I wear makeup sometimes. For me it is entertaining. I like trying out different effects. (Shadow, no shadow, liner, no liner, different colours, shimmer etc.) It’s like a form of art, a mini hobby.
If I put it on when I’m going out at night, it makes it feel like it’s a special event, something to get excited about, even if it’s just going to be dinner at a local restaurant. (I guess picking clothes is also a part of this.)
It’s not being vain or trying to impress anyone at all, I do it purely for me!
I have heard men say that makeup on a woman means she takes care of herself. I’m not sure that they were implying that the inverse must also be true, though in my experience, it’s not. Most of the women I know don’t wear any makeup at all unless it’s a special occasion and not much then. Every last one of those women are clean and well groomed.
I have to say that I absolutely love the fact that I can paint my face every morning and no one will look at me sideways for it.
I’ve got shiny skin, so if I go a day without makeup, I tend to look bleak and sickly.
But beyond that, I find the application cathartic. I get to spend 15-20 minutes on my face every morning. Time spent all on myself, making myself feel pretty, paying attention to my face… I would definitely call that time well spent.
I like deep colors for my lips, richly colored eyeshadows that sparkle, mascara, and brow liner (I still have eyebrows… but I keep them shaped and find that a bit of brow liner really sets off my eyes).
Then I throw some wet type gloss over my lipstick and make pouty porn faces at myself on occassion in my rear view mirror. It’s all in good fun, really.
It may be possible for someone who is really good with it to apply makeup and look better than they do without it, but if I can tell she’s wearing makeup (whether by being able to observe it or by seeing her apply it or because she mentioned it in conversation) it’s going to put quite a dent in my reaction to her. Unfairly, perhaps, I don’t know. I think “makeup” I think “old lady” and I think “phony” and I think “insecure” and I think “vapid”. Not analytically, just like a taste in my mouth.
I tend to like the “bare face” look, too. One of the people in my current class was meeting someone after school one day, and after she changed out of scrubs and into street clothes, she came out of the locker room all made up.
I thought she looked like a clown, but I’m used to her without makeup. She’s really naturally pretty, and the makeup didn’t enhance anything, IMO.
My greatest distate is lipstick (sorry malkavia)…especially any color that would be more appropriate on a cadaver or a cheap hooker; people’s lips shouldn’t be either pale white nor bright red.
I only wear full make-up when I want to look older. Typically, foundation and powder will add about 5-7 years to my apparent age, to most men.
Usually, though, I go with the thoroughly understated - just some mascara on the lashes, and a bit of almost-usual color lipstick finished matte with a dusting of powder (which also makes it STAY on, and not come off on your glass, etc.). This helps a really fair complexion like mine, and it makes my eyes stand out a little more solidly so people get the impression I’m very interested and alert.
Normally, however, I work in cleanrooms, where any makeup at all is a strict no-no - just more dirt to ruin the chips.
It’s funny. I can only think, offhand, of about four women I know/work with who don’t wear make-up…but so many of the women on this thread say they rarely/never touch it. (I’m not saying that any of you are lying…just that I think it’s an odd statistical sample.)
I feel odd without make-up on; my mother wouldn’t let me wear any until I was about sixteen, and then she took me to the store and introduced me to powder, mascara, blush, etc., etc…and I’ve loved it ever since. When I saw Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn, I fell in love with the doe-eyed black liner/mascara look and it is still one of my favorites. I don’t always wear all of it, but I usually wear most of it…and like JinWicked I’ve never gotten anything but positive responses to it.
All of my friends are firm believers in it, too; it’s a pampering thing we do for ourselves and we enjoy looking good. I dunno, maybe it’s a Texas thing, but the vast majority of women I know and see wear make-up…and I’ve been told many times, at my tourist-oriented bar, that Texas women are some of the most beautiful women in the world.
I wore it regularly in high school, but even as a senior I started skimping until I was down to the bare minimum (concealer, power, blush). In college I would start to skip days until I just eventually stopped. I’m not even sure if I wore it for my job interview for the company I work for. I haven’t worn makeup since my sister’s wedding over two years ago.
I hate how it feels. I hate how greasy it makes my face. I hate that I can’t touch my face when I have it on. I hate that society seems to think I should use it to be prettier. I’m quite confident in my looks, and while the crap may make me look prettier to the rest of the world, I just don’t give a damn. If you don’t like how I look naturally, you can take it up with my parents.
Rant aside, I’d probably still put it on for any professional photos, because photography and videography needs work to make it look good. ([sub]These wannabe novelists are so cute with their hopeless optimism.[/sub])
i wear just enough (very thin layer of foundation to even out my skintone and undereye bags, a little lipglass and a light sweep of cheek colour) to conceal the fact that I look like a freaking corpse without it.
If feeling better about myself because I use makeup to look more like a living creature than a dying one is rediculous, ohwell - heh.
Most people cant ever tell im wearing any, it’s so scant, but they certainly can when i take it off.
Don’t you find it sexy to nuzzle up to a washed out corpse, look into her sparkling eyes and kiss her cold blue lips as you profess your love of her desire to remain oh so natural? MM hmm - i know i sure would.
I absolutely prefer women who don’t wear makeup. Most of the time women who DO wear makeup don’t look nearly as good to me. In fact, I think (and this is MHO) most women who wear makeup look sort of… silly.
[ComicBookGuy] HOWEVER! [/ComicBookGuy]
It also depends on the person. It’s rare but there are some women who look GREAT with makeup, but they don’t wear it in the typical fashion. These women make it work for them,
That’s interesting. Why do you wear any clothes at all, especially in the summer? Really, one important function of clothing is to conceal your cough flaws cough and to make you look better. But you don’t think that way about yourself, yes?
As far as I’m concerned, make-up goes hand in hand with pantyhose. Special occasions, portraits and interviews which require skirts and heels also require make-up. Even then, I’m pretty minimalist. I don’t wear blush, because the make-up I do wear is to hide the apalling colour in my face and I certainly don’t see the need to bring it back once I’ve hidden it away. Foundation to even the colour. A little beigey-pinky lipstick that’s actually less colourful than my real lips (but also all the same colour, as I have a scar on my lip that I like to cover up on occasions). Some eyeliner that helps my eyes stand out.
Even that little bit takes me about 15 minutes to apply so only gets special occasion treatment as on a daily basis I much prefer sleep to eyeliner.
Don’t wear make-up. On the few occasions I have, people have said ‘WOW! You’re wearing make-up!’ which bugs me so I don’t. Too much time/effort involved - not only in the morning, but make-up that’s half off (lipstick that bleeds, etc) looks terrible, I think, so when I wear it I am constantly checking myself in mirrors, etc which I hate doing. I think I am hot without it, and my husband (as well as all previous boyfriends) seem to agree. Better to feel good-looking without it than feeling self-conscious with it, right?
Aside … I have a beautiful friend who never wears it. She got those ‘glamour shots’ done, where they doll you up and take pictures for posterity, and she did indeed look beautiful in her make-up, but she didn’t look anything like her. I didn’t even recognize her in the pictures. She’s just as beautiful without it. What’s the point?
I realize the sampling is skewed by the thread title… I had to peek in as I am also one of those women who wears no makeup… ever… not even on my wedding day.
I put on some in high school and my dad told me I looked like a slut. I tried some again when I was in college and it made my face break out. I even went to one of those “make-up parties” where you get to put on the really good stuff… I looked like bozo the clown.
If it makes you happy… wear it… I havent the time, inclination or money to waste on something I hate that makes me look stupid. The couple of times I have worn it I managed to rub my eye and smudge everything. I always feel awkward with that crap on my face.
I also know I am no supermodel and I wonder what advice I will give my little girl about painting herself up. If you really want to hold the no makeup thing against me… go ahead… I don’t care and don’t need people who want me to be someone I’m not.
My skin tone is uneven, so I usually wear foundation. I wear lipstick, too, because I like the way it looks. On rare occasions (a black tie wedding being the most recent) I’ll add eye shadow and blush.
I have to say, I’ve gotten used to seeing my coworkers wearing makeup, and I do think it’s a more polished, professional look. That said, I doubt that you’re applying for a job that’s anything like mine, Green Bean. Good luck!
I wear make-up when it’s important for me to look professional or when I’m getting all dolled up to go out. My job involves a lot of interaction with the public, so I do tend to put on a bit of make-up (light foundation, powder, a little blush, neutral eyeshadow and lip gloss) before I go to work. It takes me about 5 minutes, and it really does make a difference. I don’t look “made-up,” but I do look more alert and polished.
It’s not a self-confidence thing; I think I look good with or without make-up. It’s just that sometimes make-up is more appropriate than not.
I rarely wear makeup these days. Oh, I know I look much better with it–but every morning when the alarm goes off I discover that I’d much rather sleep the extra 10 minutes than paint my face.
As for an interview, I’d wear what you’re comfortable with. If you’re not used to makeup, it may make you uncomfortable wearing it for the first time. Plus, if you’re not used to applying it, you can end up overdoing it. At most, I’d suggest wearing some lipstick (in a subtle color), mascara, and some powder.
However, I would recommend at least wearing powder to an interview. When you’re nervous, your face can get shiney quickly. A light cover of translucent powder can help you avoid the sweaty nervous look. You can also blot your face with a tissue before your interview if you’d prefer to go powder-free. But that’s not always an option when you’re rushing from interview to interview.
