Winged Eyeliner & Insecurities

I still remember the first time I tried makeup on,

Growing up in the 2000s meant that the first makeup product 7-year-old me tried on was a pink and glittery strawberry Lancôme juicy tube. I remember applying it and I fell in love with the strawberry scented shine. 7-year-old me was in awe.

As I got older, I continued to try on more products, moving on to mascara and eyeliner next.

My confidence decreased as I reached 13. I remember becoming OBSESSED with winged eyeliner. Looking back it’s so embarrassing because I drew the wings super long and, in my head, thought I looked so good.

Aaah what was I doing?

I began to wear it every day, thinking I was ‘ugly’ without it. I couldn’t leave the house without eyeliner on. I remember being rushed every morning because I had to perfect my wings! I never acknowledged how unhealthy it was for me to depend on makeup for my insecurities.

Then came a day where I just couldn’t be bothered anymore, it’s like a switch flipped in my mind. I decided I was going to stop using it and start going bare faced.

The step into leaving the house and going to school without it felt amazing. My confidence began to grow, and I saw that I was feeling more comfortable bare faced.

Here I am, 2 years after the switch in my thinking, always happy to go bare faced and low maintenance. I love makeup as something to accentuate features, but it upsets me that it’s turned into an industry that feeds many of our insecurities.

I’ll always look back at my childhood with nostalgia, it was the only time where makeup and confidence were never associated.