Foundation Is a Lie

So, I get that some people have skin issues. I completely understand that, just like my insecurities are my whole body, some people hold their insecurities in their epidermis. Blemishes, scars, and huge pores... I get it.

But, not me. I mean, my skin is oily - like OMG, who dipped the girl in a the olive oil barrel. However, I almost never have zits, blackheads, or whiteheads.

When I was about 12, I bought my first bottle of foundation and compact of powder. It was Covergirl clean something or other. It smelled like Noxema. My mom didn't wear foundation as part of her daily routine, but I was obsessed with Seventeen magazine and thought both were required as part of putting on makeup. Spreading it across my face was like covering it in an even coat of flesh colored paint, and it would melt off through the day as my oils accumulated.

At fifteen, I remember putting powder on after gym class and one of my friends telling me it made me look like a powder puff. I laughed at her and should have listened.

Through the years, I've tried so many different kinds of foundation and haven't found anything I liked. At points, I felt so gross wearing them - because they inevitably made my skin feel like it was strangling and ended up floating on top of my skin's natural oils. Without it, I didn't wear makeup.

Then, I remembered my mom. Everyday, she would sit in front of her vanity and put on her blue eyeshadow, black eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, mascara, and blush.

I remembered my grandma, who insisted on drinking apple cider vinegar every day.

I'm oily, and I come from oily people. It's why we all look so much younger than we actually are. I should probably listen to what my greasy ancestors preached.

So, apple cider in, apple cider on the skin, and no foundation.

Here's what I'm noticing. My coloration is amazing. Without the chemicals soaking into my skin and by cleaning my body from the inside-out, my coloring is so interesting. It's white with a drop of gold, a gentle pink through my cheeks. Contouring? F'getaboutit! Who needs it?

No makeup anywhere but my eyes. Some concealer under the eyes. You know.

Also, my skin's oil is way less excessive. Yes, I get super shiny. However, without makeup, I can just wipe the excess off.

I think people are so inured to the idea that what they look like isn't what they're supposed to look like, that they forget to appreciate themselves and instead carve themselves away and cover themselves up until they're completely hidden by what they think they're supposed to be.

Anyway - that's what my stupid skin taught me. Enough insight for a beauty post.

Anyway, I do feel the need to try one of the alphabet creams AA, BB, CC. I don't know which one would be best, but everyone seems to love them. And I'll sometimes use some Hi Def powder if I'm going out to help absorb oil and set my eye makeup a little more.

Of course, everyone loved foundation and powder when I was growing up.