the courtroom because she had no makeup on. Hopefully we've advanced a bit and that wouldn't happen now! :)

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    4. DEB....chalk white lipstick!!....PICTURES PLEASE....PRETTY PLEASE :)

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  16. I have a lawyer friend who was in court once and the (male) judge wouldn't proceed with the case until she was dressed more "appropriately". Turns out he was objecting to the fact that she had no makeup on and flat shoes... I still find it unbelievable that the judge got away with that behaviour.
    It's sad that something that should be fun is now dictated so heavily by society. I feel naked without makeup because I'm displaying my flaws- flaws that from a very young age advertising told me I had!
    This whole week has been such an interesting conversation. It reminds me of an amazing book I read years ago called "Femininity" by Susan Brownmiller. I'd really reccomend it to anyone interested in the history of women's relationship with their appearance.
    I havent been on the computer for ages so it's been so nice to put my little boy to bed and have a cup of tea and catch up on all your blogs x
    PS Barbara if I looked like that in the morning I wouldnt wear any makeup at all!

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    1. Samara! xoxo Okay, about the lawyer: UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! No, really, Unbelievable. Thanks for the recommendation; totally gonna get that book.

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  17. Makeup... yeah, I don't wear it on a daily basis. I already have to get up before the sun, so adding time to put on makeup just seems crazy to me. I don't feel like I need to wear it to class or work, although once in a while, if I have time, I will put on a little. I do sometimes wear a tinted lip balm, but that's about it. I do put a little (foundation, blush, mascara, lip stick or gloss or stain) on if I am going to a play, concert, event. I am lucky I guess because I have dark, thickish eyelashes, so mascara isn't really necessary.
    I agree with Deb, I think that we sort of pick up the habit (or lack thereof) from observation. I was raised by my mother and grandmother and they never wore makeup. My grandmother never wore it and she was the most beautiful woman I have ever met. As is my mother; she wears makeup now, but she still looks like herself. And isn't interesting that men started this whole trend! I think that for some women, makeup makes them who they are (so they think, anyway) and for others, makeup is just fun and not a requirement to feel beautiful.
    I feel more "me" when I don't have it on than when I do. I am more comfortable without it than with it. My style is kind of all over the place: I am a literary/art nerd that likes to be comfortable and to be stylish (my stylish not Vogue's stylish). My stylish is jeans, T-shirt with some sort of saying or graphic across the fron (I really like the ones that people can't figure out), a pair of crazy socks (which I mentioned in an earlier post I think) and a pair of Converse or flip flops. If I am having one of those "I love me, I look goooood today, I feel flirty, I feel energized, I am going to be outgoing today" days, then I will put it on, but most days it's just me, real, natural, unpainted me. I always keep my look natural; I don't want to look like I'm from another planet without mirrors.
    Barbara and Deb, you two are lovely with or without it because of your lovely souls. xo

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    1. I just have to say Steph that I love the graphic Tshirts too! I have got one that on the front says 'Dude I am RIGHT here' and on the back is Waldo! Love people's reaction to it when they realize : )Another one I absolutely love has all the superheros on it like batman, spiderman, elastic man, and catwoman and prob 20 others but under each one's picture it has some fun little play on their super ability. Like under cat woman it says " Delusional-thinks she is a cat" and batmans says " severe childhood trama" they are all fun little saying that real comic book fans laugh at : )

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    2. My oldest loves graphic tee's and she stole all of my old ones. My favorite one says "Owl you need is love" with a cartoon owl on it. That one or her Nintendo one which is covered in Mario characters.

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    3. Steph, I actually love this look you describe, like Erin. Funnily, my fashion designer daughter? Her boyfriend's favourite look on her is a cute tee, jeans and Converse. Of course, she loves her fashiony looks (given her field), but it doesn't come from pressure. It comes from her own taste... Kelly, GREAT tee messages!!

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  18. Pretty sure I have said this before, but I am total tomboy. So my make up consists of a tube of chap-stick. Never have I worn anything else and I dont want to. I usually just go with the opinion of "If you don't like how I look then don't look at me" : )
    My thoughts of myself in make up would be that I was trying to hide something. Why would I want to hide me? : ) Plus I sort of love my flaws. I have a samll scar/dent on the side of my head right by my eye from when I was maybe 3 or 4 and I like seeing it and remembering how I got it. It makes me ME. : )

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  19. Its actually really cool that Barb posted this today, I just changed my FB profile pic to a "NON-MAKEUP" pix....IDK why just got an impulse to look NATURAL! :D

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    1. I'm getting that impulse more and more lately...

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  20. When I was younger, I'd wear make-up for going out in the evening or for special occasions. But I never picked up a babit of wearing it every day. I'm quite sure that part of it was that, as an engineer, I worked with mostly men, & had no interest in dealing with the complexities of being other than "one of the guys".

    Walking through cosmetics departments has always been weird. There's a clear division among the salespeople: about half of them completely ignore me, because clearly I'm not in the club. The other half swoop in offering to teach me how to do my make-up, with the gleam in their eyes of selling me a full line of product. Perish the thought that I can quite competently do make-up, but that I just don't.

    Now that I'm in my 50's, it is a rare occasion that I'll even bother with make-up. Concealer, foundation & powder just settle into the wrinkles, & trying to apply liner or eyeshadow around the trifocal glasses is awful. The exercise really turns into a world of diminishing returns.

    On the other hand, I have a friend, same age as me, grew up together. Every day of her life, from her mid-teens til now, she has spent a full hour every morning doing hair & make-up. I doubt that there have been 20 days in the last 40 years when, because she was ill, hospitalized or grieving, when she didn't take an hour from her day to make herself "presentable". Even days when she wasn't going out, she'd do the ritual. Clearly this is something that she wants or needs to do, & I wouldn't dream of interfering. But what does kind of sadden me is the amount of precious time in her life that she's spent doing it.

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    1. Yeah. It is precious time, isn't it? And I do know women like this too. Listen, I have no judgment of it; I just want to know where the impulse comes from. And if it's from a "good" place. Love you guys!

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  21. I don't have a strict make-up policy, but I usually wear it when I'm around other humans (other than those small ones inhabiting my daily life). I don't wear much when I do. My husband often tells me he can't tell the difference, so I'm not sure if that's a reflection on my make-up skills or his face-recognition skills. Truth is, I've never had a make-over or any other kind of professional make-up do-do. Maybe it's time...

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  22. I didn't wear any make-up until some years ago...well I did when I had to go to some party or event...

    I didn't really care.

    Strange thing is, I attended a former girls' school. So there were many girls around me all the time.
    I know that one of my friends wore make-up, but the others? No way!
    My Mom doesn't wear make-up. I never learned how to use it. Nobody taught me. And I wasn't interested.

    Some years ago I started to buy things, and now I like to put on some make-up, because I think I look prettier, and I feel better.

    Most of the time I simply don't care.

    What I noticed (hey, this is me trying to be self-confident): When I always see people with make-up, and then I see them without make-up, they're like other persons to me. And I think some people only look pretty with make-up...or...the make-up makes them look as if they were a model.
    But I think...that I look good even without make-up. I just like to point out my eyes a little bit (woah eyeliner - best invention ever :P).

    Barbara, you look different, but that's the pic itself...not the make-up. You're always pretty. :D

    Me with make-up: Profile Pic
    without make-up: http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/5739/without.jpg (I did some sports before taking the pic, so my hair is all frizzy...)

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    1. Becki, I find it ironic that you have to explain WHY the second picture isn't "as good." They're both YOU. We never would have noticed your hair if you hadn't commented on it, and I think it's fine, anyway. :)

      I think people will focus on our own "negatives" only if we do. (This completely ignores the "Fashion Police," who have no business existing.)

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    2. Haha, after I wrote that, I realized that, too! :D
      Bad me! :D
      I'm always focusing on my "flaws".

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  23. First, I feel best when I see a picture of myself and see that what I was wearing really did look as good as I thought. Every week I walk past a loooong block of glass windows and yesterday I realized that I look good, because my clothes FIT.

    I joined Weight Watchers and lost enough weight to drop a few sizes. I tossed all my old jeans and bought new ones. (So exciting!) However, I kept all my 2X and up t-shirts. They're all baggy, really loose. They make me look heavy. I was surprised to see that. I'm very excited to go shopping again, though!

    As for makeup, I wore it all through high school, when white eyeshadow was big, as was a lot of blatant color. I wasn't particularly good at applying it, but I did know to take it off when I started to look orange. :)
    I stopped wearing it years ago because I couldn't be bothered wearing it, and haven't owned anything since, except for a compact. (I finally learned I was "translucent LIGHT.")

    The notable exception to the "forget about it" lifestyle was last May. I was going to (hopefully) get some pictures taken and I wanted to look like I had eyebrows (not relying on my glasses to "not quite hide" them). I also wanted to downplay my often-bright red nose. I did NOT want the Rudolph effect in the pictures.

    Believe it or not, there IS a difference. (These are from my Facebook photo albums. I hope everyone can see them.)
    (You'll recognize the guys in the pics with me. :D )

    Without makeup:

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2287368500427&set=a.1461520974755.2055588.1135353589&type=3&theater

    With makeup:

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1846067148169&set=a.1461520974755.2055588.1135353589&type=3&theater

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  24. Barb, your smile a bit more apparent in your "makeup" picture. If you were truly smiling in both pictures, the makeup, or lack thereof, the makeup would be the last thing on my mind.
    Does your makeup determine your wardrobe as well? Is it necessary whenever you leave the house now? Whether I wore makeup in school, I was dressed up. Jeans and a tshirt meant no makeup that day. I'm so sorry you went through that in your teens. I wish we and all women were taught at a much younger age that it's who you are, not what you look like, that's most important. Heck, not just women, but EVERYONE.
    I watched "Toddlers and Tiaras" last night and it's painfully obvious we are a long way from achieving that. When you tell your daughter it's a BEAUTY pageant, there's no other message they CAN take away from that.

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    1. PS When I "dress up," my mother always says, "Now, all you need is some makeup (and earrings.") Thanks, ma. :P

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  25. You ladies indeed look beautimous (fabulously beautiful) with or without makeup. For the longest time, I only wore a smidge of eye shadow and some lipstick. After awhile I added a bit of blush and mascara...until one day I had a photo taken and my rouge made me look like Tammy Faye Baker! That was that. I went back to a little eye shadow and some lipstick. Now I don't wear any makeup at all. My mom, on the other hand, would put makeup on every day regardless of what the day held. It was her routine. Even after her first bout with cancer and her mastectomy she wouldn't allow the doctors or nurses to come in the room until she had run a comb through her hair and put on a bit of rouge and lipstick, and face powder. I think it came from her having been a beautician for 63 yrs! :)
    Now that I've earned a bit more wear and tear on the old bod, I've come to truly understand that it should only be what's on the inside of people that counts. A monkey with a cute little vest and hat is still a monkey and while you're being distracted by the cute, out flies the poop. ;)
    I think we've all gotten to the point of where we think we have to wear all this makeup and look young when we're 80 from advertisers. They rarely if EVER say anything to us that doesn't make us feel inadequate. "You'll look old if you don't schmear this chemical filled goop...erm...magic youth giving cream all over your face." "Got wrinkles? Get BOTOX." I still don't know why anyone injects that toxin in their face, unless it is to treat their migraine headaches. I used to color my hair from the time I was 13 and went partially grey because of stress, and about 5 years ago. My hair was in bad shape and I grew weary of doing it. I continued because I thought everyone would be shocked and make fun of me, or run away in droves. Nothing at all happened, except people told me they liked it silvery blonde with a few dark streaks. Go figure. People ain't that bad after all. :)
    Everybody should just allow themselves to age. No plastic surgery, except reconstructive, no Botox, no makeup, no hair color. Wow at all the money we could redirect to useful things like paying for education and helping people in need....but there I go with my ideas of 'sharing' again. Must be from all that previous chemical poisoning from hair spray on my old 'Big Tex Hairdo'. ;)
    Rambling again, sorry. No nap today and only 2 1/2 hr sleep does not a genius at communicating make. ha.
    Hugs,
    Karen

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  26. I LOVE make-up and always have. For me it was the artistry behind the process. As a girl I loved to colour, paint and draw so it was a natural progression to move to the colour palettes of Maybelline, Revlon, Avon etc.

    When I was 18 I took private lessons with a CBC make-up artist in Winnipeg and adored every single moment of that class. At Ryerson Theatre School the professional make-up classes we received were some of my favourite moments. Complete escape into creating a different character.

    As time marches on I use less and less make-up and I now no longer use the big brands mentioned earlier. I choose compassionate, cruelty free, non toxic products that won't pollute my skin nor the earth. My colour palette is considerably smaller these days. While I often face the world sans "character" (ok, usually only to the gym) I am a devotee to my mascara at the very least. My cosmetic needs are shifting as I glide into my 50th year - sun damage requires some concealing here and there and my rapidly disappearing eye brows need a boost with colour.

    Years ago I worked with a woman whose husband NEVER saw her without make-up. She would wait until he was asleep to remove her make-up and get out of bed before he woke up to reapply. I've often thought of her, wondering if she ever grew tired of that charade.

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  27. You two are girls after my own heart... i also know it's a good way to see directors/producers i've worked with-- whenever i don't wear make up in the dog park i'm SURE to bump into one of them! :)

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