Saturday, August 18, 2012

I Don't Buy.... Make-up

Sorry that I have been slacking on this series - and then this post isn't even on Friday but rather late Saturday night- Oh well!


 The topic that I am addressing today of something that I don't buy is concerning makeup. This is one of those posts about something I never have bought (except some bright red lipstick one time to use in a play) but somethings I have read recently got me thinking about this subject so I decided I would go ahead and write about it.

  There are a number of reasons why I don't buy or wear makeup and none of them would cause me to look down on you if you wear makeup. They are personal decisions of mine and they work for me.

Here they are quickly:

  • I wasn't raised around makeup. My Mom never wore it nor did most of the women that I was around a lot while growing up.
  • Make-up costs money. I don't personally see any need to spend our hard earned money in this area. I have other priorities that are more important to me.
  • Make-up wearing takes time. Time is precious to me and I don't feel any need to use any of it for the purpose of wearing make-up. Obviously that is just a personal priority as I will spend time to fix my hair (though I don't spend a lot of time on that either) or figure out what I am going to wear that will look nice.
  • It can be bad for your skin. According to what I have read makeup is often loaded with chemicals that can be bad for your skin. Even if that isn't an issue I read that if you don't have the right type for your skin or leave it on to long it isn't good. I guess it can clog your pores. I don't have any personal experience here but it doesn't make wearing it attractive to me.
  • I have never wanted to feel like I needed to put "my face on" before I was able to see somebody. I know many people don't feel that way but I have heard that expression from some.
  • Neither Ken nor I care for the look of a face with a lot of make-up. The glamour look simply isn't what we consider beautiful. I do know many women that wear make-up simply that look very beautiful but I feel content with my look without it.
  • I don't like the way it feels or smells. The one time I was given a makeover I was not at all impressed.
Some of my reasons are rather silly but I guess that is just where I am at on the issue.
 The reason that I started thinking about this subject was because of a study that I had read about. In the study they had people look at pictures of women that had them with a variety of amounts of makeup - starting with no makeup, then a little, then a bit more and ending with the "glamorous" look. They asked the people to rate them concerning Attractiveness, Competence, whether they thought they were Trustworthy and Likability. In every category the pictures with makeup scored better.

  When I read that it really rather bothered me at first- the idea that people would judge me concerning my natural face and think me not very trustworthy, competent or likable bothered me. (The attractiveness issue didn't bother me so much as I do think our country has been trained to think that makeup is beautiful). I have decided not to worry about it and it hasn't caused me to change my ways but I do hope that those of us that don't wear makeup can start to change the puplic's impression on this account! In my reading I also came across some writings that mentioned women being told they had to wear makeup in order to keep a job that they already were working at quite successfully. That doesn't seem right to me.

Anyway... today was just some random thoughts on makeup wearing. I am sure I have saved a considerable amount of time and money by not wearing it. If you do wear makeup I hope you realize that I am not putting you down- it just isn't something that I want to do. I hope you wear it only because you or your husband likes it and not because you feel like it is something that our society demands.

Some make-up-less faces. I am not positive that nobody has any on but mostly we don't anyway.
  One verse that I think about when I am considering anything that has to do with how I look is this one:
1 Timothy 2:9 and 10
"Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness."

 My understanding of these verses is that the way we look shouldn't be what makes people be impressed with us or think we are special - what should be the most prominent in our lives is the fact that we do good things for others.

What are your thoughts on makeup?

6 comments:

Becky R said...

I also do not buy or wear make up for many of the same reasons you stated. Also I have sensitie skin and make up irritates mine.

Erin said...

I don't wear makeup either. For many of the same reasons. I learned years ago that it was a time and money waster, and that my husband preferred me without. On top of all that, it irritated my skin and seemed to negatively effect my perspective and attitudes.

Hayley said...

I was the odd child growing up. My mother and sister did some modeling, nothing like magazine or catalog stuff. They would do bridal shows and such and they were taught alot about how to wear make up. I never liked putting it on. It can be very time consuming. I don't wear it most days but maybe for church or out to dinner I use cheek tint, lip gloss and mascara. It just gives me color and makes me look awake. But I use a brand called 100% pure. Its vegan, made from fruits and veggies. Obviously, this is going to be higher than other cosmetics but I rarely use it so it lasts forever. Reguarding the scripture, the women Paul was talking about spent very much of their day, hours and hours, bathing and fixing them selves up. Its the vanity they were displaying. When we should be in prayer, sharing gospel, taking care of our families and helping others instead of focusing on our selves. Just a thought-from a mostly bare face.:)

Anna said...

I also recently read about someone in an office that wasn't wearing any make-up and they were wanting to make it a rule that ladies wear make-up to be employed there. like a dress code. i thought that was a bit bizarre.
Did you see the faces from the survey? I wonder if the make-up less face was accustomed to always wearing make-up. that seems to bleach the skin or fade it and then they do look less attractive once their skin is always covered in a foundation it can't get a natural tan.
(my face is au naturale in the picture :)

Lady Violet said...

O.K. You have echoed my thoughts down to the last small detail. I would add that if God had wanted me with more colour in my cheeks, darker lashes or purple nails I confide in the fact that He would have made me that way.

virginia said...

I just wanted to say that this post really blessed me. Thank you for sharing.

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