This Is What Happened When I Didn't Wear Makeup For A Week

Hi, I'm Dayle and I'm a certified beauty enthusiast. I hoard far too much makeup in shades I have too many times over and my idea of a good time is strolling through the aisle at Sephora, swatching their new launches. So yes, you could say I like makeup. On a daily basis, I opt for lip colour along with eye products and occasionally, a base product like foundation, concealer or BB cream, if needed. When I decided to go makeup-free for a week, I thought it would relatively easier for me since I favour a light-handed look anyway. Not so much. To know how I fared when I stopped wearing makeup for a week, keep reading.

Day 1

The week started well with a low-key day of chores, which didn't call for any makeup. Since I had gotten a good night's sleep (which my skin responds to instantly), I was thrilled that it looked healthy and dewy. Highlighter, what's that?

Day 2

Of all the 365 days in the year, my eye appointment had to fall on this day, which meant I had to switch from contacts to glasses. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have ventured out without some kind of lip colour to balance it out but I had no choice so I carried on with my day, hoping that people who see me would label this as geek chic. Hopefully.

Day 3

By now, I was really missing my makeup. Every time I would open my dresser to apply moisturiser, I'd stare longingly at my eyeliner and remember the millions of time I'd winged out my eyes without really appreciating it. However, my skin seemed to be enjoying the makeup breakup and was breathing easy without being clogged down.

Day 4

Even on days outside this week when I'm barefaced, I find myself hiding behind my hair. So tying it up further pushed me out of my beauty comfort zone on this day. My greatest worry was people who meet me thinking I couldn't bother myself being here because it barely looked like I put in any effort. Oh well, I'll just have to live with that now.

Day 5

This was the toughest day of them all. Along with a jam-packed day, I had dinner plans and without any concealer to hide the tiredness and not even blush to brighten things up, I wondered how I would make it through. Somehow, I did. I did get asked at dinner if I had been really busy recently and I knew that it was because I didn't have a stitch of makeup on to cover it all up but just responded with a hasty nod.

Day 6

After far too many late nights, I woke up to lackluster skin and dark circles. If this had been an ordinary week, I would have instantly turned to concealer and highlighter but that wasn't a choice. I was the most conscious I had been all week and making it even worse was a colleague asking me if I was ill. Yeah, not the kind of day I wanted to have.

Day 7

Finally, the last day of roaming around with a heavy heart from not applying any makeup at all. A few zits had emerged on my cheek and I convinced myself that leaving it open like this would do a world of good rather than caking it up with concealer. Besides that, the rest of my skin felt healthy with no dryness, even though it was a cold day.

What I learned:

You'd think that going into an experiment like this would leave you with a few realisations, which it did, although all of them weren't all good.

1. My skin loved the experiment. It felt balanced without makeup weighing it down and didn't even get overly oily throughout the day.

2. I constantly felt conscious of my skin. Whether it was because of scars, spots or pimples, there were times I didn't feel at ease with my skin and really could have used the confidence boost makeup gives.

3. It felt restrictive. As frivolous as it sounds, some days I just wanted to wear a purple liquid lipstick and not being able to apply it, felt a bit stifled.

4. It saved so much time. I could have easily slept in for another 15 - 20 minutes with the amount of time I saved from not applying makeup.

5. It felt comfortable. While makeup looks amazing, by evening it doesn't always feel like that. I liked that I could rub my eyes or lean my face against my hand without worrying if it would all come off.