I gave up cosmetics entirely after this notorious incident. And I mean completely - absolutely nothing, no foundation, no lipstick, nothing, nada. My skin and cosmetics are not a good combination.
(I do use sunscreen. A very plain, carefully chosen sunscreen without any additional toners or bronzers or whatever. JUST sunscreen. Because cancer sucks.)
I have, at times, suffered push back. The worst was job interviews - some people really pushed me to use “just a little” make up for job interviews. Nope, not going to do it. Ever, At all. It’s not worth the red, blotchy, infected skin (that’s what years of “acne” turned out to be). It not worth ever risking the need to have surgery again. There is a real lack of understanding that wearing make up, even for a few hours, is going to have a really bad, negative, awful effect on my skin. So, I don’t wear it, even when people tell me not doing so means “you’re not even trying”. Trying what? Trying to require medical care?
Despite all sorts of dire warnings I have not lacked for male attention in my life, I am gainfully employed, no one recoils in horror, and young children do not fear me.
That said, I have zero issue with the people who do enjoy make up, enjoy changing their looks, experimenting, who have looks that range from what I call faux-natural to wildly constructed. Have fun. You do you. Young people SHOULD experiment with their look and their style to find what fits them. Nothing wrong with someone older going through another phase of experimentation and reinvention.
There is a cost to cosmetics, this is true. And unfortunately in our society there can also be a cost to NOT wearing cosmetics. I just society in general wasn’t so hung up on appearance.