I Went Bare-Faced For Six Months: Here’s What I Learned

I’m about to pass on a secret life hack that will allow you to save money, give you at 15 extra minutes of free time (or more) every morning, improve your skin, and fight back against society’s standards for women.

After going completely make-up free for six months, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to my old beauty rituals.

I’ve already written about some of my feelings on makeup and feminism (you can check that out here if you’re interested), so if you’ve been following me for a while, you may know that I struggled with chronic acne and the many insecurities that come along with it for a solid decade. I was one of those “I’ve tried everything” people — you know, the ones who show up as a before picture on a Proactiv commercial.

Now that I’ve gone without makeup for a full six months, I’d like to provide a little update, share how I’m feeling, and discuss what I’ve learned from this experience.

I began wearing makeup some time before starting middle school, and the idea of eschewing it never crossed my mind.

But years later, a few different factors came together that pushed me to give up makeup altogether.

I drastically changed my diet (goodbye, dairy!) and switched to a new birth control, which improved my skin — my acne woes weren’t totally cured, but it was a major step in the right direction. Summertime rolled around, and I couldn’t be bothered to wear makeup to go to the beach or go hiking. I also decided I no longer wanted to use beauty products that had been tested on animals, which meant putting a lot more effort into buying makeup.

One night at the end of June, I realized that my old insecurities were starting to fade, but if I wanted to get totally comfortable with my natural self, I knew I had to shove my makeup collection in a drawer and forget about it completely — at least, for a little while.

The next morning was the beginning of my bare-faced experiment. The rules were simple: no makeup, ever.

Not for special occasions, not to cover up a zit or dark circles or acne scarring, not if I looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. I couldn’t use makeup as a crutch to avoid dealing my moments of low self-esteem. It was time to face it all head on.

By the time December rolled around, I was proud of myself for sticking to my one rule, and I felt totally comfortable with my face and body. Going out to a bar or a party without makeup was no longer a nerve-wracking experience, and I was even getting compliments on my skin — while I knew the point of this whole experiment was to find value in aspects of my life other than my appearance, it was still flattering after ten years of constant break outs.

I wore a little eye makeup for holiday get-togethers in December, and this confirmed to me that while throwing on some mascara eyeshadow for a New Year’s Eve party still has some appeal, I am definitely happier going bare-faced on a daily basis.

Over the course of the past six months, I’ve learned six important lessons:

1. Most people didn’t treat me any differently.

I thought that going bare-faced would mean being overlooked at the very least — or maybe even being mocked by some people. For context, at the time I lived in an area of my city where it was very normal for women to wear thick, heavy makeup on a daily basis, so I definitely stood out. The only difference I noticed in treatment was less attention from random men on the street or in bars — which was a welcome change.

2. Yes, it’s easier with clear skin.

As my skin got better and better with each passing month and my acne scarring faded, going without makeup felt even easier. When I did have a “bad skin day,” I still went bare-faced, but I know it’s definitely easier for a woman with clear skin to forego foundation without feeling self conscious. This shows me that I still do have some issues feeling totally comfortable with my skin, but I hope this will improve with time.

And since men with acne are not expected to cover it up, so why should women? While we face pressure to cover up our break outs, all that makeup can often make acne worse for many women — therefore, giving it up and dealing with that discomfort for a while may actually help fix the problem altogether.

3. I saved money.

Not spending any money on makeup, and eventually, not having to spend any money on skin care products, definitely made my bank account happy. I don’t even want to think of how much money I have spent on makeup and skincare over the years — it was probably over $1,000.

That might sound ridiculous, but this was over the course of 10+ years, so that’s probably a low estimate. Just think of everything I could have done with that money that would have made a more positive impact on my life: booking flights, buying books, treating my friends, student loan payments, donating to charity…

4. I saved time.

I love sleeping in for an extra half hour or so every morning, and I love just falling into bed after I get home from a night out without having to take off my makeup (don’t worry, I still brush my teeth).

5. I eliminated a source of stress.

This might seem a little dramatic, but when I did wear makeup, I often felt like I needed to check on it throughout the day — was my mascara smudging? Was my foundation sweating off my face? Was my blush making me look like a clown in certain lighting? Crap, do I have to throw out these contacts because I got eyeliner on them and now I’m tearing up?

I’m a fairly anxious person already, so giving up makeup meant one less thing to worry about.

6. I feel like I’m finally allowing myself to just…be myself.

No more participating in an activity that I don’t enjoy on a daily basis. No more seeing my natural face right when I wake up and right before I go to bed and covering it up for the majority of the day. No more spending money on products tested on animals, no more feeling insecure about my physical features just because some company or magazine told me I should, and no more damaging my skin and my self-esteem just to fit some arbitrary beauty standard.

Even if you genuinely enjoy wearing makeup, I would encourage every woman to go bare-faced for a period of time, just to see how you feel. I think we can all benefit from getting more comfortable with our natural selves.