Beauty Begins the Moment You Decide to Be Yourself

I am somewhat of a newbie to 'beauty'.  Sure, my university days (or nights I should say) were a blur of glitter eyeliner, sickly sweet lip gloss and static straightened hair. But I’ve never felt totally comfortable not looking 'like myself'. While others revel in the transformation make-up can offer, I can’t help feeling like using beauty products betrays me somehow.

Make up is fun, frivolous, and endlessly joyful for so many. So why does it make me feel so far out of my comfort zone?

Make up empowers many women by offering them confidence and self-esteem.

Case in point; inspired by seeing the results on a friend, I treated myself to an eyelash lift and tint in a local salon. I wasn’t totally sure what an eyelash lift was at that point, but I was eager to find out. After half an hour lying in the salon with what felt like a crisp packet under each eye, I came face to face with my newly lifted lashes. 

They stared back at me from the mirror, raven-black, perfectly curled, and almost sky high. 'Beautiful!' the beautician purred. 'Can I take a picture for Instagram?'

As I walked home, I felt everyone’s (untreated) eyes on my new gravity-defying lashes. 'She’s had something done' they thought to themselves in silent judgement. I knew this was self-indulgent and everyone was simply going about their lives with no regard for my new lashes. But I couldn't help but feel conspicuous. I was uncomfortable in my own skin.

Fast-forward two or three days and I’d grown into my new look.  Despite the initial shock, not having to apply mascara every morning was a revelation and, ever in favour of shortening the night-time skin routine, not having to take it off is another.

'I started wearing make-up because I hated myself' said make-up influencer Mikayla Nogueira, currently followed by around over 16 million people on TikTok. Make-up similarly inspires self-confidence in billions of women all over the world as well as driving a multi-billion dollar industry going from strength to strength.  Despite some deeply held reservations about the beauty industry, I truly applaud anything which can lift women up, boosts their self-esteem, and empowers them to aspire to be the version of themselves they want to be.

Enter the irony of my story: I’m someone who lacks the self-esteem to wear make-up. Instead of embracing the boost it gives many other women, anything more than a discreet dab of product makes me more vulnerable, less assured, less myself. 

Many turn to Coco Chanel as an example of the independence, elegance and timeless glamour which they themselves would like to emulate. In this instance, I turn to her wise words for insight into my quandary: 'Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself'. 

Perhaps this is the simple idea that will offer me more confidence in the long run; that I am most beautiful when I’m powerful, self-assured and comfortable in my own skin. If that skin is bare, the hint of blusher mistaken for wind-blown rosy red cheeks, then so be it.