Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I have an insane confession to make...

I very rarely ever wear makeup. Whatever makeup I do have in amongst my hoarded crap, I've had for at least 8-10yrs 🙈😂
Old hand me downs from my mum when I still lived at home, or random stuff I've acquired throughout the years.
So when a super special occasion pops up (or the one or two days a year I randomly feel like being "pretty" on a normal day) out comes the ancient eyeliner and mascara and that's about the extent of it...

I wasn't always like this.. Back at high school, I wouldn't be caught dead leaving the house without the obligatory eyeliner and mascara. Never quite got the hang of foundation so Thin Lizzy was the go and I thought I looked amazing with my orange glow, it really brought out the colour of my school uniform 😂
I was so insecure about my appearance that I used a tiny paintbrush to cover a permanent spot on my nose with concealer, not realising that this actually brought more attention to it. Basically, I was trying to adhere to the social conformist regulations of my day and age. The standards these days have been raised significantly and I can't even imagine the pressure girls today must feel to look a certain way, to be "pretty"...

With all these pictures of beautiful women (normal people too, not just celebrities anymore) bombarding us every single day, sometimes its hard not to feel like you don't measure up. And I get it, a lot of women ENJOY using makeup, the artistry of it and the confidence it gives them. If its a passion, then totally embrace it and go hard.
What worries me is the message its sending to our daughters and the increasing number of young girls who feel like they can't be seen with their natural face for fear of the judgement.. And it doesn't always stop at high school either..
In my adult life, there have been people who have implied that I'm "plain" or don't care enough about what I look like 😂

Well sorry bout it... I'm a stay at home mum who's daily excursions include school/Kindy drop off and pick up and playgroup... I don't feel the need to put a full face on every day to make it look like I give a shit how I look. Because in all honesty, I DON'T..
I'm not trying to impress anyone and have way more important things to deal with than whether my brows are "on fleek" (or even plucked) on any given day.

Whenever my daughters ask me if they look pretty, I tell them "of course, you always do!"
But then I always make a point to tell them being pretty isn't important. What's important is being kind to people, looking after yourself, trying your best at everything you do and learning how to be a great person. Being pretty doesn't get you good friends, your personality does. And if people want to be your friend based on how you look, you probably don't want them as friends anyway.

There will come a day when I go back to work and (maybe) I'll be required to step up my face game.. But until then, I'll be happy being a plain Jane. With my natural eyelashes, blemished face and thin lips 😂😂
And all you makeup gurus, keep rocking it! Each to our own, do what makes you happy! I just hope you know, you don't need it to be able to function in society.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all and we are all beautiful in our own ways 😜