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

[psr13]

I do not wear makeup. I feel that we should be happy with what God gave us. I do not find makeup to be necessary or appropriate. My husband feels the same way.

 

[armywife]

I don’t if I’m staying home, but if I’m leaving the house then yes. It’s not much, just mineral makeup foundation, mascara, lipstick. I go all out if I’m going out in the evening, but that doesn’t consist of much more. I’m about to have five kids so I’m not into a huge routine. I can put on my makeup and skin care in the same time it takes dh to shave… actually less. So really, he spends more time “pampering” than me

 

[OLHope]

I never wear makeup. I do work in a professional environment (defence engineering) but don’t have time/can’t be bothered/couldn’t justify the expense, and I refuse to, in about equal parts.

I can’t cope with this idea that a woman must paint her face as part of professional grooming and I’d be prepared to lose/leave a job over it. I have no problem with dress codes, nor with the need to look immaculate in some occupations. The difference to me is that we all have to dress and tidy our hair, so variations in the way we do that to suit our job is reasonable, but my face is me and I think it’s unacceptable to suggest a female employee must paint/change/alter hers to be considered “professional”. (This is not aimed at you, OLHope, I know you’re stating a general expectation.)

The exceptions to that are performing arts and modelling where make up is a part of bringing out features and expressions on camera and on stage, but in those cases it applies to both genders and achieves a specific purpose.

It also bothers me a little when people talk of women who can “get away” with not wearing make-up, as if there is some defined benchmark for a woman’s appearance rating that she must apologise for falling short of.

IMO some occupational make-up is self-defeating. When I had long hair and wore it up, it had to be a style I knew would stay up securely all day without three maintenance trips to the ladies room to re-fasten it. I feel the same about make-up - if it needs maintenance, forget it. Maybe the airline stewardesses look great when they first get to work but by halfway through their shift makeup usually looks tired and oily and my reaction is “yuck”, not, “isn’t that make-up the finishing touch to a nice professional appearance.” I’d rather see a clean face.

I am probably over-sensitive as my mother spent her whole life apologising to the rest of the world for everything including her appearance, and I had to put a conscious wall up against her projecting the same attitudes onto me.

All that said, I have no issues whatsoever with other women wearing makeup. If it makes any woman feel happier, more confident, more feminine or she just plain likes to do it, then I’m all for it and it’s a good thing. It’s attempts to make it a requirement or inferences that a woman is ungroomed or unprofessional till she paints her face that I object to.

No offense taken. This has more to do with the appeal of selling the product, more like if you found the product or service to be attractive, if you believe in it, you have the drive to circulate it or the idea, you must be just as good or attractive as the product and therefore want to sell it that way. I can understand this concept for advertising or marketing.

I actually prefer the uniforms and relaxed/comfy work environment so I can concentrate better and not feel pressured about my appearance, and in all my time of working, I have only seen people get reprimanded for inappropriate dress and excessive perfume. Same as Catholic school and the best mediator for school as not to peg the haves against the have nots. Even the public schools take up uniforms now, too. Most workplaces are just moving to a polo shirt with the logo on the collar and khaki’s(not exactly, but thereabouts), just to keep the aura neutral. Make-up? Make-up was never a cause for a human resources report. Everything is suggestive to opinion.

 

[Jessamy]

I very rarely wear makeup. I used to wear it during my teen years, but I honestly don’t think it does that much for me. I have pretty bad acne, even now at 22, and wearing makeup tends to make it even worse without really making it look that much better. Then I just look like I’m trying too hard to cover it up.

I also don’t like the hassle. I’m not a morning person, so I get up at the last possible minute and rarely have time for makeup. When I have a few extra minutes, I might put on some eyeshadow/mascara just because I like it.

Lastly, my boyfriend prefers that I don’t wear it. I don’t feel like I need to impress anyone else with my appearance but him.

 

[Melissa]

Well, I don’t wear makeup and really don’t wear perfume (the only thing that comes close is my scented shower gels, but there’s not a whole lot of scent left when I’m dried off–at least I’ve never run afoul of the ‘fragrance free workplace’ rule).

I also don’t color my hair, and I am (at age 43) getting some gray (silver, really). I’m slightly afraid that if I did cover it, whenever I quit doing so it wouldn’t have stayed pretty. As it is, I’m en route to having my hair color be like my grandfather’s in the picture below:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Main reasons for not wearing make-up are financial and the fact that I’m just not thrilled with the few choices that I could wear, as I have sensitive skin that just doesn’t react well to most products out there. I don’t really care if other people do wear make up, though, as long as it isn’t scary. I think that make up should enhance someone’s appearance (so that the comment they might get is “hey, you look great!” not “hey, that [product] looks really good on you”). I have seen some pretty scary make up jobs (when you’re driving past me in a car in the parking lot and I’m in my car, if I can see the defined line where the eye make up begins and ends, that is not good–and quite frankly IMO adds about 15-20 years to the appearance of the woman who’s wearing it).

 

[monicatholic]

when my oldest daughter (a very modest young woman) was seventeen, she mentioned that she wasn’t sure she wanted bunches of kids. why? because moms with so many kids look so worried and worn out.

she was talking about me.

since then, I’ve worn makeup almost every day for the last 5 years. if i go out, i wear make-up. i’m out of the house a lot. i’m 46.

when i look at pics of me in my 30’s i cringe. my hair was long and unkept, my clothes sloppy (i was thinking Bohemian, but they were really just sloppy) my face was blotchy, half pale, half red, and i had dark circles under my eyes. i showered every day, but i looked like i was dragged down the street by a tractor.

no wonder back then, with 5 or 6 or 7 kids in tow, people (including rude strangers) felt like they had permission to make suggestions about my lack of sleep/ family size/ eating habits/ etc. “Oh honey, when is it time for you…?” i didn’t know it, but perhaps i was a negative witness for Catholic marriage and openness to life. worse still, maybe i was becoming a negative witness to my own kids, especially daughters.

Saint Paul said, “when you are in Rome…”

well, i’m not in Rome, but here in un-Rome, well-groomed women:
keep their hair neat (I cut mine quite short)
wear decent clothes (now i buy the best i can find at salvation army, not the most funky bohemian styles)
groom their nails (i stopped biting mine and wear a clear gloss every day)
wear make-up if necessary (and it’s necessary for me if i don’t want to look exhausted and harried.)

folks seem to perceive me as happier/ better adjusted/ less harried/ now with ten kids than back when i had half as many. that good impression makes me a more positive witness for Catholic motherhood. smiling helps a lot, too.

what make-up do i wear? a lot. i start every day with a skin care routine-- cleanser and moisture. i wear a some concealer, a light foundation, mascara, blush, lip gloss and a cream colored shadow to lighten my old-looking eye lids.

i didn’t know how to put makeup on, so i learned from a Mary Kay consultant. when one of my sisters watched me put my make-up on, she was amazed that i wore so many products and they were so invisible. they simply make me look better, not made-up. (the mascara looks like make-up.)

coffee/ shower/ hair/ make-up and more coffee takes me 20- 25 minutes. i always have the company of several kids while i’m at it. i’m never alone.

i wear earrings every day too.

and many days i wear a natural scent called “Holy Water” which is misnamed. it is precisely the beautiful scent of a baptized baby.

my husband absolutely prefers this look.

“Wives should ask yourselves whether you are not forgetting a little about your appearance… Your duty is and always will be to take as good care of your appearance as you did before you were married and it is a duty of justice because you belong to your husband… husbands… have the obligation to show the same affection as a young man who has just fallen in love. It would be a bad sign if you smile ironically as you hear this; it would mean that your love has turned into cold indifference.” Jose Maria Escriva,*** Christ is Passing By***

as others have mentioned, it ***could ***be expensive. but for several years i’ve been selling MaryKay-- not a huge business, just enough to sell products to all my family and friends at a good discount, then i get my products for free. i place 4 big orders a year. my gal pals and sisters know when it’s time to order, know they’ll be saving 25% and they love that. and i get my stuff for free.

 

[The_Catholic]

when my oldest daughter (a very modest young woman) was seventeen, she mentioned that she wasn’t sure she wanted bunches of kids. why? because moms with so many kids look so worried and worn out.

she was talking about me.

since then, I’ve worn makeup almost every day for the last 5 years. if i go out, i wear make-up. i’m out of the house a lot. i’m 46.

when i look at pics of me in my 30’s i cringe. my hair was long and unkept, my clothes sloppy (i was thinking Bohemian, but they were really just sloppy) my face was blotchy, half pale, half red, and i had dark circles under my eyes. i showered every day, but i looked like i was dragged down the street by a tractor.

no wonder back then, with 5 or 6 or 7 kids in tow, people (including rude strangers) felt like they had permission to make suggestions about my lack of sleep/ family size/ eating habits/ etc. “Oh honey, when is it time for you…?” i didn’t know it, but perhaps i was a negative witness for Catholic marriage and openness to life. worse still, maybe i was becoming a negative witness to my own kids, especially daughters.

Saint Paul said, “when you are in Rome…”

well, i’m not in Rome, but here in un-Rome, well-groomed women:
keep their hair neat (I cut mine quite short)
wear decent clothes (now i buy the best i can find at salvation army, not the most funky bohemian styles)
groom their nails (i stopped biting mine and wear a clear gloss every day)
wear make-up if necessary (and it’s necessary for me if i don’t want to look exhausted and harried.)

folks seem to perceive me as happier/ better adjusted/ less harried/ now with ten kids than back when i had half as many. that good impression makes me a more positive witness for Catholic motherhood. smiling helps a lot, too.

what make-up do i wear? a lot. i start every day with a skin care routine-- cleanser and moisture. i wear a some concealer, a light foundation, mascara, blush, lip gloss and a cream colored shadow to lighten my old-looking eye lids.

i didn’t know how to put makeup on, so i learned from a Mary Kay consultant. when one of my sisters watched me put my make-up on, she was amazed that i wore so many products and they were so invisible. they simply make me look better, not made-up. (the mascara looks like make-up.)

coffee/ shower/ hair/ make-up and more coffee takes me 20- 25 minutes. i always have the company of several kids while i’m at it. i’m never alone.

i wear earrings every day too.

and many days i wear a natural scent called “Holy Water” which is misnamed. it is precisely the beautiful scent of a baptized baby.

my husband absolutely prefers this look.

“Wives should ask yourselves whether you are not forgetting a little about your appearance… Your duty is and always will be to take as good care of your appearance as you did before you were married and it is a duty of justice because you belong to your husband… husbands… have the obligation to show the same affection as a young man who has just fallen in love. It would be a bad sign if you smile ironically as you hear this; it would mean that your love has turned into cold indifference.” Jose Maria Escriva,*** Christ is Passing By***

as others have mentioned, it ***could ***be expensive. but for several years i’ve been selling MaryKay-- not a huge business, just enough to sell products to all my family and friends at a good discount, then i get my products for free. i place 4 big orders a year. my gal pals and sisters know when it’s time to order, know they’ll be saving 25% and they love that. and i get my stuff for free.

Wow, I sometimes wish my wife would be you only because, as I’ve said in my previous post, she wears it rarely, but when she does oh boy does she looked transformed!! Like a new being!!! and that’s because I like color, have always liked color. Though I’m sure there’s things about me she would prefer i’d do as well

Nevertheless, with or without it on, she is beautiful and I love her with all my heart!!!

 

[gardenswithkids]

when my oldest daughter (a very modest young woman) was seventeen, she mentioned that she wasn’t sure she wanted bunches of kids. why? because moms with so many kids look so worried and worn out.

she was talking about me.

since then, I’ve worn makeup almost every day for the last 5 years. if i go out, i wear make-up. i’m out of the house a lot. i’m 46.

when i look at pics of me in my 30’s i cringe. my hair was long and unkept, my clothes sloppy (i was thinking Bohemian, but they were really just sloppy) my face was blotchy, half pale, half red, and i had dark circles under my eyes. i showered every day, but i looked like i was dragged down the street by a tractor.

no wonder back then, with 5 or 6 or 7 kids in tow, people (including rude strangers) felt like they had permission to make suggestions about my lack of sleep/ family size/ eating habits/ etc. “Oh honey, when is it time for you…?” i didn’t know it, but perhaps i was a negative witness for Catholic marriage and openness to life. worse still, maybe i was becoming a negative witness to my own kids, especially daughters. …
“Wives should ask yourselves whether you are not forgetting a little about your appearance… Your duty is and always will be to take as good care of your appearance as you did before you were married and it is a duty of justice because you belong to your husband… husbands… have the obligation to show the same affection as a young man who has just fallen in love. It would be a bad sign if you smile ironically as you hear this; it would mean that your love has turned into cold indifference.” Jose Maria Escriva,*** Christ is Passing By***
…

Excellent post! :clapping: I too went through a “frumpy” stage in adjusting to stay-at-home motherhood. I also cringe at some old pictures of me from back then. The world judges based on appearance and most women want to be attractive. It may be a bad witness to our faith and motherhood when formerly pulled-together, attractive women turn frumpy as soon as they have children.

 

[mommyof4]

Sarabande, I am absolutely in awe. You can do all that in 15-20 minutes? :bowdown:

It takes me longer than that just to get out of bed and remember how to turn on the shower!

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

I’m with you- it takes me that long just to get the first cup of coffee ready.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

To quote an old West Virginia Baptist preacher: “If the barn needs paint, paint it.”

 

[kimbo_71]

I wear makeup, but not that often. I wear it when I go out with my husband, go to church, weddings, or other social gatherings. I sometimes even wear it when I am going into town for the day. Most of the time I am at home though, or just going to town to buy groceries, so I don’t bother with it then. I don’t have a job that requires it, I’m a homeschooling mother and my kids don’t care what I look like.

When I do wear makeup, how much of it I use depends on how good or bad my face looks before I start putting it on. But I always try to use a light application and blend like crazy so it looks as natural as possible.

As far as perfume, I like it, I even have several bottles of different brands, but I almost always forget to put it on .…oh well.

~Kim~

 

[sarahraegraham]

I do not wear makeup. I feel that we should be happy with what God gave us. I do not find makeup to be necessary or appropriate. My husband feels the same way.

Same here. I was also in the group of women who would never, under any circumstances, leave the house without makeup on. But I found that my appearance and wanting to have the world “like” me in that way caused me more harm than looking “pretty” did.

I was recently in a discussion on this very topic and whether or not wearing makeup is a sin. The short answer is no, it’s not a sin like murder is a sin. But I think we all need to ask ourselves why we feel the need to appeal to the world around us before we just do it without thinking.

My personal experience as of late is that I am healthier spiritually without it and that it’s another one of those things that can be used to lead a person just a teensy weensy bit further away from Christ, even if they don’t know it. Don’t take that personally; it’s meant to make others reflect on the subject, nothing more.

 

[usagi1962]

I wore makeup for my wedding. That’s about the only time. I am a certified aromatherapist, so I do wear “perfume” but I blend my own so I know that it is all natural and contains no animal products.

The reason I’m not into makeup is I am just too busy and also too much of a tomboy (even at 47!).

 

[StarMaiden]

I wear perfume occasionally but no other makeup. It’s never really bothered me.

 

[Carjack1]

I wear makeup if I have time. If I do not have time, too bad:shrug: I

 

[rpp]

I generally do not wear make-up.

Much to the relief to the ladies I have dated.

 

[chewchoo]

Sarabande, I am absolutely in awe. You can do all that in 15-20 minutes? :bowdown:

It takes me longer than that just to get out of bed and remember how to turn on the shower!

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

and don’t forget the snooze time!!

 

[Sarabande]

when my oldest daughter (a very modest young woman) was seventeen, she mentioned that she wasn’t sure she wanted bunches of kids. why? because moms with so many kids look so worried and worn out.

she was talking about me.

since then, I’ve worn makeup almost every day for the last 5 years. if i go out, i wear make-up. i’m out of the house a lot. i’m 46

…

no wonder back then, with 5 or 6 or 7 kids in tow, people (including rude strangers) felt like they had permission to make suggestions about my lack of sleep/ family size/ eating habits/ etc. “Oh honey, when is it time for you…?” i didn’t know it, but perhaps i was a negative witness for Catholic marriage and openness to life. worse still, maybe i was becoming a negative witness to my own kids, especially daughters.

You really make an excellent point with your post and I never thought of it that way, until I read your post. Then it reminded me of how when I was a teen, I’d look at mothers with lots of kids and felt sorry for them because they just seemed so harried, depressed and tired. They probably weren’t even like that in reality, but their outward appearance made it seem so. I never equated it with the mothers just not taking care of themselves. I thought their children made them that way and it made me think how depressing it must be. I now understand that isn’t always the case and that I think most of the parents who have a lot of kids lovingly choose and accept it. I now wonder if those mothers did take just a little time to groom themselves, if they would have produced a different reaction from my teenaged self and from other teenaged girls.

 

[shannyk]

I generally do not wear make-up.

Much to the relief to the ladies I have dated.

:aok:

 

[msugeotech]

I have worn make-up once, in high school, for “mock” homecoming. I don’t see how y’all do it. I felt like I had applied a thin layer of Crisco to my face!