What is “pretty” anyway?
Sarah just posted this tale:
“You Look Prettier in Real Life.” Zing. (via mascarah)
Five minutes ago in my quick run to the Chelsea Whole Foods, I was approached by someone who reads my blog. He said “I knew it was you but I must say you look so much prettier in real life.” Zing.
Obviously I’d rather look better in the flesh than in a photo, but I still can’t help but feel offended. I know I’m not photogenic… but clearly I have to work on knowing how to look more like the real me in photographs….
Try mine on for size:
The other day at the Hotel ZaZa, a group of hockey players came over to flirt with me and my gf’s. We all hung out for a few hours; overall, a really fun day. (Think Vegas style pool - young crowd, cocktails, dj). After the sun set, I went home to shower and freshen up for the night. I then met up with my gf at Monarch, and the hockey players were all there. In unison (or at least it seemed that way), they all said, “Wow. You clean up nice…I mean really, wow.”
Uhhh…thanks!
First of all, duh, I know how to put myself together. But I think this proves my point that when men say they prefer women without makeup they’re lying (for the most part). Watch TMI to hear me break it down.
I rarely wear makeup these days and love every minute of my fresh face, but there is a difference in how others perceive me when I have on a face. Thought? Am I right? Or completely full of shit?
I think that most men are used to seeing women wearing makeup. There are very few women who wear absolutely no makeup, and those who say they don’t are probably forgetting about their daily use of tinted moisturizer or concealer. If you go out to a restaurant without a lick of makeup on your face, it would appear odd to the man who met you with a full face on. If you wear enormous amounts of makeup day-to-day, attempting to suddenly go bare is a rather big wake-up call to those used to seeing you “done up.” In the TMI episode that Mary is referring to, Julia says that she’s uncomfortable going without makeup in front of the camera, but doesn’t wear that much makeup everyday. I’ll give Julia the benefit of a doubt, but 99% of the photos she posts have her wearing what appears to be a large amount of cosmetics. Of course she’s not comfortable not wearing makeup! She probably doesn’t even recognize herself without it.
A gradual slowdown in makeup use is far preferable to going cold turkey. You can still be wearing a pound of makeup on your face for a “natural” look, so that’s not the point. The point is tasteful makeup that doesn’t look obvious. Mascara, cream blush or bronzer, moisturizer and gloss is really all one needs, and it’s doesn’t come across as too done.
I think I look most like myself when I’ve stripped all the makeup off my face, and a confident attitude goes a long way in bridging the gap between the way you look out with friends and the way you appear sitting in sweats on the couch at home.
Don’t overthink it. Makeup isn’t rocket science and it’s supposed to be fun. The minute it becomes a crutch, you should probably re-evaluate why you use it. Some of the most beautiful photos I’ve seen of celebrities—while they are arguably the most attractive specimans of humanity—are pictures of them with completely bare, makeup-free faces.
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