Break Outs to Break Through —a 30 Day No Makeup Challenge

Mar 20

I cover A LOT in here. Who knew no make-up for a month would bring up A LOT of thoughts and feelings. And writers gotta write. So as my nine-year-old says, “Let’s goooooo!”:

I’m so TIRED of the beauty industry’s relentless appeal to women to improve their appearance. So I went on-strike. I ditched makeup (not skin care). This is my bare-face advocacy.

To write or not to write?

I debated whether I should write this article because it’s a little out there for me. Bearing my bare-face is an odd thing to do, let alone talk about a 30-day experiment —coupled with daily photos. I completely acknowledge that this is absurd.

But here’s the thing: I’ve been inspired by the bare-faced female advocates, who may not consider themselves advocates —but I do. I’m joining them in my small way. Here I am to say, I’m so over the beauty industry’s endless output of ointments, creams, bras, tights, and tools to be look fresher, younger, and un-aged.

I’m a targeted consumer who cannot avoid being doused by beauty ads each time I go online —the ads are RELENTLESS. And honestly, they suck me in at times because they prey on insecurities we have as women —clear skin, no age lines, snatched body, etc.

What’s with the photos?

Let’s just talk about the photos for a moment. Taking a selfie everyday for 30 days was super weird. Most of the time, I had no idea what to do with my face. Like, do I smile? You’ll see.

Also, having a camera roll full of my face was very embarrassing. If I ever wanted to show someone a photo, I would softly panic thinking, what if they see my super awkward face photos as I scroll for a pic? People may have thought I was a selfie-addict. Which I’m not, I absolutely swear on my mother’s no-bake cheesecake recipe.

So, what’s the point of the photos?

I was curious to see if there would be changes to my skin texture
It gave me accountability to keep going with the experiment

I’m also going to say this —because you may be thinking it —I KNOW the photos are far from perfect —different lighting, locations, and times of day. Sometimes I thought, “Oh shoot, I didn’t take a photo yet!” I even took a selfie while at a red light, concerned what other drivers may be thinking. I also took a selfie while brushing my teeth.

Day 1 - Here we go! What the heck am I doing?

Day 3 - Unflattering lighting just before bed

So, back it up (in a PG way) —why go cold turkey from daily makeup to bare-faced girl?

I have a husband who, throughout 15 years of marriage, has said, “You don’t need makeup.” To which I always thoughts, “You are NUTS.” But then one day, it actually sunk in. He’s right. Also, he either thinks:

She looks great just as she is OR,
If I can convince her, then we’ll save $$$ on beauty products

I’m leaning into the latter, because he is Dutch after all.

So I have my husband in one ear and the following in the other:

This article in, “The Guardian” about a woman who decided to live without money - but how will she buy beauty products?! Spoiler: she doesn’t. I was inspired.
This article where the writer, who has acne (my kind of person), gives up make-up for 2 weeks
This STUNNING portrait series of women makeup-free by photographer Sophie Harris-Taylor - I highly recommend
This article about how daily makeup affects our skin - makeup, especially if we fall asleep with it on, doesn’t allow our skin to shed dead skin cells which leads to breakouts and a dull complexion (!)
Friends who have decided to ditch makeup on the regular WITHOUT even commenting, “Oh today I’m makeup free.” They just are.
I went on a trip with my husband and had a major breakout —bumps everywhere. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had to do with what was on my face.

Day 4 - Driving & selfie. Keeping my eyes on the road. Looking super pale but embracing it.

Day 6 - Most challenging day(s) with a large blemish on my forehead

What’s the big deal? Why couldn’t I just ditch makeup without this commentary?

For some, going makeup free for 30 days is no big deal. Perhaps makeup is for special occasions, or it doesn’t hold a vice grip on their morning routine —they could go with or without. That wasn’t me.

Once my makeup was off, I couldn’t go out

Once my makeup was off, I wouldn’t answer the door

Makeup became a NECESSITY and I couldn’t imagine others seeing me without it. It begins as a covering up of flaws but drifts towards a daily MUST have. I want to show others in a similar situation that ditching makeup is OK. In fact, I admire women who show their face to the word au natural. I think their beautiful. I’ve come to admire laugh lines and age spots.

If I can inspire another woman who feels trapped in a cycle of wearing makeup, I want to reach through this screen and hug her. I want to tell her that it’s OK to be entirely you. People care so much less than you think. Family and friends love you for you.

You may see changes inside and out that you never expected.

There are some of us whose face has unfortunate reactions to makeup. Daily clogged pores results in more blemishes, redness, and poor texture.

So begins the endless cycle of applying makeup to make up for the impact of makeup.

How I didn’t RUN from this endless cycle BEFORE I turned 37 years of age is beyond me.

I had entirely bought in that I wasn’t enough without makeup covering my imperfections. Sad, right?

Day 7 - 1 week! I woke up like this and I’m not mad about it.

Day 8 - Keeping it real. Pores, scars, age spots, redness & bags

My Story

I was around 11 years old when I started to get acne. I am the youngest of three girls so my older sisters had all the makeup I needed/wanted to coverup the marks. But I was always concerned how my skin looked and if the makeup was showing.

I also did something awful —I picked at my skin trying to move along the process but ended up making everything worse.

I wish I could hug that 11 year old girl and tell her to simply LOVE herself because she is beautiful, smart and kind. I would tell her to keep your face clean (keep your routine radically simple), don’t touch your skin, AND you aren’t the only one —this is a stage of life and it will PASS, I PROMISE.

But what started at such a young age continued into my teen years, and my twenties, AND my thirties. It’s finally time to love myself, right? It’s finally time to be totally cool with my skin because I’ve spent way too waging war against it.

Skin, I am on your side. I’m literally inside you and we’re cool now.

Day 12 - Loving the simplicity of getting out the door.

What I Learned…

So without makeup seeping in through my pores —I made space for a new outlook to seep in. Here’s what I experienced.

The first few days were uncomfortable

At first, I felt exposed. I was hyper-aware of every little blemish, every bit of redness, and the dark circles under my eyes. I wondered if people would notice. Would they think I looked tired? Sick? Less put-together?

The truth? No one cared.

If anyone noticed, THEY DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING! Most of the pressure I felt wasn’t coming from others —it was coming from me.

2. My skin started to breathe

Without layers of makeup, my skin had a chance to reset. I didn’t realize how much my usual makeup routine was contributing to clogged pores and oily skin. By the end of the month experiment I had experienced less breakouts, accelerated healing, and my skin appeared healthier to me. I started to embrace it’s natural texture instead of constantly trying to cover it up.

3. My confidence took a hit… and then came back stronger

There’s a certain security in makeup —it can be a like armour, a way to control how we’re perceived. Without it, I had to confront the parts of myself I usually try to “fix.” But as the days went on, I started to care less.

I began to see my face differently —not as something to be altered, but as MINE. My scars, my age marks, my uneven skin tone, enlarged pores —were all normal. Before the experiment, I skin-shamed myself. After the experiment I became skin-positive. I was coming to this conclusion —my skin was enough and most important, I was enough.

Day 17 - around 1-2x a year I’ll do a microneedling session or facial because it helps my skin heal.

Day 18 - a little red and shiny from my facial

4. I saved SO MUCH TIME (and a little $$)

Mornings suddenly became so easy! No more blending, no more touch-ups, and no more worrying how oily my skin was shortly after applying makeup. I could roll out of bed, wash my face, apply moisturizer and sunscreen, and be out the door in half the time! The simplicity was freeing.

I spent money on skin CARE not skin coverage. BUT, this is also something I would do MORE in the past to bring my skin to society’s standards (imperfect, smooth -you get it). Over time, I realized this is an impossible standard. Now, I book a skin treatment only 1-2x a year and I do it for me and for the health of my skin. It’s a skin-loving moment, rather than a skin-shaming experience.

5. Re-defining beauty

One of my biggest realizations? How little makeup actually matters. My friends, family, and co-workers do not care if my skin looks pore-free. Kindness, hospitality, generosity, and experiencing daily joy make a much bigger impact on myself and others than any product ever could.

Day 21 - 3 weeks! 1 to go. Wondering if I’ll go back to makeup…

When I look at myself in the 30 photographs, here’s what I noticed inside and out:

I look very pale (and very uncertain) in the beginning —let’s be real
I started to smile and like myself
I got one of the biggest pimples of my life on my forehead —it felt like my forehead was swelling up (this was a very challenging moment to NOT resort to makeup, but I resisted AND I wonder if the blemish healed faster as a result of no makeup application)

Day 22 - learning to embrace my skin in unflattering lighting

My chin began to clear
My skin’s oil production went way down —my face used to become very oily early in the day
I got a facial that felt amazing! It made my face very flush but I didn’t mind seeing people that way
I stopped examining myself in the mirror
I nearly forgot about the challenge after day 20 —because the habit of no makeup became my new normal

Day 25 - Trying to remember to take photos because no makeup is my new norm

I saw friends, family, and went to church without makeup probably for the first time in 15-20 years! Nobody said a thing. Nobody even suggested I look tired or sick

My pores appeared to shrink and look less visible
My skin began to appear less pale
I barely touched/picked at my skin because I knew I couldn’t cover up the redness

Day 28 - Ready for church in record time

Did I put anything on my skin?

Yes! My routine was radically simple —face wash, serum, moisturizer and sunscreen.

Final thoughts: Will I go back to wearing makeup?

So here’s the thing. Once I start something, it’s hard to stop! It’s like eating candy. It’s probably best for me to steer clear. Also given the negative impact makeup has on my sensitive skin makeup is not great for me. BUT, I’ll use a tinted moisturizer or sunscreen, making clean products priority.

If YOU have every thought about taking a break from makeup, I say GO FOR IT, and please share your experience!

Stephanie Hoefnagels