6 Reasons Why I Don’t Wear Makeup

Reason #1: It’s expensive. The average woman will spend about $13,000 on makeup in her lifetime or about $200 a year. If I instead invested that $200 a year, assuming a 6% compound interest rate,  I’d have $34,866.68 in 40 years (unless the economy implodes, of course. )

Reason #2: Everyone else is doing it is a descriptive, not prescriptive, phrase.  When I was about twelve my Mom noticed that I wasn’t shaving my legs and told me that it was something I needed to start doing. In her mind it was part of being a woman. “I’ll shave my legs when Dad starts shaving his,” I said. She disagreed. So for a time I listened to her although I never was able to get any real answers as to why I was expected to do these things. Makeup, to me, belongs in the same category of cultural weirdness as expecting women to shave their legs or men to shave their faces. How is it of any concern to other people what sort of grooming or personal care one does or does not participate in?

Reason #3: The Story of Cosmetics.  

Reason #4: Almost every brand of makeup I’ve ever tried has aggravated the heck out of my skin.  After I stopped using anything other than soap and water on my face my acne and other skin issues cleared up almost completely.

Reason #5: I don’t like the way it feels. On the rare occasions that I do walk around with stuff on my face, I notice it all day. It itches, it tingles, and if I perspire it slumps into the creases between my nose and cheeks like half-melted snow in a ditch.

Reason #6: I like the way I look without it.

Ultimately I don’t care whether anyone else uses makeup, perfume, cologne or any of the other 1001 products that the media insists we need to purchase in order to have a happy, fulfilling life. What we need are more options than, “Of course you have to use these products, you’re a (wo)man!” or “It’s unprofessional not to use them,” or “You won’t be taken seriously without them!”