Most of the time for me, yes, makeup does make me generally happier.
Not to say that my happiness hinges on wearing makeup, because if I don’t fill in my brows on any given Friday, the world does not fall apart, nor do I have a meltdown, although that partly depends on where I am in my cycle. I have been known to launch into a full-on Kim K. ugly cry when I can’t find my tube of MAC In Extra Dimension.
Just sayin’…
Generally, though, yes, I think it makes me a happier person. I like the process. I feel artistic and creative. Plus, I feel more comfortable and capable when I’m wearing at least a little makeup. It doesn’t have to be a full face.
A few years ago, I went through a phase where putting on makeup started to feel a bit like a burden. Almost? I was spending a lot of time looking at makeup on Instagram at the time, and you know how it is… There are lots of peeps who do full-on super intricate makeup on IG, and it’s complicated and takes a long time (at least for me), and I was trying to get better at makeup myself, so I was spending a lot of time on my makeup — like two hours per day.
It was great at first. I learned some new things, but it got to feeling like an obligation. My perspective started changing to where I was feeling like I had to go through all that effort just to leave the house. Like, I had to spend two hours getting ready so that I could go to Target to buy bread.
Yeah, that phase is over now! 🙂
So there’s my long-winded answer. Yes, wearing makeup does make me a happier person, but it’s not a miracle cure for a bad day, of course.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF. ???
Yes, it does, especially when I am going through rough times or phases with lack of sleep. It helps me not to see the tiredness whenever I get a glimpse of myself in the mirror. And I like playing with colors.
I have other times though when I just don´t bother, on beach holidays for example.
Makeup makes me happier for sure. I like seeing color when I look in the mirror. I like how I feel when I take a few minutes to gild the lily, so to speak. I think it sends a message that I care about myself. I think it also sends a message during the workday that I care about what others think of my appearance. I think that’s a good thing. Maybe that makes me old-fashioned, I’m not sure.
Also, I get joy rifling through my makeup baskets for the perfect lipstick or eyeliner or primer!!!!
What’s on the weekend agenda for you and Miss Thang?
I think of makeup as enhancement rather than concealment so it can definitely reflect my sense of confidence, happiness, and well being. But, can wearing makeup in and of itself actually make me feel happier? Yes, indeed! I was seriously ill for the better part of a year and really didn’t think much about makeup. When I was eventually well enough to venture out, I found that taking care with my hair and makeup really gave me a positive emotional boost—especially when I’d get positive reactions from people I encountered. As for Instagram, with all the photoshopped, overly filtered face painting that one sees, I think that has done more damage to erode women’s self-confidence in their appearance than anything else—whether they wear makeup or not.
Definitely! I feel more awake, more capable. Just readier to take on the day. I’m just like you! I used to fret and worry and obsess over certain looks (those damn Instagram ones come to mind) and I’d get angry with myself when I couldn’t replicate them. Now I don’t really care, I don’t even care if you can see my current break out through my foundation and concealer (weather is changing, the first rains of spring always triggers a fugly break out) which you can. Now I feel much prettier with less on.
No, not really. But it doesn’t make me less happy either. 🙂 That said, I don’t leave the house without makeup on and I cringe if I have to open the door, even for good friends, if I’m not wearing any. I feel extremely self-conscious, though I’m sure other people can barely tell the difference.
PS I checked my Shiseido sunscreen sample and it is WetForce. I’m wearing it again today to see how it goes. 🙂 TGIF is right!!
I’m wearing it today too! I took Connor to a local part in the hopes of meeting some toddlers/moms. How did yours work out?
How did you gals do at the park? Lots of Aloha, I hope. 🙂
I think it was much better. I don’t have it on today but I’m going to keep trying it. I’ve been rotating through a few different foundations, too, so maybe I just have too much going on right now. I don’t know if I told you that I also have the Drunk Elephant physical sunscreen. I didn’t expect it to be tinted, for some reason. I wasn’t crazy about the texture, though. It reminded me a lot of Dr. Jart’s Beauty Balm. Almost feels like it’s going to separate. Maybe just me or my sample, though. You know how I have to have the maximum silicone glide. 🙂
Yes, it does for me! I helps lift my mood. When I look good, I feel good. Wearing clothes that I find flattering and comfortable also boosts my mood in the same way.
Happy Friday!
Amen to the comfy and flattering clothes, girl! Speaking of that, J. Crew had a sale this week and I finally pulled the trigger on a pair of pants and shorts that will *hopefully* fit my fabulous post-baby body.
Happy Friday to you. 🙂
Great, I hope the new clothes work out for you! If you like dresses at all, the jersey swing dresses from Old Navy are really comfortable. The petite length is perfect. Hope you have a great weekend!
I just looked them up and the floral print is cute! Which one do you have? They’re on sale right now for $18!
I have four of them, but I bought them last year so I don’t see the same patterns. The floral one is cute! Of course I’m a sucker for stripes, so I like the black and white too. I might have to get a couple more since they are on sale! Petite small is the size I get. So comfy and forgiving in the belly area.
It definitely makes me happier! I find the process/routine of applying my makeup very relaxing. It gives me time to myself to think and to be creative. I love makeup so much a few years ago I resigned from my reliable insurance job to obtain my cosmetology license at an Aveda Institute. It was an amazing experience and frankly a nice break! Happy Friday!
Happy Friday to you, too, Chantal! I applaud you for making that big career jump. It takes a lot of guts to do that. Are you still working as an artist?
Unfortunately I’m not. We live (hubby & I) in Iowa so there isn’t a large need for makeup artists. Ha,ha,ha, oh, well! I do get pretty fantastic pro discounts with my license! I went back to the old reliable insurance industry almost two yrs ago. I really admire you and all of the hard work you put into your blog! You’re my top review resource!
At least you can say you made the jump. Some people never do and always end up wondering what if. You’re very brave!
i think the act of playing in makeup makes me happy , wearing it sometimes makes me self conscience especially when i am going out or trying a new style. I also believe seeing other people with well put together makeup makes me happier than my own makeup. I like your make up skills and when i see your looks of the day , that makes me happy.
Aww, Ericca. You’re super sweet. Thank you! I feel like my skills have fallen back a step but that’s nice of you to say.
BTW, who is that gorgeous kitty in your avatar?
I wholly agree with everything you’ve said. I feel the same. It does make me happy. To a small extent. Not happy like my family and husband make me, or bright sunny days, or camping … LOL, but it’s a little bit of brightness & color in my day. I love to be colorful and fun.
I also went through the IG makeup trend, and thankfully that wore off. I mean, it really wore off. I needed to change that and go back to keeping it a hell of a lot more natural, that makes me a lot happier than a full face of plastered on makeup. I’ll take a natural glow any day over a fake one. How can you be happy when you’re being fake? Because, that’s not happiness, that’s a mask of happiness, layering bandaids on deep insecurities.
Hi Miki,
Yeah, I kinda knew it was time to let go of doing IG makeup when I felt like I had to contour my nose just to go the grocery store. When it got to that point I realized it was messing with my head a little. I still have an appreciation for the women/men who can do it though… It’s not easy and there’s so much skill and artistry involved!
Anywho, you made me laugh when you said camping. 🙂 (As you know I’m not an sleep-in-the-outdoors person, unless there’s electricity, and running water, and a phone…)
I was thinking about this topic this morning! Well, something along these lines. I was thinking about the phrases and affirmations that are thrown around, that are really mostly directed at women – “you’re enough,” “treat yourself,” “make time for you,” etc etc. And we as women aren’t inclined to take these to heart, for a couple reasons. On the one hand, because we’re often doing things for others – so we likely need to be reminded that we’re individuals who need and deserve attention and care. But in the other hand, we’re also primed for self care in that we’ve often learned from the time that we’re young to care for ourselves – our skin, our body, our face, our hair. It can be seen as a problem (women are objects/commodified), but it’s also really wonderfully caring. In contrast, how many dudes do you know that don’t even know what to do with lip balm? Or hand lotion, for that matter? Or even their hair, when it’s longer? Men aren’t taught to care for themselves in the same way. It’s a truly fascinating subject, IMO!
That doesn’t really answer your question though, haha. I’d say yes, most of the time makeup makes me happy. It often helps to bring a touch of levity to my morning routine, and it does feel nice to be put together, which I find makeup often helps with (for me). Plus my crazy lip colors in my stash (green! blue! purple!) always make me smile!
Omg – meant to say that women ARE inclined to take those types of phrases to heart! Whoops.
Ooo, bold question! I think makeup helps me feel like myself, it helps me externally present to the world how I feel internally. And feeling like myself makes me act more confidently. And I guess that could be loosely tied to feeling happier. ♥️
Random, but which lipgloss are you applying in the picture? It’s lovely.
That Hello Kitty mirror makes me a happier person.
Makeup itself makes me happy. I have been known to stop at Ulta after a bad day, just to swatch all of the pretty colors, because it makes me feel better. I only wear makeup on the weekends and special occasions, but it makes me feel put together, like I look my best, and that makes me happy.
I’m still at the point where I have to wake up 2 hours earlier if I plan to wear makeup! But I’m practicing so I’ll get faster. ?