Hello everyone,

Hope you are having a fantastic day so far! For this particular 'Friday's with Mandy' post I decided to share my thoughts about makeup with all of you. Not only do I like blogging about all things beauty personally but I also love reading through posts and looking at pictures of other beauty bloggers who inspire me. It is when I was reading some posts that I started to notice a rather black and white pattern of comments about makeup. "Too much makeup, she looks like a clown", "Hope you don't walk out the door without your foundation" a few words piqued my interest, and not in a pleasant way. It seemed to me like a situation of "You're damned if you do, damned if you don't".

On one side, it could be hard for someone to look in a mirror and not be pleased with the reflection. Maybe it's hard to walk down the street without feeling the need to grab a pair of sunglasses and a big floppy hat. Surely these hardships do not compare with hunger or poverty right? We go wrong when we often compare our struggles. The mere presence of disorders like Body Dysmorphic Disorder is proof enough for how difficult it could be. Especially when words can hit someone like a ton of bricks and break down every ounce of confidence the person has within himself/herself.

On the other side it's just as hard to listen to people shame and criticize you for doing something you love. The same way a singer would feel if someone said "You're voice is bad" or if an artist was told that the art he spent hours creating was "ugly". Makeup is not always about craving attention, covering up flaws and it doesn't make one any more materialistic than any other human being. It could be a form of expression, a creative outlet or just a source of joy to the person. Taunting and ridiculing someone for wearing makeup is just as bad and ridiculing someone for not wearing makeup.

So how do we change the situation? 

The way I see it, the route to change is through self-acceptance. I know, it's easier said than done. Nevertheless it is the one asset we ought to develop. How many times have you looked past the mistakes and flaws of others and accepted them with open arms. Why can't we do the same for ourselves? It's important to feel comfortable in our own skin. Surely it doesn't happen overnight. There have been days when I felt really down because of acne/ blemishes and it is those days where I had to go an extra mile to accept myself and feel confident enough to walk out the door. There have been mornings when I would wear my favorite Rimmel lipstick which gave me a spring in my step. There have been nights when taking off my makeup had never been more satisfying. There also have been times I've been told that red is not my color. But as you know, I love red lipsticks, so I wear it anyway. 

Bottom line is, it's okay! It's okay for you to wear or not wear makeup, it's your life, your choices. The point being, if you're confident and accepting of your self your beauty will shine through.

Let me know your thoughts about wearing/ not wearing makeup in a comment down below.

Much love as always,