Please Read. Beauty is defined.

Jul 6, 2015

Shreya S.

preach 🙌🏻

Jul 6, 2015

Triara C.

I also agree that your imperfections make who you are as a person and your personality. If you're rude and bitchy no amount of makeup is going to give you sny beauty.

Jul 6, 2015

Rebekah W.

I feel like I shouldn't HAVE to feel beautiful while not wearing makeup. I feel fine when I'm wearing makeup and that's usually about it. I don't get why people are so devastated with that. I shouldn't have to force myself to feel beautiful while not wearing makeup.

Jul 6, 2015

Emma H.

I believe you should feel beautiful all the time, no matter what. That's just my thought.

Jul 6, 2015

Alyx T.

Though I agree with what you're saying, putting up a post and getting people to post no makeup selfies is not going to make someone confident with themselves.
I use makeup because I love it. It's an art to me and I'm doing it for myself, not to impress anyone. My mother doesn't wear much makeup (just mascara basically) so I wasn't around someone doing their full face makeup everyday for work. I can go without makeup and often do 5/6 times a week. But if I had a mother who applied a full face everyday and listened to the ads on TV or seeing celebrities in movies with their no makeup makeup, I wouldn't feel the same way I bet. It's hard enough even knowing its makeup and that nobody really looks like that, everybody has perfect flaws, I would not feel nearly as confident as I do with myself today. Society views "beautiful" as someone with the no makeup makeup looks. That's why there's tons of memes about a picture of a girl with little makeup on, with a bunch of "you look so pretty without makeup on" and then a picture with no makeup and a bunch of "are you sick? You look tired" etc. so I can really understand that today's youth is not as confident. But if makeup makes then feel that confidence, then we really shouldn't bash them and treat them like they're doing something wrong. Some wear makeup for art, some wear makeup to feel better about themselves. I know when I'm sick or upset sometimes I'll do my makeup so that if I look in the mirror I see "normal" rather than red puffy skin and my eyes pop a little. It makes me feel better. Like I said, I agree that nobody needs makeup to be beautiful and everybody should know that, but in reality this post and articles about it don't change others opinions and don't change how somebody feels about themselves. I have some mental disorders, so I have to go to therapists and stuff, and I always see the really shy super non confident girls there who if they saw this or those articles go "but that's if you're naturally pretty" because it's never the ones with tons of acne or acne scars or super uneven skin, or anything that causes huge stress on someone's confidence, it's the people who literally look like they always have makeup on because they have perfect skin and long dark thick lashes and lush lips and all that. Even the people here, I love you all, but none of you have the big flaws that has actually been proven to cause lowering of mental health. Moderate to severe acne in teens/YA is linked to depression, body dysmorphia, eating disorders etc. one of the girls I went to school with decided if her face wasn't clear she would get really skinny, and landed herself in the hospital for an eating disorder treatment. This is super long and I apologize, I just woke up so I'm very rambly and it's hard to see all that I've typed.

Again, I love the idea, but in reality it's not doing a ton of good for the girls who truly believe they need makeup. It's not something that can be fixed without help from professionals (or her deciding that she wants to learn to love her skin) which in a society that bashes everyone for everything, it's unlikely anything will change. It's unfortunate. But unless they develop the sudden urge to love themselves, which is quite rare, it's all about how your brought up, how your schooling went, brain chemistry etc.etc. that determines how you initially feel about your body/face.

Because I do have experience with not fully loving yourself I can tell you that instead of putting a post up like this, which if they don't feel comfortable they will just skip it, maybe go "why not try just going with eye makeup with me today" or face makeup. Put on something to help with whatever is making them uncomfortable with their skin, then try and get them to stop there once a week or so till they are comfortable with it. If they have acne, try getting them to just wear foundation with you and nothing else. Then slowly lessen it to concealer or just mascara, or whatever. Then go "I'm not wearing makeup today, you shouldn't either, you look really good". Slowly but surely building up the confidence without just saying they don't need it, because realistically that isn't going to help.

Jul 6, 2015

Stephanie G.

Alyx, I actually have severe OCD, body dysmorphia, and have had eating disorder problems. It's a genetic chemical imbalance that I have to live with. And honestly, things like this do help me feel better---because I look at Pinterest and other things, and think that that's the expectation everyone has for me. Perfection. When in reality it's not. Things like this don't cure it, no, but it does help. At the very least I know I'm not alone. And I know it may not be helpful to everyone in my situation, but it might be helpful to some. You can't speak for all. People who live with BDD and eating disorders are individuals with unique problems, they aren't a group you can just make generalizations about. Also, the cause are extremely complex. Many are linked to genetic disposition. Some are due to childhood trauma. Others to high end neglect. It's complex. And maybe things like this don't make a huge impact, but they don't always hurt.

Jul 6, 2015

Stephanie G.

Although I do agree with you that it can be harmful to some. And while I think all the beauties on this site are doing it for the right reasons, I think some of the big name bloggers may just be doing it because it gets them more followers :/ but I think most people want to help.

Jul 6, 2015

Alma M.

Hello ladies, let's please keep this thread on the up. I'm sure Britney didn't mean harm in it, she just wanted to share. Please ladies let's stop bringing threads down into another subject that could cause a debate. Most come here to relax and have fun and get away from the pressures of real life. Love all, be kind, help each other out.  :)

Jul 6, 2015

Alyx T.

Erin - I meant huge cystic acne or tons of scar tissue. Honestly I see a few spots on your forehead which yes is crappy and doesn't help with self esteem, but it's not giant cystic acne that stays for weeks at a time and never goes away. I never said you or anyone else on this thread looked perfect, I said that the people who live believing that they are only pretty with makeup on, usually have severe acne, scarring, discoloration etc.

And Stephanie - I know that mental health is never the same in everyone and how they feel about things, that's completely missing the point of what I said, it wasn't on mental illnesses. But I meant it as it really doesn't help me, this post made me feel quite crappy about myself actually, which was my point, but trying not to say it directly. It makes me feel crappy about myself when everyone else is going "I'm confident without makeup so everyone else should to" when in reality it's doing the same thing as shaming someone for wearing makeup for any other reason other than "I enjoy it". I love makeup, and I can go without it, but I do not feel good about myself when I don't wear it. So as I was reading through all this, I was getting "I'm confident without makeup look" and see people figuratively throwing they're beauty expectations in my face, considering of the person didn't like the picture or whatever they wouldn't post it. And I know that's not the intention at all and that most people on here are really nice and sweet and just trying to help. Which is why I was saying that it's really not going to help someone with lots of severe acne or wrinkles or anything, because those people don't want to show it. The other things you said were exactly what I was saying, so I'm really unsure what your point is there.

My point was that you shouldn't take people who rely on makeup to feel confident and call them out on it, it's the same as if someone was at the beach with a tshirt on, nobody would go up to them and tell them they need to be happy and confident with their body without covering it.

Jul 6, 2015

Brittany D.

I was trying to encourage everyone. I am very sorry if I offended anyone.

Jul 6, 2015

Alma M.

Once again a thread that meant no harm is now getting tarnished, please enough is enough already let's stick to the main Subject or this thread like many other threads will get deleted. This is one of the reasons so many are scared to make thread's because so many decide to take it personally and turn it into a situation that it shouldn't be. I can't believe this thread could turn into something else when we should be encouraging a good message for all, please again one last time let's relax and be kind to everyone here.

Jul 6, 2015

Alma M.

Brittany, it's not your fault at all. You didn't mean harm doll.

Jul 6, 2015

Alyx T.

And alma I agree, this will be my last comment on my thread, and I apologize for bringing the thread down Brittany. I know it was not at all your intention, it was just how I felt. Especially with all the youtubers right now putting up videos on confidence and how they look with half faced done and half faced not (I believe the videos all have the hashtag the power of makeup or something) but they all just seem to be attention seeking for views snd not actually trying to help (this is obviously not your case) but it just bugs me that they think that telling people to be confident will instantly make them confident, especially the ones that claim they had self esteem issues before. It's like telling a shy person not to be shy anymore, I know that never made anything better for me as a kid and just made me feel like I was disappointing people for being myself, who happened to be shy.

But again I apologize and I know your intentions were really good, and I hope you continue trying to make people feel beautiful about themselves, because not a lot of people tell other people that anymore. It just hit a nerve in me I guess. So I'm sorry Brittany, and I hope everyone takes what I said as an opinion, like it is. :)

Jul 6, 2015

Sabrina K.

Gosh all that negativity on such a love thread! We really need more love and self love on this site!

I think you all should go read this thread Shelley made yesterday! 

http://www.beautylish.com/t/icvcyu/the-nonsense-has-to-stop

Jul 6, 2015

Jen C.

I'm sorry if my comment offended anyone, it was not my intention. I just don't want anyone else to feel as alone as I have felt.

Jul 6, 2015

Alma M.

I understand what was being said Alyx and Jen had it been a Subject towards what started to be mentioned it would be fine but Brittany meant it to be about something else and we've been trying to keep thread's calm and cool focused on the author Subject and not point on just one person this actually goes out to all of the community. Most of the times when thread's get off topic it becomes a heated debate and as of lately member's are getting tired of the negative battles member's have been getting into and that's when we come in to try and get it back on track. Opinions are always welcomed and we may not all agree on them but it needs to stay on the subject that's all and everyone be respectful to each other.  :)