Things I Learned When I Stopped Wearing Make-Up
As many people as there are to have reason, there are just as many reasons a person may have to make a change in their personal grooming habits. Recently, I have made a lot of changes. I got married. I stopped going out binge drinking. I swapped in my Civic for a CR-V. I cut off my waist length hair. I have (attempted) to stop smoking. I started doing yoga with a group of (gasp) woman friends. I have gained 26 pounds and somehow do not feel bad about it at all. Somewhere in the mix, I quit wearing make-up. More accurately, I have stopped applying full face war paint daily and without fail.
Weeks 1–3 in a nutshell:
Week 1:
I was highly critical of myself. I noticed every tiny blemish, freckle, dark circle. I received several unsolicited comments.
Hannah! You look tired!
Obviously, this is a backhanded way of letting someone know they look like shit. While this cut into my self-image struggle, I thought the first step was stepping out into public without my flawless fake skin slathered on. Therefore, the second step would be learning to tune out the commentary.
Are you sick?
While I was actually quite ill, I was able to dismiss this one by pointing at my phone indicating that I was on a super fake phone call.
Eventually, the wonderful people I interact with on a daily basis stopped saying much of anything.
Week 2:
My skin started to brighten up! This was around the point where I thought to myself that my freckles didn’t look bad. I still had some dark circles going on. It was nothing a dab of concealer couldn’t help with. A tiny dab. Tiny tiny.
Week 3:
My skin has never looked better. Excluding when I was 5. I have noticed that I’ve reclaimed a massive amount of my time! I can wake up in the morning and bolt out of the door without the immediate self deprecating of pointing out all of my flaws to myself.
For the practical people:
Lesson 1
I have come to see that skin care is a huge part of what makes skin look and feel nice. The first step to radiant and healthy skin… water. We need that to live anyway! Drink up, trust the process and let your beautiful face be seen!
Lesson 2
I have come to realize that the make-up industry seems to perpetuate the need for more products to reverse the damage of what the stage make-up is doing to the face! There are many of my kind that do not mind blowing half a paycheck at Sephora, Birchbox, ipsy, Ulta, Sally’s, MAC, …
As I have looked at some of my past orders on Amazon and how much of the products I have actually used, I feel like I have taken a suitcase of money and set it on fire followed by spending more money to try and restore the hypothetical suitcase to put more money into it as I set it on fire again. Can’t even.
Lesson 3
My keyboards, steering wheel, desk surfaces, door knobs, laptop, … basically, everything I touch in a day are more clean. Transfer resistant (lies) foundation or not, most of us are guilty of touching our faces. All of the goo that I historically put on my face no longer transfers to my hands which transfers on to my things. As I have recently purchased a new car, I am thrilled that there aren’t little finger print spots of beige mystery goops all over it.
Lesson 4
I give far fewer fucks about what people think. There seem to be many acquaintances that think commentary on my appearance is an appropriate form of shallow and meaningless conversation. It is not. At all. Instead of seeing those topics as criticism or compliment I need to attain, it seems to me that those aren’t the people I want to speak with. I also believe no one should say anything to a person about their appearance unless it is a genuine compliment. (Note: I will often compliment your shoes and I cannot help it. Some shoes are just too beautiful not to publicly appreciate.)
Lesson 5
My impulse control is developing. Are you someone that likes to peruse the cosmetic aisle every time you hit a drugstore? Me, too! Today I had to swing by the CVS and as I begun my typical routine of oooh and aaah, my mind interjected and reminded me that I do not need any of this at all. (I did buy a lip balm.)
Lesson 6
My appreciation for cosmetic chemists is at an all time high. Pinterest and YouTube tutorials on making your own lip tint out of beets fail to mention the chemistry that goes into cosmetics. They also don’t make the Cost/Benefit very clear. For instance, I spent a solid $25 on supplies to make my own beetroot tinted lip balm. I neglected to consider emulsification of water soluble ingredients with oil based ingredients. Sigh. The aforementioned lip balm that I purchased at CVS is a $6.99 version of what I was trying to make. As far as I’m concerned, if you don’t want to put something on your face that you would not feel comfortable eating, leave it to the pros and support their business.
Lesson 7
This tiny step toward saving myself space, money, and time has led to an awareness of where I have too much. My closet was definitely one of those areas. I was able for the first time to not feel negatively about ditching things I do not use. (I certainly hope the person who receives my gently used clothing and shoes enjoys them as much as I originally intended to enjoy them when I decided to purchase them.)
At the end of the day, I know I still really really really like wearing make-up but I do not like the full face. That said, here’s what’s in my bag for grab-n-go daily use.
The State of the Cosmetic Bag
I need to openly admit that I have not entirely forsaken make up. Who doesn’t want to add a touch of color to their face?! I have written a little rule for myself that limits me to 5 and only five makeup products. I realize several of them are Glossier. I do not exclusively use Glossier nor is this an ad. I am simply super happy with how they feel on my skin in this Texas heat and humidity. Anyway! They are as follows!
- As I have learned, make up really only enhances what you have. So, the first step is going to be a great moisturizer. I like this one because it feels great on my skin and while it makes your skin a bit dewy, it does not make it look uncomfortably shiny as my T-zone tends to be toward the end of the day.

2. I am a glasses person. I feel well groomed eyebrows help my self perception of appearing polished instead of lazy. This brow product does not really seem like it’s there but it makes a difference from what I can see. If you’re into Instagram brows, this is not the product you are looking for. I use Boy Brow in brown to settle my eyebrow hairs as one might do with a comb and their bangs.

3. I really like products that can be used in more than one way. In this case, I like to use just a dab of this lip color on my lips and follow up with a smear on my cheeks. Fluorescent lighting in the office is pretty unforgiving. As I like to appear like I have a healthy little blush about my face, I chose Generation G. It is somewhat matte. If you want a little more ooh la la, add a gentle lip moisturizer over it. I like EOS Crystal lip balm. It’s vegan! #trendy


4. I like mascara. Therefore, I wear mascara. If you don’t like mascara but you like the effect, just use a spoolie to put a little Vaseline on your upper lashes. It’ll give them a little definition.

5. This is not a product I use daily. I just like having the option. Remember earlier when I mentioned that the priming moisturizer gives a little “dew” look? I like that most days but sometimes I want my face matte. This product is not full coverage. While it is buildable, I like to use a very minimal sweep of it across my face if I have to go to a meeting where the lights blaze and the room is hot. I haven’t seen it turn up on my belongings yet. Therefore, it’s a winner in my book.

Credits ❤
I should note that I have a very wonderful group of friends. We support one another, we are honest with one another, we don’t judge one another and if one of us says we want to do something or that we are going to, we hold one another to that.
As I mentioned, this is the Yoga Clique. We see one another without makeup and in workout attire more often than not. We have different hair, skin, body shapes and sizes. We are all beautiful. Ever since making these friends, I have learned that beauty is not a comparative concept. It is individual.
