Be Real, Don't Conceal: One Year Challenge.

Anyone who knows me fairly well knows how I feel about wearing makeup. I don’t wear a lot of it.  I absolutely hate the feel of it on my skin. It’s greasy, or cakey and I always forget I’m wearing it and generally end up smearing it off in some horrible fashion. It also generally ends up on the clothes that I’m wearing. Although I have been applying it for years, and I’m pretty accidently good at it when I try, I generally have no clue what I’m doing. The one thing that I will wear though, on the days I am not makeup free, is foundation, or concealer. The reason for this is because my skin can be so terrible at time. Breakouts everywhere. It can be a hot mess and make me feel incredibly self-conscious.  But lately, I’ve stumbled across the question, why?

            When did I become so insecure with my beauty and self worth to feel like I have to pile on makeup to make me feel pretty? What is that? I don’t like it. I’m pretty free spirited, and if you know me that is not a surprising statement, so this article probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you. Here’s Arielle again, doing some weird hippie challenge. But I promise you this is a challenge to me.  If I wake up with this huge pimple on my cheek, it’s going to be such a struggle to not just dab on a little bit of concealer on it. I hate that it’s a challenge. Why is it so important to me to look pretty? Better question is when did “pretty” mean covering up, or “enhancing” our natural, God given beauty? What is the mindset that we constantly have to enhance, or fix ourselves a little bit? We are not broken. We were made exactly the way we were supposed to be, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  

            I don’t pretend to be this strict all natural person. I can be a hypocrite at times. I have tattoos, and I plan on getting more. I know it’s not natural, but I like them, and that’s just kind of where i’m at right now, even if it doesn’t make any sense, and it could change eventually. I don’t pretend to be this perfect human being that always sticks to my beliefs, but I try, and I think that’s good enough for now.

            So what exactly is the challenge? One year with absolutely no makeup(with possibly a few exceptions...tbd). I haven’t decided if  this applies to nail polish or not. After all I am known for always having electric, royal blue finger nails. So the sight of them not in my mouth as I’m horribly giving in to my nail biting habit, makes me a little sad. But for anything that goes on my skin, besides face washes, and moisturizers, and all those things that supposedly “enhance” who I am, are getting the axe.

            What do I hope to achieve out of this? Well I want to change this country’s standard of beauty. But for now, on the smaller end,  I want to raise awareness on how much we have let our physical looks control us. I want to encourage you all to be confident in who you ARE. We have this habit of acting based on how we look. Dark eye, makeup, red lips, leather jacket, you’re feeling pretty fierce today. You feel strong and confident, like you can take on the world. Soft, natural makeup, wavy flower filled hair, flowy dress, you’re feeling girly and romantic, full of love and peace. I want us as woman to be able to feel those things, without looking those ways. I want us to be able to wear sweatpants, messy hair, and have a giant zit on our forehead, and still feel just as confident in ourselves. We did this to ourselves. We read those magazines, saw those movies, and let ourselves be manipulated about what beauty is.  We see mirrors as ways to point out our flaws, and to tweak and tweak ourselves to the point of being unrecognizable, and I won’t let myself be manipulated anymore.

            I want to wear makeup, because its fun, not because I think it makes me look beautiful. I am beautiful. I’m not being cocky, I just know who my creator is, and I know he doesn’t make any mistakes. I was made to look exactly the way I look. So over the next year, I’m going to truly learn to love myself. Now whenever I start challenges I always like to give myself a little time to get used to it before I quit cold turkey. SO starting July 28, I will officially be makeup free. IF any of you are ready for the challenge, I would love for you to join me, and if not then support me. Go makeup free when you can and send me pictures of it, and I would love to post them to this blog. I was never really one for selfies in general, but I will try to post a few over the next year, because I really want to build confidence. Stop concealing who you are and be your real, beautiful, natural self. <3

This is a bad skin week for me, I'm breaking out everywhere!! I'm going to cover all this up soon for a wedding i'm going to tonight. Pretty soon I won't have that option anymore! 

More breakouts on this side. 

And here is a straight on makeup free pic. Btw this is also untouched, crazy morning hair. Hey look, I showed the world my real skin, and the world didn't end.