The other day, I was scrolling through my newsfeed when I saw an article about Pamela Anderson. In it, she was discussing some beef she had with Seth Rogen (which I'd been unaware of). She was sporting her now-recognizable trademark no-makeup look.
I've been following Pamela Anderson ever since I became vegan—she has been a very vocal advocate for animals her entire career and recently came out with a beautiful plant-based cookbook.
She made headlines a few years ago when she showed up to Paris Fashion Week with literally no makeup: "I don't do the no-makeup makeup. I do no makeup," she explained. She was applauded for her fresh look and since then, she's been showing up to one red carpet event after another with the same, make-up free look.
I think about her every single time I do my own make-up now.
I mean, isn't that amazing? That one person could wield so much influence, that she literally pops up in my head every single time I fill in my eyebrows?
I actually am not a make-up girlie. Unlike my mother (who won't step out the front door to go grocery shopping without doing her face), I've never been a daily make-up wearer. There are a lot of reasons for this. For the most part, it stems from the fact that I used to think I wasn't worth "dolling up"—that I was too unattractive to make it worthwhile. I know, it sounds horrible, but I'm nothing if not honest in these blog posts. My appearance was such a struggle for me, the easiest thing was to ignore it. For a long time, I actually got rid of most of the mirrors in my house and even refused to shower very often because I didn't want to look at myself.
The second reason I don't like make-up is because I'm lazy. I'm very very lazy when it comes to this stuff. It isn't just the effort it takes to put it on, but worse is the amount of time it takes to take it off. Like, I would get irrationally angry that my husband would be tucked in bed and already snoozing, and I'm still in front of my mirror battling with my waterproof mascara.
But after so many comments on my videos about how "tired" or "old" or "unhealthy" I look when I'm not wearing makeup, I finally gave in and decided that even if I didn't do the daily makeup thing like Omma, I would make an effort when it came to my videos.
Over the past several months, though, I've significantly ratcheted back my makeup routine. It consists of (a) blush, (b) mascara or false lashes, and (c) a teensy bit of brown eyeshadow for my eyebrows. If I'm feeling festive, I'll throw on a light lip gloss. More often, though, I'll go with an untinted lip-oil, just for hydration. No foundation, no concealer, no contouring, no eyeliner, no highlighter, no eyeshadow (other than for brows). From start to finish, my makeup routine takes less than 5 minutes to apply.
And I will admit that what Pamela Anderson has done—her example—has helped me to feel all right with it. I have a few crows feet splaying out from the corners of my eyes. And every now and again, especially around that time of the month, I'll get a little pimple or two on my forehead or chin. And sometimes, if I've been running a lot outside, my freckles get very noticeable. And oh, btw, I have like 15 moles on my face because, well, I'm Korean and Koreans can have lots of moles.
I feel less pressure to cover up all these "imperfections." Don't get me wrong: I still find it fun to "look pretty" and on special occasions, I'll go all out. But knowing I can feel confident and good with such a minimal makeup routine is not just convenient, it's empowering.
What's your makeup routine? Do you do it everyday? What do you do on days where you just don't feel like putting on makeup?
