My stance is about as extreme as it is unapologetic: makeup is
bad. There is literally nothing
good about it. The WHAT is bad for your body; the WHY is bad for your soul.
Whether cheap or expensive, conventional or "natural," at the very
least these products interfere with the natural functions of skin and pores (and for things like eye makeup, can also cause issues with tear ducts, etc.). The best any cosmetic product can claim is that it is
"less bad." Make no mistake, ladies: companies that sell expensive cosmetics under the pretense that they're somehow beneficial or "restorative" to your body in any way are
LYING. There is no delicate way of putting it: if you believe these claims, you are deceived.
Whether minimal or full clown-face, at the very
least, the impetus behind daily/routine application (no matter how "tasteful") is always tied up in some kind of vanity, insecurity, or self-objectification. While it may in some cases be objectively true that you APPEAR more attractive with certain features cosmetically enhanced, or certain flaws concealed -- there is absolutely nothing saying that
appearing more attractive is
any kind of good for you. I posit that it is NOT. I posit that humility is in all cases more beneficial to the soul than vanity.
That's not to say that makeup never has its place - it does. Temporary occasional use for costumes, special occasions, portraits, etc. is totally reasonable, IMO. But if you're wearing makeup all day every day because you're not satisfied with the way you look
normally, you would be better served by
completely eliminating all cosmetic expenditures (in terms of ALL resources, not just money, but also time, energy, etc. -- drop it all like a hot potato) in favor of investing in your health instead. Good physical health will fix more problems than makeup will conceal, and good spiritual health makes it easier to be content with plainness.
I've known too many women who spend 1-2 hours in the bathroom every. single. morning., cosmetically compensating for the 1-2 hours of sleep they didn't get because they had to wake up early to do their hair and makeup. It's madness. This kind of widespread behavior definitely indicates to me that the emotions driving the use of cosmetics are not healthy.
There's a quote from the show "Call The Midwife" (no I haven't finished it yet, no spoilers) where a little girl says something like
"My mummy says only tarts paint their nails."
I'm not gonna lie, that's kinda how I feel about cosmetics in general. No, not that every woman who wears makeup is some kinda
hussy. I don't think that, and I doubt very much that any of you ladies look or behave like whores.
But what I'm getting at, is that on a cultural level and on an industrial level, cosmetics have been normalized for the express purpose of monetizing the sexuality of women on a massive (and typically unwitting) scale.
Take away all the cameras and the mirrors and see how many women keep wearing makeup - and how many men actually care. Makeup isn't really about attracting mates. Good condition, grooming, and hygiene is all that's required for that. Makeup is there to boost the profits of the corporations that have insidiously commodified the sexuality of every single human being they can bring under the lens of their influence.
