My Last Day to Wear Make-Up

 I've been meaning to write about this for over a month now - I kept thinking that I'd get to it and never did. 
 
 One day, about five or six weeks ago, I wore make-up for the last time.  I didn't know it was going to be my last day to wear it when I put on my eye liner, eye shadow, and mascara but I sure knew it when I took it off that night.  I haven't worn much make-up since we moved here- with the heat, it just doesn't make sense and I have a perpetual tan from the sun, so there's no need for cover-up or blush.  I had bought new eye make-up when we were in America in January as a part of my push to put more effort into how I looked (the dress code here even for work is pretty relaxed and I'd been worrying that I'd let myself take that relaxed look a step too far), and since I was wearing a dress that day, I put on eye make-up to accentuate it.
  D took Sky to school that morning so she didn't see me wearing it then but she noticed it almost as soon as I walked into her classroom to pick her up that afternoon.  She immediately said how much she liked the blue on my eyes (not 70s blue, kind of a blue-grey) and asked if she could have some on her eyes.  She made me close my eyes so she could look at my eye lids up close and she asked and asked for make up.  I told her no, that make-up is for grown-up ladies and that I would teach her how to wear it when she was a grown-up lady like Mama.
  I haven't worn make-up since that day.  One of the best things I've overheard a mom say to her daughter (responding to her pre-teen's request for make-up) was that she was so beautiful she didn't need make-up.  What a wonderful thing to say to a girl at that age- at any age!  I thought that was the perfect answer from the moment I heard it and I want to make sure my daughter knows it- that she is beautiful just the way she is and that she doesn't need to add or subtract anything from it in order to be beautiful. 
  One of the best ways to teach behaviors to kids is to model them, so that's what I'm going to do.  If I want Sky to believe that she is inherently beautiful, I need to believe it and model it myself.  So as much as I think eye make-up makes me look nicer and makes me feel better about myself, I won't be wearing any.  Hopefully if Mama knows that she's beautiful, this girl will grow up knowing it too.









Comments

  1. Amber, you ARE (more) beautiful without makeup. I'm glad you've made this choice. I prefer it.
    -hubby

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  2. LOVE this post. I feel the same way. My kids sometimes play with some old makeup that I have in the cupboard. (Left over from doing plays, etc...) To them, it is something silly and a little ridiculous. Someday they might feel differently about it, and I"ll have to be ok with that. But, I'm pretty hapy that's the way they view makeup for now! :)

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  3. I love this post! I think my eyes are much prettier with make-up, but I don't wear any either. It simplifies my life and saves me money. My husband prefers me without it. I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with wearing make-up, but I also think that we can set a good example to young girls by not wearing it. It all comes down to personal preference. Thanks for sharing your story with us at the #shinebloghop.

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