She Wears Make-up.. So She MUST be Insecure | A Beauty Blogger's Perspective

Okay. So, as a 'beauty blogger', I'm quite aware of the fact that I'm putting myself out there for people to form an instant opinion of me and as fellow bloggers, I'm sure you're all familiar with the whole 'should I tell friends/family?' situation you had to battle with in the early days of writing your blog. Aside from a few jokey comments now and again, my blog has been positively received by my friends, family and colleagues - even the lady who sits with me on the bus on a Thursday evening knows about my blog - for me, it's something I'm proud of and I'd quite happily shout my blog link from the top of the tallest building in my home town and tell everybody that they simply must go and read it (ahaha..okay maybe not THAT proud, but you get the jist..)  People who stumble across my little slice of the interwebs will probably think I'm one heck of a materialistic, beauty-obsessed young female, and that's perfectly fine to think that - but one thing that gets my goat, however, is how people seem to form this opinion of girls (bloggers or non-bloggers) who wear make-up on a daily basis.

We all wear cosmetics for a number of different reasons but show me a beauty blogger who doesn't enjoy the process of testing and trying, and applying and putting on their makeup? If we didn't enjoy doing all of this faffing around, then would we really sit and write about all of these lotions and potions adorning our bathroom shelves? I think not.  For someone who is interested in beauty, it's natural to want to get creative and experiment with cosmetic products and I for one love the process of applying my makeup in the morning - it isn't a chore for me whatsoever and it's something that perks me up for the day ahead.  I hate the expression people sometimes use of 'putting your face on' - it makes it sound like it's some sort of regime used to hide and camouflage what you 'really look like', but for the majority of girls its actually just about extenuating the features you already have - makeup and cosmetics aren't there to hide natural beauty in any way and I know when I put on my makeup, I like it to look as natural as I possibly can - or at least done in a way that it doesn't look 'overdone' or 'false'. I'm sure most of you would agree with this and think of makeup in a similar way yourselves, and from time to time the majority of you have probably also fallen victim to opinionated little sods who notice you have a few flicks of mascara on and label you instantly.

I wear make-up most days. If I'm being totally honest here I never leave it off unless I know I'm staying in the house all day or if I'm on holiday and it's too bloomin' hot to slap anything aside from a dollop of suncream on my face. In summer, I tend to leave the foundation off and ease-up on the eyeliner a little bit but that's about your lot with me! I've never had anyone say anything bad to me about it, but I have had people question me over whether or not I'd ever go out without a face of makeup. My answer is always the same. Yes. But I just wouldn't feel fabulous about it. But not for the reasons people always expect. I'd be telling porkies if I said I felt completely confident without an ounce of make-up on my face (i doubt there's very many girls who could honestly say that too.. if you're reading this and you're one of them - I salute you!), but I just like to make the best of myself - and putting on make-up is my way of prepping myself for the day ahead. After all, you never know what's going to happen. Who says you might not stumble across Mr.Right in Sainsburys carpark (this being said he should fall in love with you with or without a face of slap ;))? Or be offered some form of job opportunity on a whim when having general mosey around town (in this current climate I deem this is highly unlikely, but you have to expect the unexpected - right?) I guess I've always been brought up to believe that first impressions count, and whilst I don't want people to think I'm a dolled up little clown, I also don't want people to think that I can't be bothered with my appearance - in a professional sense, it's always good to look a little polished.  You aren't going to get a dream job by waltzing into an interview with last night's hangover face and a bed head that even Russel Brand would be terrified of, would you?

It just really niggles me that people suggest that girls who wear make up are insecure. Does it not occur to them that maybe they just enjoy to apply it? Or maybe they've been brought up in a household where that's the norm? I see applying make-up as my little morning routine. I get out of bed, shove on my monster feet slippers and shuffle to the bathroom mirror and actually enjoy the process of just 'getting ready'. I'm definitely not a 'shower and go' girl and I never, ever will be. When I was younger, I was always fascinated by make-up and was a typical girlie girl that would steal my mum's lippie and walk around in high heels far too big for my little feet before any of my friends knew what 'eyeshadow' was.  I used to tell everybody at school my dreams of becoming a make-up artist and I loved nothing more than applying cosmetics to my friends faces whilst they sat there bored out of their mind (i must have been a bossy little madam to be friends with back then..)  A few years later and I'm not a make-up artist, but I've always been a creative person (I now study Graphic Design/Illustration and all that jazz) and I enjoy playing around with pretty things and making things look a certain way. I remember taking my make-up off at work once to show one of my colleagues that I actually didn't give a hoot because she made such a big deal about it (although I did put a little bit back on again for reappearing on the shop floor after my lunch hour...)  I guess the point i'm trying to make is, wearing makeup isn't a bad thing and it baffles me as to why some people tar us all with the same brush. We don't all look like drag queens ready for a night on the tiles and heaven forbid we ever do!

I think the key is to establish what is comfortable for you and how you live your life. I certainly never judge a girl who doesn't share the same love for cosmetics and hair-goodies as me.  I sometimes envy those who can just step out of the house and not give a flying monkeys about it, but it's just how I've grown up - I've always been a bit of a girl's girl - I was never one for roughing and tumbling about in the mud with my friend's little brothers when I was younger.  With the pressure put on girls these days to look a certain way, it's hardly surprising that all of us have insecurities and that dolling ourselves up of a morning becomes part of the daily routine, but wearing make-up is often seen as a bad thing by some people - and I just don't think it's fair whatsoever to judge a girl on whether or not she fancies wearing a bit of red lipstick to the office or not. There's no doubt that make-up certainly gives us confidence (if I ever have a meeting, an important day at work, or a presentation at uni, guaranteed I'll always spend an extra five minutes on my makeup that morning because it gives me that extra bit of #GoOnThen), but to assume that a female must be riddled with insecurity simply because she decides to wear a bit of lipstick or adorn a cat-flick with her eyeliner is just a little bit silly and dare I say it, a little ignorant. In the same way that just because I write about beauty and all things cosmetic-related that I simply MUST be ridiculously materialistic..which is probably true in some ways come to think of it..but there's more to my life and things I care about one hell of a lot more than the latest eyeshadow palette.

What are your thoughts on this as fellow beauty lovers?
Have you experienced a similar sort of thing in the past?