Still naked

 
 I blogged the other day about the experiment/challenge I set myself while I was on holiday of getting through an entire week without wearing make up. In it I'd said I deliberately chose to do it when I was away from home and there was no chance that anyone I knew would see me sans camouflage. I survived that week, albeit still feeling fairly self conscious about it all, but I got through and my skin did seem to be the better for it.

It was always going to be unlikely that I would carry it on when I got home and (up until this weekend that is) I didn't. What I did do was carry on with the lighter touch make up that I'd been trying before I went off on holiday - powder, concealer, blusher and mascara rather than the full foundation, primer, eyeshadow, lipstick etc routine I'd been doing before. Two things happened - my skin rebelled to having stuff plastered (however lightly) on it again and broke out big time, and I realised that even what I described as my 'light touch' make up was actually quite a lot. I also realised that I quite liked the look of my skin without the slap on and that I didn't really need it to make me feel confident.

As a side note here, the make up thing is a bit bizarre for me - whilst I worry about what I look before I leave the flat in the morning, and spend a while making sure my hair and make up are just so, once I get to work I pretty much forget about it. I've certainly never been the type to 'touch up' my make up during the day. For one thing, I already carry far too much stuff in my handbag as it is and there isn't really room for make up. For another, to be honest, I can't be bothered. Just one more of my contradictions I guess!

So, having decided I liked the lighter more natural look I decided it was time to take my skin in hand. Last weekend I made the effort to find a beauty salon near me that could offer more than just cosmetic treatments and this weekend I went in for my first treatment. I'd bought some of their products the previous weekend and had been using them religiously all week. I did feel my skin was getting better and I was both excited and nervous about going in for my treatment. I'll admit I was a bit disappointed when the therapist agreed that my spots were bad but I was extremely heartened when she said the rest of my skin (apart from the pigmentation around my eyes apparently!) is in really great condition. For the next hour and a quarter I submitted myself to her tender (and sometimes not so tender) mercies and emerged at 10.30 am (Yes, dear reader it was an early start for a weekend!) feeling glowing, relaxed and clean.

But the challenge was - no make up for the rest of the day. Nothing, nada, zip! In my hometown. Where people I know might see me. And, do you know what? They did - I meet up with and spent time with 2 friends - and I didn't mind. I'm not going to lie, it was a little uncomfortable but nowhere near as bad as I had imagined. So good did I feel about it that I ventured out again today with no make up apart from a tiny bit of mascara (and that doesn't count since it's not covering anything up!) and I didn't even give it a second thought.

I'm not sure I'm quite sure enough yet to do work tomorrow without at least some make up - but who knows! Meantime, I'm booked back in for 3 weeks time (another eye-splittingly early - for me - Saturday appointment) and I'll definitely keep using the products. I'm not naive enough to think that they're necessarily any better than stuff half the price, but I know that having invested in them, I will use them and I suspect the routine of using good products regularly in a sensible and consistent way (not flitting from one approach and one set of products to another) will be good for me, and more importantly for my skin.

And the picture? Well obviously it's me (with big sis) -not quite the last time I didn't worry about my skin, but a cute photo all the same!

And just one more aside before I finish - for my earlier post I used a photo mosiac I'd created on Flickr and titled Naked Week - showing as it did my 'naked' week without make up. I have been highly amused since posting it just how many hits that particular photo continues to get on my Flickr photostream. My sister reliably informs me that if I tag it feet, toes, naked and wellies (really!), the hit rate will increase. Hmm, now I'm worried!