There is a strange moment at the end of every night routine. The mascara smudges and the foundation fades, with just one wipe, a stranger is looking back at you. It isn’t you, or at least it doesn’t look it. We spend so much time creating our image, and anything that doesn’t fit that narrative can quickly become uncomfortable.
Just like making your bed or brushing your teeth, applying makeup can become routine like anything else. Wearing it daily, you often become accustomed to that version of yourself, the one with even skin, a sculpted face and defined lips. Over time, that becomes the reflection you know, the one that the world knows. It is what everyone sees you as, so when it all comes off, who are you? The bare face looking back at you can seem unfamiliar, but that discomfort doesn’t mean that your natural self has lost its beauty, just that you’ve forgotten what it looks like.
Your brain grows accustomed to repeated images. This made-up version is all you see from first thing in the morning to the final moments at night, and the familiarity is comforting. But you can break this, just as you have learned to love yourself with a full face on, you can relearn to love the natural one.
Your natural face does not need to be covered up. It is how you were always meant to look, and while makeup can enhance your beauty, you never even needed it in the first place. It will take time to feel this way again, because it is not just about a bare face, but self-acceptance. First, focus on skincare to feel more confident in your natural skin. Then gradually begin wearing less and less makeup in low-stakes situations. It will initially feel foreign; every reflection will look unfamiliar, but different is no match against repetition.
Grow to love the way you look, and while makeup is a beautiful way to create confidence or self-expression, it is important to remember that wiping it away does not erase your value. It simply shows the authentic version of yourself, which is just as deserving to be seen.
So the next time you meet this unfamiliar face in the mirror, before you cover it up or begin to critique it, pause for a second. This is you, and this face has been yours long before any concealer, contour or lipstick. With time and acceptance, it becomes real again. This is no stranger. Learn to fall in love with this version of yourself; it is absolutely enough.
Feeling beautiful bare-faced? Share your natural look with us on Instagram @VALLEYMag!
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your blog. You have some really good posts and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an e-mail if interested. Kudos!
Really nice design and fantastic written content, absolutely nothing else we need :D.
excellent points altogether, you simply gained a brand new reader. What would you suggest in regards to your post that you made a few days ago? Any positive?
Usually I do not read article on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thank you, very nice post.
Have you ever considered creating an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog centered on the same topics you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my visitors would appreciate your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.
My developer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on numerous websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is really informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Hello. excellent job. I did not expect this. This is a remarkable story. Thanks!
I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this sort of house . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this web site. Reading this information So i am happy to convey that I have a very good uncanny feeling I found out just what I needed. I most indisputably will make certain to don’t disregard this site and provides it a look on a constant basis.
Thank you for another fantastic post. Where else could anybody get that kind of info in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I’m on the look for such information.