You can’t be blamed for loving yourself in makeup because it does conceal a lot of skin imperfections, but there are eight things you need to be aware of right now concerning makeup.

Putting on makeup these days is almost as natural and automatic as dressing in clothes. A lot of women can’t even leave their homes without their go-to products. Women who have embraced makeup so much probably are not even used to seeing their faces completely bare in the mirror—so much so that going makeup free, even the idea of it, can feel uncustomary and even irreverent for many—as if they’d melt if another person saw them without even the slightest makeup on.

Hardly any sensible article comes up when you try to google this title. When you start tweaking your keywords a little, your search results will start returning basic makeup tutorials, makeup ideas, things professional makeup artists know that you should and that kind of stuff. What these returns don’t actually say are listed below just so somebody finally lays down the facts and dispels some preposterous things you’ve heard (or believed!) about makeup.

1. You don’t need makeup if all you want is to be more confident about yourself

Many women are horrified just considering the idea or picturing themselves mingling with strangers and meeting their friends without makeup on. If you’re one of them, do yourself a favor and don’t live like this!

There are many things that makeup can give you—yes, even self-confidence—but that’s not the primary way to develop confidence in yourself. It’s knowing yourself and what you want better, what you know and what you stand for that really makes you gain confidence in yourself.

2. Young skin looks better bare and makeup free

Young skin is beautiful. Period. Don’t let makeup advertisements tell you otherwise. If you’re young, give yourself time to love how gorgeous you look without makeup. Even when you see freckles and zits, you don’t need to cover those up. You’re allowed to have imperfections—everybody does!

3. Older skin looks better naked

If you’re old, your skin is best left alone. The more products you layer, the older you get. That’s because more products will be seeping into your deep-seated wrinkles. When your products cake on you, you’ll get more wrinkle problems because those unwanted lines become so much more obvious. You may be better off wearing just moisturizer instead.

4. Makeup can harm your skin

Dermatologists have been warning against the potential of products to irritate the skin even when these products are non-comedogenic. Try this simple experiment. Take out all of the products in your makeup stash and go through the ingredients one by one. What do you see?

You’ll probably find a thick list of chemicals and synthetics you can’t even figure out how to pronounce. These, along with the fragrances, colorants and preservatives, can cause more serious skin and even health problems if you don’t start paying attention to what you’re putting on your skin.

5. Makeup can cause your skin to age faster

Most especially when your makeup leaves you with an irritated skin, that’s a sign that you have an inflammation, which is a direct cause of skin damage and aging. In fact, makeup increases your exposure to free radicals, which can damage your skin and further down to your DNA.

6. Makeup is not bad, but you don’t have to wear it every day

Wear makeup sparingly, and put on only the ones that you might absolutely require—nothing more. When you do apply makeup, make sure to wipe it off and cleanse it off of your face completely. Any residue will always have the potential to start a blemish, which, in turn, can start an acne breakout.

7. Makeup is a wonderful tool, but it isn’t a magic wand

Many women perceive makeup as a tool that makes them confident and beautiful. It’s a tool that is supposed to enhance your assets and make up for your less flattering features. If you don’t think you are beautiful in the first place, no amount of makeup can make you feel that you are.

8. Focus on keeping your skin clean, clear and smooth rather than compensating for it with makeup

Makeup is fine, but rather focus on taking better care of your skin. Do not irritate your skin unnecessarily by using too many makeup products, wearing products made with harsh ingredients or forgetting to cleanse and clear your skin from makeup residue.

Makeup is just a product. You can choose to use it, but you do not have to need to get it all the time. Makeup has several uses, but it’s not something you should turn to to feel beautiful and more confident about who you really are.

credits: youqueen