Since initiating my first beauty regime as a teenager, I've used foundation in one way or another for over ten years. Be it tinted moisturiser, BB cream or full-scale foundation - my skin has been covered in something. It was always the norm and an unquestioned part of my daily routine - after all, beauty standards are hard to ignore. However after a decade of near constant makeup use, I currently wear barely any - and haven't worn any kind of base in over six months. The catalyst for these 180 degree changes was a rather traumatic breakup, that left me with the inability to function with most things in life - so any shred of a beauty routine and grooming was immediately discarded (along with many other things).
When you strip away all elements of façade, effort and the indulgence of appearance you are left with a bare canvas - finding yourself quite literally face to face with the reality of your appearance, not to mention the effects life has had on your face. Faces tell a story, from every freckle and broken capillary to smile lines framing the eyes or the flush of a rosy cheek. There's honesty and truth to a bare face and unadulterated skin - equal parts vulnerable and brave. Likewise life upheavals call for reassessment and change with regards to everything, none more so than your perception of yourself and how you want to present yourself to the world.
The more I look, the more I notice that I'm not alone. The majority of females in my close social circle choose to eschew makeup most of the time - instead letting everything from pigmentation, moles, eczema and bare lashes go uncovered and uncorrected. This subtle, unspoken shift shows there is a growing reaction to beauty standards and their dictation of "flaws" and "perfection". More and more I found myself intrigued by the almost alien appearance of a made-up face when I do see one; with disconcertingly even skin, washes of colour and sculpted contouring becoming almost jarring and unnatural.
Here are 5 reasons why you should dare to bare.
