Naked.

Against all of my mothers warnings, I have worn make up just about everyday since I was 14.

I mostly wear just enough to cover all of the flaws that I can see on a daily basis 

(ya know, dark circles, redness, the dreaded acne, etc.)

I love makeup.

In fact, I often feel bad for boys when they have pimples because they dont have that luxury of whipping out a magic tube that somehow makes the planet on your face almost blend in.

However, when I came to CCM I met my lovable friend named Kate.

 

Something that I found really cool about her right off the bat  was that she doesn't wear make up everyday. Oh don't get me wrong, she's a Dallas girl so of course she loves her curls and her eyelashes,

but she doesn't feel the need to apply it every morning, 365 days a year.

Me, on the other hand, I could barely look at myself after I would wash my face before bed, let alone let the general public look at me with all of the redness and blotches that I was sure were invading my face.

But Kate inspired me, you see.

I wanted to be one of those cool girls who didn't need makeup to feel pretty.

So I thought I'd give it a shot. 

The first day that I just wandered outside sans any time of facial grooming, I felt a little nervous. 

Isn't that ridiculous? I laugh at myself just typing it.

But I was so sure that every single person on the street was staring at me thinking "holy guacamole, who let that thing outside?" Slowly but surely though, I started to get used to the way my face looked when it was fresh out of the shower. I even started to like it. I liked the way it felt to have clean skin without goop all over it.

Now, I will wear makeup on weekends when I go out, and on the occasional week day if I'm feeling fancy, but the biggest difference is that I don't wear it because I think I have to. 

I wear it when I want to.

I don't panic if I run out of time and just have to slap some moisturizer on my face and head out the door.

Since I've stopped wearing make up everyday, I've actually become WAY more confident.
I think taking the first step to accept the way that my face looks naturally has actually made me accept all parts of the way that I look, even my body. 

Do I still get self conscious from time to time? Of course!

But I've come leaps and bounds from where I started.

Y'all,  this is embarrassing, but in the effort to have an honest blog, I'll just share that there was one summer in high school when I literally got into a public swimming pool with JEANS on because I couldn't bear the idea of just wearing a bathing suit.

Is that not ridiculous? So I'm not Jessica Alba, big flippin deal! I'm also not a sumo wrestler. 

Everyone should be proud of what we have. 

Take care of yourself, eat right, work out but there's no need to criticize yourself to death, and there is definitely no need to hop into a pool with DENIM on your body.

The moral of the story here folks, is that it's time we all just accept what we've got. 

Mind, body, soul, make-up less face and all. 

Just to show you I'm not all talk and no walk, I am taking the liberty of posting a make-up less picture for all of the world to see (this proves that I'm a dedicated blogger and you should all tell 10 more of your friends to start reading ASG :))

 pardon the wet hair. 

Y'all, with summer comin' up and bathing suits flyin around tormenting our souls, we all need to remember that everyone has the same issues. Every girl knows what it's like to have a pimple, or to feel flabby, or to spot cellulite on her thighs. It ain't no thang.

So what do y'all think? Maybe a make-up less day is just around the corner for you? Maybe you'll post a makeup less picture on your blog too? :)

'Til next time...

-C