30 Days No Makeup

If you are not familiar with 30 Days No Makeup, take a look. I stumbled upon this lovely place of encouragement and loved their mission. Plus, I met the ladies behind it and love it even more now. I knew I wanted to give this a go eventually.

I finally decided to take the plunge and strip my face of makeup on April 27, 2015. So right now I am on day 26. I actually thought I was further from the finish until now (and just got a little excited to be done). But I wanted to follow suit and post my no makeup selfie and share my thoughts on the process and the why behind it for me.

So, here are a few no makeup selfies. 
Yes, I wanted to find the best light. Yes, I wanted to minimize my flaws. Yes, I felt a little exposed.
(Bottom right corner: post traffic, 2 broken gas stations and feeling yucky selfie)
Bonus: there is something about the iPhone front facing camera quality (low) that hides some flaws.  Not trying to point out my ugly, but seriously, they look worse in the actual photo. But, this also contributes to some of the problem (also tons of filters, photo editing apps to change appearance, etc) that make us like our real selves less.
This is a good thing to remember when we compare ourselves in any area. Everything isn't always as it seems.

A little bit of the why...

I love that they are calling women to be challenged to see themselves as beautiful - just as they are - despite how they might feel. I am all for anything that is affirming the true identity of a person and encouraging along the way.

I am all for anything that invites us to take a step back from what we've become accustomed to and hit refresh. Not that makeup or other regular parts of life/society are all bad, but with most things a level of dependence comes in and disturbs our healthy rhythms. 

I love that 30DNM is creating a space for women to bare their faces and find self love. And through this, other women find encouragement and hope as they watch the journey of others. My heart breaks most when I see women who feel unworthy, ugly (inside or out) and alone. Here women find uplifting community and a call back to their true worth.

Yeah, let's cheer each other on, not compare and tear each other down!

So, my process.. Here's what I'm finding as I've been in this process:

1. Committing to anything for 30 days is tough. Some days I want to wear make up just because I don't want to be disciplined to what I've committed to.
2. I don't regularly wear a lot of makeup and often go without any. But when it comes to outings with other ladies, special events, etc. I feel left out and less than. I don't have anything special happening on my face and I feel dull. I want to keep up. Two birthdays and an anniversary this month have been challenging but not as bad as I expected.
3. Sometimes my under eyes are puffy and red. I hate my eye wrinkles. My lips blend into my skin. Sometimes that pimple is really ugly. All these times make me want to cover up or spruce up. I definitely already knew this and feel this regularly. 
4. I feel better if my hair is done well. More than not wearing makeup, I feel yucky if I have let my hair dry naturally (It's an unpredictable beast). If you know me, you know I like to tear myself down a lot in this area.
   
5. This process has made me think about the other areas in life we cover up and hide our true selves. Stuff like our emotions that are tough & not pretty. Like I said above, I hate people feeling unworthy and alone. This is so true for the internal stuff and messy journeys. That stuff is so hidden and hard to see. I want those around me to know they are worth knowing, all that messy stuff included. I want to know that for myself. We don't have it all together.. none of us. And that is ok! You are worth it. I am worth it.  

Maybe you think I am weird (that's ok), but maybe you've been encouraged (I hope so).  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic, similar areas and the influence of those around us, etc. 

Be you, boldly!