Kicking the Makeup Habit

Today we have the joy to introduce a guest author who will share with you the amazing transformation she went through by kicking the makeup habit out of her life. Her name is Tifany Lee. She is a writer, performer and fellow female entrepreneur. Tifany and I are members of the wonderful Member’s Club by Carrie Green. I invited her to share her story with us because I strongly believe everything starts with being happy in our own skin. Our clothing, makeup or hairstyle mean nothing if we don’t genuinely love ourselves. I’m inspired by her journey and empowered by her words. Without further ado, here is her article. Enjoy!

My journey of getting off of cosmetics by Tifany Lee Share on X

It has been over three years since I wrote an article about my journey getting off of cosmetics.

The article was published in elephant journal and received a lot of attention to my happy surprise. The topic sparked conversation between those who wear cosmetics, those who don’t, and those who wear makeup but want to get off. With over 28,000 views and 3,000 shares (and counting), the article continues to be read today. Feminism, the beauty industry, and differing perspectives on beauty keep the topic alive.

I am still cosmetic-free, and still happier than ever that I chose to do one of the hardest things I have ever done. The benefits I have received from getting off of makeup continue to pay off In dividends. And the epiphanies I shared in the original article hold true today along with a host of other revelations that run deeper as I gain distance between the person I was when I wore makeup and the person I am now.

I took off my makeup and walked out of the house one day and since then my life hardly resembles the one of my made-up past. I feel like I painted my hopes and dreams on my face instead of living them. My heart was so covered up with the should’s and ought to’s that I wondered what was the point. So I embarked on a mission to find my beautiful life. And here is the kicker: I found it!

I transformed my life by choosing to go makeup-less and went from being contained in my safe box to one of engagement with the people and world around me.

Let it be stated for the record that while I feel everyone would be better off without covering themselves up with makeup, my journey contains the powerful epiphany I have experienced because I was so attached. My life in the performing arts exposed me to makeup for costuming and special effects and I have spent a great portion of my life on the stage. Let my words be taken for how they may help you – if you are merely tied to a habit that could be shaken up or if you, like I was, are truly and deeply hooked.

There are a million different reasons for getting off the makeup habit beyond the list I compiled in the original article. I could name more:

Men HATE makeup.

It’s like you are pulling a bait and switch. You know, like where you are promised one thing but get another? People sue people over it (like in divorce).

When I asked my hubs why he didn’t like it again, he said without hesitation and as if he had been waiting for someone to ask, “It’s stupid, smells bad, feels bad. It’s gross, dishonest, wasteful, and more mindless consumerism. It is literally paying a hundred bucks for a vial of dirt.” Honey, why don’t you tell me how your really feel? (It’s a good thing I let go of makeup before we started going out or I would be tempted to wear it just to spite him #feminism)

Your appearance is one of the strongest indicators of your health.

Your face, along with your body, is the best gauge of your health. If you have bags under your eyes, you don’t need concealer—you need sleep! And here is the ridiculous thing: You know you need rest, you just keep going another day every day until you figure out that magical plan where you can accomplish everything. Which leads me to:

You have a finite amount of time here on earth.

There is not enough time in this day or this life to get everything done that I want to get done. What about you?

Every choice is by necessity a rejection of another choice Share on X

Every choice is by necessity a rejection of another choice. Choosing to put makeup on every day is time wasted not doing something else. Remember that list of everything you want to accomplish in this lifetime?

These are all negatives: make-up is bad because… But what about the positives?

I believe natural beauty is absolutely wonderful because it promotes expressiveness.

One of my biggest epiphanies being makeup-free is the realization that emotion is beauty. Emotion ties together our mind, body, and spirit; it is the fuel through which we manifest in our lives—it is our power! I believe it is why women throughout history have been accused of witchcraft in Salem, as well as by Frank Sinatra in song. We are so tied to our emotion and we create with it. It is a woman’s special power.

Makeup covers up emotion. Now, I know that I can see my friend’s smiling happiness when she is wearing lipstick, but I believe it acts as a damper to an expressive state. For one, we don’t want to muck up our makeup. Haven’t we all heard a woman say (or said it ourselves), “Don’t make me cry or you’ll ruin my mascara.” It is why we wear waterproof mascara to weddings.

I am in favor of feeling that emotion: listen to the heartwarming story! Laugh until you cry at the silly puppy video on Facebook! Makeup is bad for emotion (or is it the other way around?).

Besides shutting down connection and engagement with one another, we also shut down our most powerful tool for creating and manifesting in our life.

Our emotional state is integral to what we manifest in our life Share on X

Our emotional state is integral to what we manifest in our life. When I was addicted to makeup, my life mirrored my interior through my external circumstances: commitment to safety, living in the status quo, not chasing big dreams, fearful of what people thought of me. I took my makeup off and my life turned into this wild and free experience: finding my soulmate (I have proof to back up this claim), a precious baby girl I thought I would never have, and the realization of my life’s work that is the Life Design Society where I get to talk all day, every day about topics like this and help others to design their inspired life.

Tony Robbins talks about creating using emotional states to create results. Gabby Bernstein promotes miracles through the use of faith and gratitude. Shakti Gawain teaches Creative Visualization where you feel as if what you want to happen has already happened…and then it actually happens.

The made-up face is essentially a mask hiding our true, authentic face. It is not perfect. But that is exactly why it is beautiful. Yes, we have the ability to create in our lives with or without makeup, but I can’t help but wonder if the depth of my own transformation was so complete because I did exactly what I feared most. I continue to do it: to show myself to the world when every fiber of my being says: Stop! Don’t let them see the real you! Hide who you really are!

I can’t help but wonder if the depth of my own transformation was so complete because I did exactly what I feared most. Share on X

Perhaps it is age (aging is wonderful!), but my life has become deeper, richer, and unencumbered. Strangely, I look better. People bowl me over with compliments who haven’t seen me in awhile. I feel like my sense of style was hidden along with everything else I was hiding, and when I threw away my attention to the tiny minutia (pores and imperfections), I could see the larger picture much more clearly (clean lines and color).

I do not think there is much about me that you could call status quo. I rarely find myself in mundane conversation. My relationships have shifted to reflect new values that I consciously chose instead of holding onto those hoisted upon me by external sources (beauty mags? who cares!). And perhaps the thought of this makes you uncomfortable. Ask yourself, could you go without makeup for a day? For a week?

Ask yourself, could you go without makeup for a day? For a week? Share on X

I will leave you with one of my favorite comments from the original article, written by a young woman named Tracy with the hopes that her experience, from a different time in her life than mine, might inspire you if my words have not.

“I totally needed this today. I am in my early 20s, and decided a few days ago to give up makeup because I had become so dependent on it, and literally all of my confidence came from wearing makeup. I have nothing against makeup, nor do I have anything against women (or men, for that matter) who wear makeup, but I found it disturbing that without makeup, I had no confidence in myself. The first couple days were tough; I felt like I couldn’t approach people and that everyone would look at me and think “Wow, she is unattractive.” However, I’m on the third day now and it is amazing how many little improvements in my outlook are happening so quickly. I am suddenly want to pay a lot more attention to my skincare routine, and my teeth care routine, as well as eating well and working out. After only three days, I am getting used to looking in the mirror and not seeing makeup. In fact, I’m beginning to like how I look without it! This is one of the toughest things I’ve ever done, but considering I’m already making huge improvements in my confidence after only three days, I can’t wait to see how much more progress I make as time goes on. The process is truly much easier when you simply stop caring about what people think.”

What an inspiring article right? Have you experienced something similar? Have you thought about wearing makeup less often? Or not wearing it at all? Share your thoughts in the comment section below! Tifany and I would love to hear about your experience!

Tifany Lee is a writer and performer — published playwright, singer/songwriter, blogger — who has transmuted the artistic lessons of her career in the creative and performing arts into the Life Design Society. She facilitates personal growth and development through creative techniques used by artists and performers across media to create meaningful and authentic relationships with ourselves and the world.