Ladies only survey: Do you wear makeup and if not why?

[ainjell]

Nah, my sister would not be a reliable source, even for me. That’s why I asked whether anyone else knew anything about that. Are those your daughters? Beautiful!

 

[whatevergirl]

Nah, my sister would not be a reliable source, even for me. That’s why I asked whether anyone else knew anything about that. Are those your daughters? Beautiful!

***lol–that’s funny. I will google it tomorrow though, when I find time…might be worth at least checking into. I don’t imagine that though, that would have made the news I would think?

The sig pic is of me and my dd. Have a blessed night–it was nice chatting. ***

 

[Sarabande]

Oh my gosh!!! The two of you look like you could be sisters!!!

 

[ainjell]

Isn’t that the truth! I wonder whether either on of them is wearing makeup.

 

[Joan_M]

I use moisturizer on on my face and eye make-up - shadow, mascara and eyebrow pencil.

Sometimes I use perfume - when I remember!

I like to emphasize my eyes, but don’t bother with lipstick - never found one that stayed put without drying my lips.

I don’t like to see women with too much make on - you know, faces that are plasticized with foundation etc. Or to see a mask line - distinct “end of make-up” delineation.

My mother (who used face powder only and perfume only) used to quote:

My face I don’t mind it, for I am behind it. It’s the people in front get the “jar”!

 

[canadianguy1143]

I never thought this thread would have so many posts. Very fascinating indeed. I have been told that it was VERY wise of me to limit this thread to the ladies, and I can see why. However, I do feel compelled to give a man’s perspective and a few observations:

I wanted to learn from people here who have a “moral” objection to cosmetics, make up and their reasons for it.

I would like to share something about that.

If we cut ourselves, we put a band-aid on. The band-aid conceals the blemish, not the body that God created.

If we have acne problems, is it wrong to use products that remove acne? Acne is not something that we create ourselves and certainly we can look better without it.

For myself, good makeup accentuates natural beauty. It does not conceal how we look but conceals (band-aid) perhaps what isn’t always so good.

The issue here is it okay to want to look physically beautiful. Some people don’t need make up to look that way. They don’t have sun damage or acne or whatever. The fact that there are some that are natural beauties, should tell you what God thinks about it.

 

[whatevergirl]

Isn’t that the truth! I wonder whether either on of them is wearing makeup.

***Aw, you guys are sweet…thank you. It must be my stress-free life I lead. :whacky:

I am wearing glasses because I’m not wearing makeup. DD is turning 13 tomorrow…she is not allowed to wear makeup yet. :tsktsk:

Truth be told, too much makeup will make a woman look much older…***

 

[whatevergirl]

I never thought this thread would have so many posts. Very fascinating indeed. I have been told that it was VERY wise of me to limit this thread to the ladies, and I can see why. However, I do feel compelled to give a man’s perspective and a few observations:

I wanted to learn from people here who have a “moral” objection to cosmetics, make up and their reasons for it.

I would like to share something about that.

If we cut ourselves, we put a band-aid on. The band-aid conceals the blemish, not the body that God created.

If we have acne problems, is it wrong to use products that remove acne? Acne is not something that we create ourselves and certainly we can look better without it.

For myself, good makeup accentuates natural beauty. It does not conceal how we look but conceals (band-aid) perhaps what isn’t always so good.

The issue here is it okay to want to look physically beautiful. Some people don’t need make up to look that way. They don’t have sun damage or acne or whatever. The fact that there are some that are natural beauties, should tell you what God thinks about it.

I couldn’t agree more…

 

[Morwenna]

I have a sister who spends two hours a day putting on makeup. She confesses she would not run away from a fire with a bare face. Mama puts on makeup before she leaves the house every day and she is 81.

I have never worn makeup (or makeDOWN as they called it in charm school), first because of my eyesight, and second because I never had any desire to attract a man, which i believe (unless you have scars or skin flaws) is the only reason to wear war paint. This is only my own opinion and applies only to me. My hair went white at the age of 25 and I have it professionally coloured because I like the way it looks…and because Mama got tired of hearing people say Why, I had no idea you had children that old!

It is a matter of individual style and I would never presume to tell another woman how to express her style. Particularly if both she and her husband are happy with that style.

Well said.

And by the way, those busybodies who bustle up to me in Wal-Mart or Saks and think I will thank them for telling me I would look much better if I would shorten my skirts, lose some weight and paint my face, ought to be ashamed of themselves. There ought to be a special commandment against being a busybody.

Hm, I seem to remember a guy named Paul saying something about busybodies …

And withal being idle they learn to go about from house to house: and are not only idle, but tattlers also, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

 

[Em_in_FL]

Wow this is a really interesting thread!

Aside from my original post (mentioning it’s best to steer clear of both extremes of vanity and judgment )… I’ll share my personal experience…

I was judgmental in high school - but I would have never thought of myself like that at the time. Time and age have taught me a lot.
At the time I looked on everyone spiritually, which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, but I JUDGED them by their spiritual appearance. I isolated myself with people who I believed were the “holy” kids in school. I was adamantly against any outward sign of vanity. I was not wise enough to understand that there could be a happy medium of faith and appearance. I tried to *appear *like how St. Therese lived - a SIMPLE spirituality (ie NO MAKEUP!), but in reality it was for *others *to see!
I’ve gained a little perspective over time… getting to know people better on a more personal level - including MANY of those people who weren’t “holy” enough to be friends with in high school. These people weren’t being VAIN, they were just blending in, trying to feel comfortable in their own skin - maybe even having *more *of that TRUE “St. Therese spirituality” of not being noticed (or at least trying to look like everyone else) than I did! This revelation was a shocker to me.

So yes, I wear makeup. My mom sells Mary Kay and buys it for me and my siblings as a gift. I wear very simple makeup, trying to highlight my features without looking gaudy. I have NO desire to look desirable to men other than my husband, and I know very well that he finds me beautiful with and without makeup. I work in a professional environment and need to be taken seriously in order to help financially support my family. I like to have a pleasing image to others when they stop me in the grocery store and say “Hey, I saw you at Easter Mass!” - little conversations like that may inspire that person to want to go to Mass more often than JUST at Easter perhaps. Image CAN play an important role in sharing our faith!
Even the Gospel mentions:

"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

Anyway… just sharing my story of conversion on this subject…

 

[Morwenna]

Wow this is a really interesting thread!

Aside from my original post (mentioning it’s best to steer clear of both extremes of vanity and judgment )… I’ll share my personal experience…

I was judgmental in high school - but I would have never thought of myself like that at the time. Time and age have taught me a lot.
At the time I looked on everyone spiritually, which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, but I JUDGED them by their spiritual appearance. I isolated myself with people who I believed were the “holy” kids in school. I was adamantly against any outward sign of vanity. I was not wise enough to understand that there could be a happy medium of faith and appearance. I tried to *appear *like how St. Therese lived - a SIMPLE spirituality (ie NO MAKEUP!), but in reality it was for *others *to see!
I’ve gained a little perspective over time… getting to know people better on a more personal level - including MANY of those people who weren’t “holy” enough to be friends with in high school. These people weren’t being VAIN, they were just blending in, trying to feel comfortable in their own skin - maybe even having *more *of that TRUE “St. Therese spirituality” of not being noticed (or at least trying to look like everyone else) than I did! This revelation was a shocker to me.

So yes, I wear makeup. My mom sells Mary Kay and buys it for me and my siblings as a gift. I wear very simple makeup, trying to highlight my features without looking gaudy. I have NO desire to look desirable to men other than my husband, and I know very well that he finds me beautiful with and without makeup. I work in a professional environment and need to be taken seriously in order to help financially support my family. I like to have a pleasing image to others when they stop me in the grocery store and say “Hey, I saw you at Easter Mass!” - little conversations like that may inspire that person to want to go to Mass more often than JUST at Easter perhaps. Image CAN play an important role in sharing our faith!
Even the Gospel mentions:

"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

Anyway… just sharing my story of conversion on this subject…

I see where you’re coming from Em, but I just get a bit leery when I see “neglect their appearance” in connection with wearing makeup (or not).

As Guitar said so wisely earlier in the thread:

I have no problem with any of the comments about good grooming and the messages that sends about how we live our Christian lives, but make up is not an essential part of good grooming. (I don’t regard make-up to cover birth marks or sun damage as “make up” in the sense that is being discussed here.) If a woman feels better groomed for wearing make up, good for her and she should wear it. An immaculately-dressed woman without makeup, however, is just as “well groomed” as one with makeup.

She said it much better and more succinctly than I can, so I’ll let her quote stand on its own.

 

[Em_in_FL]

I see where you’re coming from Em, but I just get a bit leery when I see “neglect their appearance” in connection with wearing makeup (or not).

I was just sharing my *personal *experience.
Yes, I “neglected” my appearance (in retrospect) in order to have the appearance of what I call “St. Therese’s simple spirituality”… I wanted to LOOK the part.

 

[Consecrated]

I wanted to learn from people here who have a “moral” objection to cosmetics, make up and their reasons for it.

I agree with your whole post, but I just wanted to say that make-up itself is neutral, does not exist in a moral sphere. The reasons and motivationspeople have when they choose to wear/not wear it DO exist in the moral sphere, and in that sense may or may not be moral. But since no human person can know if a person’s reasons for doing something are moral/immoral, we must just leave it at: you can wear makeup or not, it’s your choice! and I think this thread has amply showed that!

 

[ainjell]

***lol–that’s funny. I will google it tomorrow though, when I find time…might be worth at least checking into. I don’t imagine that though, that would have made the news I would think?

The sig pic is of me and my dd. Have a blessed night–it was nice chatting. ***

As a follow up to that, check this out: listverse.com/bizarre/10-bizarre-beauty-products/

 

[Mamselle_Duroc]

I was judgmental in high school - but I would have never thought of myself like that at the time. Time and age have taught me a lot.
At the time I looked on everyone spiritually, which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, but I JUDGED them by their spiritual appearance. I isolated myself with people who I believed were the “holy” kids in school. I was adamantly against any outward sign of vanity. I was not wise enough to understand that there could be a happy medium of faith and appearance. I tried to *appear *like how St. Therese lived - a SIMPLE spirituality (ie NO MAKEUP!), but in reality it was for *others *to see!

Ouch. This reminds me of me. It was both humiliating and eye-opening to read the journal I kept when I was fourteen years old… when I was pretty satisfied with how ‘holy’ I was. Ikes.

Thank God He helps us grow up, huh?

 

[kimbo_71]

As a follow up to that, check this out: listverse.com/bizarre/10-bizarre-beauty-products/

Wow, it’s amazing the lengths some will go to for beauty. I think it is such a shame that society puts so much importance on a person’s physical beauty rather than the spiritual. I used to do this in my teens and early 20’s but have since grown out of it, or at least I hope I have.

Some of those treatments I have heard of before, but some of them just blew my mind. I’ve also heard of some other bizarre beauty treatments not mentioned on the list.

Well, one of the best “beauty treatments” I can highly recommend is sunscreen, lots and lots of sunscreen. I’m 37 and most people are very surprised when they learn my age. When my 20 year old daughter and I are together we are often mistaken for sisters and people are completely floored to learn I am a grandmother. I’m totally certain it comes from my determination to protect my skin from overexposure to the sun.

Another good and cheap one is a cold water rinse when you wash your hair. Great for shine. And it really works!

~Kim~

 

[kimbo_71]

Well, one of the best “beauty treatments” I can highly recommend is sunscreen, lots and lots of sunscreen. I’m 37 and most people are very surprised when they learn my age. When my 20 year old daughter and I are together we are often mistaken for sisters and people are completely floored to learn I am a grandmother. I’m totally certain it comes from my determination to protect my skin from overexposure to the sun.

I truly hope that I didn’t give anyone the impression of bragging or vanity here. That wasn’t my intention. I was just trying to point out that with proper sun protection then wrinkles, sunspots and skin cancer become much less of an issue. Then a person doesn’t have to resort to such extreme beauty treatments as the ones described in the list.

Again, I hope that I didn’t offend anyone.

~Kim~

 

[LongingForLight]

I don’t wear make-up because I’m lazy, and don’t think it is important. I find it’s a lot of work to apply and then clean off every day, and my face breaks out very easily if I wear even a little. I look good enough without it (although I could be prettier if I put forth the effort), and in my field (software engineering) wearing makeup isn’t all that normal for women. It’s not exactly weird, but it’s not expected either. I do wear a little on special occasions, and occasionally “just because”.

 

[fivegoldenrings]

I wear make-up about once or twice a week, when I think of it. I am in my 40’s, and I definately wear a “dated” look, the make-up look that was worn in the late 1970’s/early 80’s. You know, very little eye makeup ( I never wear mascara), definately wear blush, and lipstick that is reddish. I think it’s so funny to see what the girls wear now: tons of black eyliner, no blush, and very pale or no lipstick. To my late 1970’s beauty sense, it seems sort of like a “Bride of Dracula” look! No offense, you kids out there; it just depends on what you’re used to!

 

[CB_Catholic]

I wear makeup every day to work–I use Bare Escentuals and it doesn’t look overdone. I love makeup, light perfume, hair color, nail polish (but I rarely polish my nails). Always have liked it, always will, and there’s no particular reason why. Just a girl thing.