Views on make up

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Hey, this one is more for the ladies but opinions from guys also welcome. I have just been thinking about wearing make up and whether it is acceptable or if it masking God’s creation and submitting to vanity? Even if it is subtle and natural looking?
Thanks, I’m just trying to work out where I stand on this.
 
No, no wanting to improve one’s looks is not necessarily vanity. Obviously you could go overboard and spend hours in front of the mirror, or you go the opposite and never comb your hair. Anyway, there are lots of happy mediums and this is one of those things where you are free to choose makeup or no makeup, stilettos or no stilettos, blue jeans or a skirt as long as your intention is not one of pride. Find your personal style, have fun. 🙂
 
First of all, i’m a guy so i’m coming at it from that angle.

I am ok with a little bit of makeup, but frankly I prefer women that have a more natural look. And yes I know that you can blend makeup well to look natural, but I still genuinely prefer it when women do not wear makeup. In a lot ways makeup is vain, though I think im some circumstances it can be ok (such as you want to look good for your spouse, etc.). The problem with all of this is of course that it can be very dangerous, and you have women that think they need makeup to be beautiful, which is absurd. God’s creation is beautiful without any help. Therefore my view is that a little bit of makeup is ok, but tread carefully. Try to use it as sparingly as possible, and make sure you are using it for good reasons.
 
My mom never wore a lot of make up while I grew up and still doesn’t. As a result, I hardly ever wore makeup in high school. In fact, I never bought any make up until my senior year for prom. I only wear makeup once in a while. When I do wear make up, I only wear eyeshadow and mascara. I feel that make up can become a dependency. Some women feel naked without make up. I have limited my make up so that I do not become dependent on it. In a world that stresses perfection, it can be hard to let your natural face show. But the face I have is the face God gave me. I have struggled with mild acne since elementary school, but I don’t wear foundation to cover it up. My face may not be as gorgeous as the faces in Glamor or Seventeer magazines, but those faces are idealized and digitally enhanced.

So, after all my rambling, I think make up is okay as long as you don’t become dependent on it.
 
I don’t wear makeup at all, but mainly out of pure laziness. 😛 I just don’t want to spend the time on it. I did wear makeup at my wedding, but that’s about it. But, what other women do is none of my business. I don’t think it’s vanity at all unless you obsess over your looks, but not many women I know do. They just wear a little, and then they’re off to start their days.
 
I have rosacea. Without makeup, I look like I have a raging fever, or like I’m stinkin’ drunk!

By the way, to all the guys who prefer women with a “natural” look–I’m betting that the women you THINK are “natural” are in reality wearing makeup that is applied skillfully. My younger daughter wears pots of makeup, but it all looks so very natural and beautiful because she’s very good at applying it.
 
I like wearing makeup (I need all the help I can get). I don’t think it’s a sin to wear makeup at all… for some of us it’s a sin to not wear makeup…you know soften the blow to those who must behold our faces (I’m kidding):rolleyes:. I think it’s really your own preference…subtle is very nice it’s really just evening out the skin tone and have that fresh look. Not like the 80s when we used to absolutely cake on the makeup:D.
Ahhhh, the good old days
 
button16 said:
Hey, this one is more for the ladies but opinions from guys also welcome. I have just been thinking about wearing make up and whether it is acceptable or if it masking God’s creation and submitting to vanity? Even if it is subtle and natural looking?
Thanks, I’m just trying to work out where I stand on this.
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there is no general Catholic teaching on this topic, other than the standards of modesty, proper respect for one’s body, etc, proper priorities in spending family money and so forth, so what one woman decides to do about it is entirely her own decision, there is no moral issue. Taking a militant stand where I pontificate to other women on why they should not wear makeup could be motivated by a type of inverted snobbery, or my attitude could become self-congratulatory and I could easly become vain about my refusal to get into that type of grooming. So there is no inherent vanity in any choice on this spectrum, unless and until we start thinking we are better than other women because we do–or do not–perform this or that beauty ritual.
 
Oh, I like makeup! 🙂

I like feeling pretty, feeling good about myself…and trying new techniques is a relaxing hobby. As with anything, you could go overboard (some women spend A LOT of money on cosmetics!!!). In my natural state I have very uneven skin tone and teensy weensy eyelashes and dark under eye circles (must be genetic because I’ve tried so many things and nothing clears them up). If I didn’t wear make up, I’d spend a lot more time thinking about how I look.
 
I have very dark circles under my eyes. If I don’t wear make up everyone asks me if I got enough sleep, if I am tired, if I am not feeling well, if something is wrong. So I wear makeup. It brightens up my face, it makes me feel good about myself (not in a vain way) and no one asks me if I was up all night. It’s also fun!
 
I’ve never understood the worry over ‘covering up’ God’s creation, or worry over vanity by accentuating ones good traits or covering those that are distracting from the good ones.

By those standards we should all be walking around naked. Why comb your hair or wear deodorant either? Isn’t that covering up the ‘natural’ you?

Yes, some women wear too much makeup, and some wear it for the wrong reasons. Some wear it in a way that says the wrong thing. That means they are poor make up artists or just inept at it, it doesn’t make make up sinful. Some women have porcelain skin and big bright eyes and make up only masks that. Some women have smooth glowing skin and dark beautiful eyes and makeup brings out those traits.

You just can’t make a blanket statement about such things. The Church certainly hasn’t.
 
shannyk said:
You just can’t make a blanket statement about such things. The Church certainly hasn’t.
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Hey, easy! I don’t think it’s such a serious discussion. 😉

As far as make-up goes, I don’t have a general preference. It just depends on the woman. What I don’t like is when it’s provocative, or when it actually makes things worse aesthetically.
 
Well done makeup is a good and modest thing. Of all the things you can do to make yourself attractive to men, your face is probably the most positively productive. So much of your person is visible on your face, expressions, eyes, etc. Far better to draw eyes to THAT part of your body than parts that contain less of your soul!

You’ll certainly attract a better class of man than with low cut tops, tight pants, etc.
 
Look out, everyone, I’m going to climb on my soapbox and make my usual little speech!

One of the common thoughts in this thread so far is the idea of “well-done” makeup", makeup that is skillfully and subtly applied.

How do you suppose women learn HOW to apply makeup skillfully?

They practice.

And when is the BEST time to practice? When you’re already a grown woman, perhaps going to a job interview or dressing for a night out with your husband or boyfriend?

No. The best time to practice is when you’re young, a teenager, surrounded by lots of other teenagers all offering advice that they’ve learned from magazines and mothers. Oh, yes, and mom or other female relatives can join in the advice-giving, too, although any self-respecting teenager will pretend not to listen to Mom! But after Mom has left the room, or maybe even a few days or weeks later, often the teen will take Mom’s advice after all, and a wise Mom will ask what magazine the teenager got that great makeup look from!

I’m very serious here. Most people can forgive a young teen for wearing too badly-done makeup: greasy foundation, garish eye shadow, ghastly blush, racoon mascara, wrong shade of lip color, and Egyptian princess eye liner! But when a grown woman makes these makeup mistakes, well–it’s harder to accept (without laughing). It hurts our credibility as grown women.

The point is, as much as it kills us to say yes, we need to say yes to our teenaged daughters and allow them to experiment with make up as much as they want (within reason, of course), because it helps them to learn how to correctly apply makeup so that they will use in skillfully when they grow up and look GOOD, not garish.
 
Besides, makeup takes like five minutes to put on once you have practice. I think a poster mentioned spending more time thinking about how she looks when not wearing makeup…bingo! Which is worse a few minutes spent in the morning or thinking about how you look all day? At least that is the case for me, lol. And it’s fun…did I mention makeup is fun?
 
I think this is very cultural, and varies so much based off of so many different details. How often do the other people you are around wear makeup? What does your family think, especially your husband? Can you afford it? Do you have the time?

I intend to teach my daughters how to wear makeup when they get close to their teen years, and want them to have a philosophy that the goal of makeup is to make visible on the outside something about their interior selves. Natural makeup can bring out a responsible, easy-going nature. Colorful makeup can bring out a creative flair. Other styles, however, can make a person look like a sexual object, or like they are seeking to grab attention. I see makeup as being like any other clothing accessory.

I personally intentionally don’t wear makeup except for special occasions, because that is the best way I can reveal myself. My virtues are not in my beauty or grace, but my energy and down-to-earth, relaxed temperament. My DH generally likes me better without makeup, and prefers that I don’t spend even the five minutes or less it would take me to put it on because there are so many other things he would rather have me do with 5 minutes - like make him a cup of hot tea 🙂
 
When I first started to wear makeup when I was a teenager, I did a horrendous job of making it look natural. Finally, my mom made an appointment for me at the Clinique counter. The lady there gave me the ground rules. I can now do a very good job of wearing make up that looks natural.

Although in recent years, at the age of 42, I really don’t wear it anymore, other than for special occasions. Day to day, I just wear moisturizer and mascara.

With makeup, I definitely think less is more, and first you have to appreciate your own face and features before you go messing with them.
 
I see nothing wrong with some makeup but I hate it when it’s over done. Being middle age now, I’m tired of putting it on but think I look way worse without it. I only use foundation, especially under the eyes, powder and a little blush. I can no longer wear eye makeup because of dry eyes. I sure wish I could though.
 
button16 said:
Hey, this one is more for the ladies but opinions from guys also welcome. I have just been thinking about wearing make up and whether it is acceptable or if it masking God’s creation and submitting to vanity? Even if it is subtle and natural looking?
Thanks, I’m just trying to work out where I stand on this.
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heya!

i <3 makeup! I would definitely say that its not vanity because the whole point of make up is to accentuate the great features of your face and/or cover up the not so good ones. However, there is a borderline between moderation and obsession. You often cross this line when you become completely obsessed with achieving this perfect look. well fact is, no one is perfect. so thats when vanity takes over - when all you think about is how you look or what others will say, so all you do is focus on getting this look.
but from what it sounds like. you’ll be fine! go for it!
mm… i usually wear, heavy eyeliner, black eye shadow (most of the time), blush, mascara and lip stick. I never use foundation unless Im doing a performance.
just a tip - match your eye shadow to what your wearing.
anyways, goodluck!
 
Growing up, my mom laid down very strict rules: NO makeup until I was 16. She also had made me continue to wear ankle sox when everyone else (literally) in my class was wearing “nylons” (that pretty much dates me…) So, when I was finally allowed to, I just reveled in makeup, trying new products, etc. There was nothing quite so much fun as trying a new lipstick or finding just the right mascara.

After the novelty wore off, I made sure that I learned how to apply makeup well. I think that less is definitely more, but I wouldn’t set foot out of the house without a little (I look as if I have no eyelashes without mascara.) It’s just putting one’s best foot forward.

Whenever I see questions about things like this, I wonder, why would anyone even think that the Church would have a position on this? We’re not Amish, for Pete’s sake!!!
 
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