Wonderfully Different

All in all, this has been a good week. My skin has improved a little and so has my appreciation for my undone face. As the week went on, I gradually moved from embarrassed and even a little ashamed to indifferent to undone to more confident. I thought I was being really creative with my challenge, but after a google search, I found a similar challenge was going on in the "blog world" back in September (see No Makeup Challenge). Women who took up the challenge responded in a variety of ways, but there was a common thread of those who were having a hard time going without. Many of us have become accustomed to feeling that only with makeup are we "pretty" and "acceptable." I've certainly had those feelings, but throughout the week have realized that I have just as many days that I feel good about my looks as I don't - makeup didn't have anything to do with it after all! In a nutshell, here is how I felt this week:

Sunday:
After the initial comment my daughter made that simultaneously encouraged and insulted me (kids are so good at that!) my husband very lovingly said he hadn't even noticed the difference and that I'm always very beautiful. He's a good guy to be married to! I couldn't help but feel different though - as I mentioned, I avoided eye contact and kept moving most of the morning so people wouldn't have time to notice and wonder what's wrong with me!

Monday:
Drove to work showered and appropriately dressed, but feeling like I had just rolled out of bed and was about to enter the office in my pajamas! I can't believe how much a break in routine throws my whole morning off. Received a compliment from the first person who noticed my bare face, so I took a deep breath and decided this would be okay.

Tuesday:
Can't shake the feeling that people are looking at me funny - like the way they look at you when they think you're pregnant, but aren't sure, and decide not to say anything just-in-case. Yep, those are definitely suspicious looks. I pretend not to notice, and laugh and smile an extra amount to make up for the lack of color in my cheeks.

Wednesday:
Still feeling a little like I'm leaving something undone, like leaving my shoelaces untied, but feeling better about my face. Also, I've noticed that good dental hygiene and proper grooming/trimming of eyebrows and nose hairs are very important to the no-makeup face!

Thursday:
I curled my eyelashes today... is that cheating?? I'm getting used to not wearing makeup and starting to accept it, even like it (just a little). I endured the ultimate test today when I got my hair cut and had to sit in the chair and stare at myself in the mirror for over an hour. I think that was worth two days on this challenge at least! It wasn't so bad.

Friday:
Ready to embrace the uniqueness of my own face and features. God created each of us with such creativity - and His creativity is beautiful! I love people-watching. Everyone looks so wonderfully different, so why do I spend so much time (and, ahem, money) trying to look like everyone else? Not to mention, the extra time I've had to spend with my kids in the morning is priceless!

I do like makeup, I think it's fun. But I will definitely be using it for a different reason now. Okay, challenge #3 complete (nearly)! And, to wrap it up, I'm attaching a picture of myself, makeup-free! True beauty does indeed come from the inside, and as my mom told me when I was younger - the best beauty treatment is a smile.