On the whole, more confident over time, and part of that was just growing up, getting older, doing more adult things and experiencing more. When I first started, it made me more confident but then decreased confidence as I became more reliant on how I looked with makeup (especially foundation).
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Getting involved in the beauty community made me far more confident–probably because it switched my view from “makeup as compulsory social expectation” to “makeup as hobby that gives me pleasure.” Prior to my involvement, I rarely left the house without foundation, blush, and mascara; after becoming more enthusiastic about makeup, I finally felt comfortable walking out of the house without a stitch of makeup on (even as my products and skills grew past the basic mascara/blush/foundation. I’d never even HEARD of highlighter before getting involved with the makeup community!). It’s not that my skin was suddenly clearer or more even, or that my eyelashes naturally changed from blonde to black on their own; it’s that I saw makeup as a fun option rather than something that was impolite to be without.
Also, I gained confidence from realizing that even makeup enthusiasts have such different personal expectations and comfort levels for their makeup–some people feel most like themselves with an elaborate eye look, while I consider eyeshadow a “bonus” if I have extra time in the morning; some people feel uncomfortable in bright lipsticks, while I feel far more cheerful and confident in a bold lip. That realization let me relax into doing what *I* wanted to do with makeup, rather than doing what I felt was “required” to be part of a community of people who like makeup. Just as I don’t have to wear makeup to interact with regular society, there’s no monolithic makeup-lover culture to which I have to conform. 🙂
I don’t think it has in any way but it is nice to have a place to talk about makeup (and other issues too, clearly) with other like-minded people (most of the people in my “real life” aren’t heavily into makeup so having my “cosmetic cousins” here really enriches my life).
I am the same, my environment is mostly male (and I don’t have any issues with that, I love my job and my social circle), my mom, sister and best friend rarely wear makeup, my closest friends and co-workers aren’t that much into makeup… sometimes this website is to only place I can rant about foundation oxidation and finding th perfect lipstick shade. 😆
The beauty community has helped me see makeup as more of a creative pursuit and means of self-expression. I feel less focused on hiding flaws, and am more interested in enjoying the colours, textures and changing up a look with mood and occasion. It’s a good perspective!
Your point of hiding flaws reminded me I sometimes feel anxious about returning to work and having to wear a mask (although as an performance engineer I might end up working from home all 2020). I would want to wear some make-up, but not foundation. People like Jkissa, rocking for years the no foundation look, make me feel more confident to show up with my eyeshadow, eyebrows and mascara on, but nothing as a base.
For me confidence is something that came with age, and flourished as I got into a healthy lifestyle (I’m quite active and borderline obsessed with cooking, nutrition and sustainability of food). I actually become more confident in make-up (wearing more bold colors, experimenting with techniques, not being afraid of what others think about my makeup) as I become more confident with myself.
I guess that when I first ‘joined’ the makeup community I lost a little bit of confidence. Everybody looked so good both without makeup and with makeup on. Everybody used techniques and colors I couldn’t do or wouldn’t suit me. Everybody pushes products and had stashes of makeup while I had decision anxiety if I owned more than one foundation.
But in time I learned to just be myself and take from the community the information I need and suits me.
Yes. I’ve learned about strategic placement which has made a huge difference. Also I feel like I’ve gone through a few make up trends and instead of following them absent-mindedly, I feel like I can be discerning and incorporate or pass based on personal preferences.
I always feel more confident when I have my makeup on – it adds colour to my face and it seems to reflect my personality. I also love having a place here, with other beauty lovers to discuss and learn about quality makeup products. No-one else I know quite likes makeup as much as I do in my world and it’s wonderful to share opinions and ideas from those all around the world.
My sister loves makeup as much as I do but she lives in another city. So I love to come here where everyone is on the same page as me. I have grown so much in my life that I can now go out without makeup applied, whereas a few years ago I wouldn’t have even dreamed of that day.
Insomuch as I can walk into a Sephora (for example) and not feel overwhelmed, as I used to. I understand what products are, how to use them and if they will or will not work for me. That’s a lot of trial and error too, but if I hadn’t started watching videos and following Temptalia, I’d still be standing like a deer-in-the-headlights in front of the Urban Decay display shelves not realizing if I take a few more steps into the store I’d discover Becca, Hourglass and Natasha Denona…
Makeup hasn’t really done anything for my confidence. Maybe alittle when I was a teen.
My confidence has come from setting goals in my life and accomplishing them mainly in my career.
It’s a fun outlet for me.
Wow…I love reading everyone’s reflections and how I’ve also had at one point or another had those thoughts. One reflection that I didn’t see anyone particularly write about was that after years of involvement in the beauty community, it helped me expand my understanding of surface beauty in people a lot more. Surface beauty can have many standards (aside from the golden ratio or Hollywood good looks). Just as I can admire the “flawless” beauty of a young model or actress, there is also beauty to admire in someone in their twilight years–rich with wrinkles and somehow able to radiate their experience in life. This understanding has led me to appreciate my own beauty and the beauty I see in others around me, thus boosting my self confidence.
Growing up, I was self-conscious–my understanding of beauty was limited to magazines and my mother’s tendency to rate the beauty of women onscreen aloud. These models, actresses, and beauty pageant contestants looked otherworldly to me. Now that I understand exactly how beauty products are used, I know how much effort it can take to look camera-ready. They’re just good-looking people that can blend in with the “normal” population (and not actually otherworldly). It’s also helped me pay attention to the sort of beauty you don’t see onscreen as much– I was previously too focused on a minor subset of the population that would fit the Hollywood good looks, and that can be boring–to see the same old thing over and over. There’s so much more surface beauty in our general population that range in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, textures, ages etc. Part of the fun is to look for it.
I have always been super into makeup, but didn’t really know people like me. Sure, here and there I’d meet another woman who wore it every day and claimed to be into it, but they were never at my level of passion (obsession?) about it. I felt almost guilty, like my collection was freakishly huge.
When I found this blog, I don’t remember how, and then the YouTube beauty community, I stopped feeling weird. Yes, I learned about things I hadn’t known about in makeup, but mostly, I found other people that actually got excited about it like I did. I never actually met others who love it like I do.
So that’s increased my confidence in that I feel less weird about it.