You know you can nail a perfect smoky eye — but what about rocking a fresh face?
Is going natural just a hashtag trend, or is there something beneficial to skipping
the contour?
Here's what happens to your face when you stop wearing makeup!
Peace out, wrinkles
Listen up — the same makeup that you're using to cover up wrinkles and blemishes may
be making them worse, according to dermatologist Dr. Robin Evans.
Over time, makeup settles into fine lines and wrinkles, which essentially spotlights
the very signs of aging you're trying to hide.
Rather than attempting to conceal your age under layers of foundation, embrace your true
face — you might be surprised at how much younger you actually look.
"I can just be myself, be proud of my heritage, and when I'm performing on stage I can just
feel like I am who I am."
Hello, confidence
Dermatologist Dr. Fayne Frey tells her patients that the biggest benefit to not wearing makeup
is more psychological than physiological.
As a society, women are told that we need makeup, fillers or Botox, and that signs of
aging are a bad thing.
So instead of looking in the mirror and seeing ourselves, most of us look in the mirror and
see our flaws.
But breaking with those tired philosophies, and looking in the mirror to see the real
beauty in our faces, is more empowering than any makeup look could ever be.
"My beauty, my beauty, my beauty, my say."
Catching those z's
According to the TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image Survey, the average woman spends 55
minutes each day on her appearance.
And cutting back on makeup means you could possibly sleep in an extra half hour each
day.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults over the age of 18
get seven to eight hours of sleep per night.
Any less, and it could negatively impact both your body and your brain.
"Alexa how far is Mars?"
"How far is Mars?
How am I supposed to know I never been there.
This guy wanna go to Mars, for what?
Along with difficulties problem solving, making decisions, and coping with change, lack of
sleep can affect your skin and even your facial expressions, according to WebMD.
If you often think that you need more sleep, you now have some real motivation!
Less junk in your pores
You'd never dream of smearing bacteria all over your face.
But that's pretty much what you're doing every single time that makeup brush touches your
skin.
"Why did I choose this bacteria filled hell hole to talk to you?
Because it may just be the perfect representation of your face."
The risk of dirty makeup increases the older your products are, or if you share them with
friends.
Viruses like herpes or the flu can even survive on lipstick for weeks.
As if that weren't nasty enough, your makeup could also be carrying poop particles.
"I've done my makeup in cars, in port-o-potties.
I'm not kidding."
Susan Whittier, associate professor at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical
Center told BuzzFeed Health,
"After three months, makeup will probably also have some fecal matter since it's usually
stored and used in the bathroom next to the toilet."
Gross.
Lower risk of cancer?
Not to alarm you, but there's a chance that makeup could actually lead to cancer.
Lorenzo Cohen, a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center says,
"There are concerns with beauty products that contain endocrine disrupting chemicals.
[…] These chemicals may interfere with your hormonal system.
While a direct link between EDCs and cancer is not yet definitive, certain cancers are
hormonally-driven.
Even a low dose should cause concern, especially if you use the product every day."
Research is still being conducted to find out just how much of a threat beauty products
pose, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
"This is my nightly meringue mask, part of my beauty regimen.
What it is, is basically egg whites, creme fraiche, artichoke and vanilla and a little
touch of aloe."
Sites like the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database lets you search
tens of thousands of beauty products to assess their safety.
Cohen says,
"A good rule of thumb: If you can't pronounce the ingredient and you don't know what it
is, you should proceed with caution and seek more information."
Bye bye headaches
We tend to think of allergic reactions caused by makeup as being limited to skin breakouts
and rashes, but since many beauty products are scented, those fragrances can trigger
all sorts of unpleasant reactions.
"What's the big deal, so her face swells up a little, so what?"
"Swells up a little?!
Her face will blow up like a Macy's Day balloon."
Along with frequent migraines, makeup has even been known to bring on asthma attacks.
Dr. Frank Lipman told Byrdie,
"Fragrance can often be behind many adverse reactions to traditional beauty products [and
is] considered to be among the top five known allergens."
If you suffer from allergic reactions but still want to rock a full look, you don't
have to use only products that are fragrance-free.
Dr. Lipman recommends looking for products that incorporate essential oils, in place
of perfumes.
Protect your skin
For some women, the SPF in their foundation is the only source of sun protection they
use on their face.
If that's the case for you, Dr. Frey says that going without makeup may increase your
risk of sun damage.
"Whose side are you on, Eddie?"
"What?!
What sides are there?"
"Mine or the Ozone's.
Choose one."
But she adds that most women don't apply their makeup thick enough or frequently enough to
get the full SPF coverage advertised on the product.
So makeup or not, we should all be using a daily sunblock to protect our skin.