MNN - Mother Nature Network

Last week, it was big news that Hillary Clinton went makeup-free (and wore glasses) for a few of her public appearances in India. Also last week, the always-glammed out "90210" star, AnnaLynne McCord Tweeted a picture of her blemished faces sans makeup, adding, “I woke up this morning and decided I’m over Hollywood’s perfection requirement. To all my girls (and boys) who have ever been embarrassed by their skin! I salute you! I’m not perfect – and that’s okay with me!” To add to the fest of au natural faces, People magazine's "Most Beautiful People" issue included the makeup-free faces of Mad Men's Jessica Pare and Zooey Deschanel, among others.  

 

Maybe it's because we are all ever-more aware of the fakeness of magazines and advertisements, with their special lighting and their Photoshopping, or maybe it's because women like Kim Kardashian (who is actually incredibly lovely fresh-faced too) have made false eyelashes daywear, but all of a sudden, going sans cosmetics seems like a liberation. Indeed when Kathie Lee and Hoda from the "Today" show did a make-up free day in 2010, they both stated exactly that — that they felt "liberated."  

 

I don't wear makeup most days, due to a combination of laziness and wanting to keep my skin as healthy as possible. I still find it fun to put on when I'm going out (especially with my girlfriends, who seem to appreciate it more than anyone!). And that's the way I want to keep it. Because if putting on makeup becomes part of the "job" of your life, it loses its fun and specialness. I never want to feel like I need to put on a "face" before I go out into the world, as I remember one of my grandma's friends (a beautiful natural redhead) always said.

 

While I always thought that I would wear makeup more regularly when I got older, I find myself wearing it less and less every year. Perhaps it's because I'm becoming more comfortable in my own skin, or maturing in some way about my looks. 

 

As Hillary Clinton said, "I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now. Because you know if I want to wear my glasses, I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back, I'm pulling my hair back. You know at some point, it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention. And if others want to worry about it, I let them do the worrying for a change."

 

Do you feel compelled to or repelled by wearing makeup?