Absolutely! There are days where I feel more or less confident, and the right makeup look (usually when it comes together the way I wanted, haha) can help boost my mood. There are moments, though, when I’ve worn heavier coverage long enough that I can feel more self-conscious about my natural skin, so I try to mix it up so I don’t distort my perception of myself.
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Blush, brows, mascara and lipstick takes 10 years off me. Yes, I feel good to go anywhere.
Oh, definitely! Especially as I’m getting older. I stay out of the sun, so I’m kind of pasty. I have dark circles and melasma, and the chemo I went through years ago permanently destroyed my eyebrows, so without any makeup at all I feel unattractive. But makeup really changes everything. I don’t need a lot of it to make myself feel pretty, but sometimes I do go all out for evenings.
Absolutely is my answer, too! Makeup has always made me feel more put together, more confident, more attractive and better able to take on the challenges of the day. The fact that I get to be a little artistic while applying it is icing on the cake.
Oh goodness knows; Yes! For better or even worse. There are days that I wake up and catch that first glimpse in the mirror and *know* that I need a boost. Something of which the right shades put together can impart. There have also been times when I go to use even a highly touted, works on everyone else product, and I wind up looking not so great. Either way, this can impact my feelings on how I appear on a given day.
Absolutely. It makes me feel better to cover my old acne scars, and just the process of picking out what eye shades I want to do on any given day makes me feel good. A particularly good day with the makeup gives an enormous boost of confidence.
No; I’m comfortable in my own skin, and never viewed makeup as being something to “enhance beauty”. I grew up with a mother who wore absolutely no makeup, except when allowing a friend to practice on her (in fact, she looked quite off with makeup, LOL!), and other women in my family didn’t really bother, and I always found them all to be beautiful. I also grew up in the 80s, when the attitude towards makeup was very much just an “embellishment”, no more necessary than a pair of earrings or nice shoes. In the Punk/post-Punk eras, there was an added element of expression, but “beauty” was not an intention.
Base products conceals my acne scars and make me look way more flawless and clean. Other than that brows and liner make the most difference. I don’t want to ever come to a point where I can only get out with makeup. I still want to be comfortable with my not so perfect self.
It sure does. It always makes me look better (even if it’s only a matter of some concealer to cover my dark circles and a bit of lip balm) and that is ALWAYS a mood enhancer/confidence enforcer!
I am going to be a bit wishy-washy on this question. There are days when I feel like I need the confidence boost of makeup. In general I feel better when I have makeup on but I have to say that there are days when for whatever reason, I just don’t put makeup on and when I see myself through the day, I know I would look better if I had put some on but I just couldn’t be bothered and I am okay with that. When I lived in the city and was working full time I put makeup on most days but again, there were times when I just couldn’t be bothered. Overall, I would say yes it does affect how I feel but sometimes I just don’t care!
I wouldn’t say change, exactly. If I have great skin and perfect red lipstick, then I usually feel like a million bucks but it doesn’t fundamentally alter the way I see myself. I’m a fairly confident person, so makeup can enhance that when I look great (and I know it) but I’m equally happy to walk down to the supermarket or go to work early with a bare face if it’s busy and I need to get a head start…
I’m about to turn 40 next month and as someone who has suffered with adult acne for most of my adult life, it took a looooong time to get to this point but I’m loving it right now. I also have a wonderful husband who tells me I’m lovely/gorgeous/beautiful/etc every morning before I even get out of bed, so that helps too, LOL.
Makeup is the icing on the cake of life really – it’s fun and and looks amazing but the cake underneath has to taste fabulous too.
Sure. When I wear makeup I like, I feel more like myself and more confident. It’s not a “looking pretty” thing, but an expression of my inner self thing. The colors also cheer me up when a bit when I’m feeling down, especially when I wear a bright lipstick.
On the other hand, when I don’t like how my makeup turns out, and I don’t have time to change it or take it off, it bothers me and puts me in a bad mood. I feel “off” the whole day. I’d rather go without makeup than makeup I’m unhappy with.
Getting into makeup has helped break down habits of internalized misogyny I didn’t realize I was still carrying. I held myself back from a great hobby because of bizarre morals I didn’t actually believe in. While the culture around makeup and consumerism has ups and downs we’re all familiar with, it’s also given implicit permission to put effort into experiment with the best shampoo, face lotion, etc. for me as well.
Makeup also benefits in less abstract ways. Lipstick makes me feel fancy. Dressing up my eyebrows makes me feel unapproachable.
Most definitely! I love the way that makeup makes me feel and helps me to present a ‘polished’ face to the world. I like the way that I can change my looks by using different colours and it is a creative outlet for me. I always feel more confident when I have my makeup on.
When I had my Salon , I volunteered for a non profit that supported women dealing with the effects of cancer called “Look Good Feel Better” it was so rewarding to help women get their “swagger” back with just a little makeup ,,
So Yes, it works!
I’m in the absolutely yes camp. I don’t always wear a lot but foundation to even out my complexion, eyeliner, mascara, blush and a nice colour on my lips, oh my eyebrows have to be filled in too. In the evenings I will wear a nice eye makeup. Not only is it fun to play with the colours but it relaxes me too.
Makeup absolutely changes the way I feel about myself! It can go either way — you know when you’re having a good makeup day and you get a lot of compliments? Those are the best days! And some days the mirror says “Well, you tried.” Either way, the effort is there in an attempt to feel more like myself by wearing makeup. I don’t go a day without it, whether it’s a little or a lot depends on the day. But yes, makeup always lifts my spirits and makes me happy!
Its Amore! ?
When a bit of blush hits my cheeks is Amore! 🙂
I love what minimal makeup can do to this pale face. I don’t even know or care much if anyone else notices since my look is rather natural but yes I’m filling in my eyebrows with powder, I’ll wear the smallest size of foundation over my Cera Ve moisturizer to just even my skin tone. I have pretty clear skin thank goodness for that or my family’s DNA. Blush is the best item i can wear it lifts my high cheekbones which are starting to fall a bit with aging lol! No kidding! I used to get compliments on them not that much anymore. It just liven them up just bring health to my face. Also a very slight bronzer does wonders too but i don’t regularly wear. Lipstick or stained balm do miracles too I’m not much into gloss but do wear them sometimes. Mascara, highliter.
I let go of everything when I’m home to let my skin breathe but yes, love to wear my minimal makeup some may say it certainly makes me feel and look brighter, healthier, put together. Bring life to my pale face. Yes! Its Amore! .
Makeup makes me feel more confident, but if I’m not leaving the house for the day, I don’t wear it. I don’t wear it just to run to the store or whatnot either. Also, there is rarely middle ground for me; it’s either a full face of makeup or bare. I have melasma and broken capillaries on my cheeks, but at 45 and happily married, I don’t feel the need to impress anyone anymore. ?
Makeup it’s a source of strength, creativity, and expression for me, like clothes. It helps me to embrace my inner girl, as I live with four men. LOL
Of course. Some days I wear absolutely no makeup or very light makeup if shopping. Other times I go for medium drama. For evenings, I like much more drama. Keep in mind that I am 69. More drama than usual for my age group but less that others. Color is art.
Makeup for me is a source of strength, creativity, and expression, like clothes. It helps me also to embrace my inner girl, as I live with four men. LOL
Sometimes — when I’ve had a string of disappointments or feel like I’m losing ground and wonder if I have enough energy or stamina to power through … covering the “sleepless” blue of my eyelids with a matte gold, then putting on a bold lip color can remind me that I’m actually pretty relentless when I need to be.
And while it’s less how I feel “about myself,” and more how I feel “in general,” makeup can also make me feel less sick and less tired (when I’m literally sick or tired) by covering up the evidence, i.e. taking away the visual reinforcement of my less-than-spectacular condition. I’ve gone from “the walking dead” from too many nights without sleep to “normal human who just needs to make it through the next couple days then they can catch up on their sleep” after about 20 minutes in front of my vanity. Totally worth it.
When I was 16, I was allowed to wear makeup. I’ve suffered from acne and cystic acne (related to food intolerances) since I was 12 (it really did a number on my self-esteem). I wore foundation until I was 18, and that made me feel more comfortable in the world. I remember I needed to run to the store for sanitary supplies one day, and I stood in the mirror looking at my scarred skin for what felt like forever. I did NOT want to go outside without foundation. But, I was only going to be gone like 10 mins! In that moment, I realized that I needed to take a break from foundation and get used to seeing my own skin (and work on loving my skin, despite its challenges). 20 years later, I have a better relationship with my skin, even though it is STILL problematic (sigh).
Makeup is more of a creative outlet for me than about “fixing” anything. More often than not, I leave the house bare-faced. When I put on makeup, I like to take my time and play around. I will say two things: 1.) simply putting concealer around my eyes can take 5 years off my looks and 2.) when I consistently apply makeup (with emphasis more on color products than base products), it DOES lift my mood because applying/playing in makeup is a passion for me. I love seeing pretty colors on my face, even if the look doesn’t come out quite like I imagined. Over time, I can tell that it has a positive impact on my mood. I would not say it impacts my self-esteem one way or the other these days. I accept the way I look with makeup and without.