I ditched makeup during social distancing - here's what happened

Ever since I got my hands on my first concealer around the sixth grade, I paint every single day. No errand will be completed, no workout will be done, or a foot will walk out the door without at least a little coverage of my complexion. As a child I had terrible cystic acne. And although my skin is no longer pimple-coveredI still feel the need to hide every little mark and scar. But when social distancing began a few months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to do a little makeup-free experiment. I had absolutely nowhere to go, no one to see, and besides the fact that I left the house for a walk around the block, I was chained to my house. With that in mind, for the first time in 12 years, I took off my make-up bag and accepted my skin as it was. Keep reading to find out what happened. 

Here's What Happened When I Stopped Wearing Makeup 

Back in March, I left New York to distance myself from society with my family in Pennsylvania. That's when I started this experiment without makeup. To be honest, the no-makeup look quite naturally paired with my regular pajama clothes and work in bed. Alas, my devotion to the experiment did matter. In those first few days, I hated going without makeup. My skin tore like crazy (thanks, stress), my dark circles haunted me (thanks, lack of sleep), and my no-blush, no-bronze complexion didn't make me feel very composed during Zoom calls. . I just didn't feel like myself - I felt dirty. I was so used to being hit in the front that every time I looked in the mirror and saw my naked face, it plunged me into a slight shock. 

But as the days and weeks went by, I started to actually sort of, dare I say, use Without makeup. Not only have my acne flare-ups gone, but the hyperpigmentation and acne scars that haunted me even before the pandemic have become much less noticeable. I was able to get used to my bare face, which was huge for me. Extra bonus? Not having to put on makeup in the morning meant I needed another 20 minutes of sleep, which inevitably helped my puffy eyes. My skin felt like it could breathe for the first time in my life. 

After about six weeks, I completed the experiment. I pulled my makeup bag out of hiding and started applying facial products (I recommend the Maybelline New York Age Rewind Eraser). I ended up using far less product than before the experiment. The places that I felt I needed to honestly hide didn't bother me anymore. I still love makeup, don't get me wrong. But this experiment made me feel completely confident running errands or going to the gym (when it reopens) with an open face.