I Rarely Wear Makeup. Except For This

Throughout my 20s and 30s, and even into my early 40s, I thought a beauty routine meant covering up flaws and trying to look like a younger version of myself. I’d grown up absorbing the message that makeup was part of the daily maintenance of being a woman, and I had an arsenal of products in steady rotation: foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, eyeliner, eye shadow, lip liner and lipstick, plus plenty of cleansers to remove it all. The goal was to look polished, put together and, if I was being completely honest, a little less like myself.

As I’ve gotten older, though, my relationship with makeup has changed. I still appreciate what makeup can do. I like putting on mascara and seeing my mousy lashes go glam. I enjoy a bold lip, even though I nibble it off and have to reapply often. I understand the confidence boost that can come from looking especially polished for dinner or a party. But I no longer feel as though I need makeup to fix my face before I can face the world.

Products Come and Go, But I Only Get One Skin

Instead of trying to look younger, I’m much more interested in taking care of the skin I have now. My beauty routine has evolved from masking every flaw to protecting, moisturizing and letting my actual skin show through. For me, that means wearing tinted moisturizer with the highest SPF I can find. It gives me enough coverage to even things out without making my skin look like it’s wearing a mask, and the sunscreen is a must, especially for someone who came of age using baby oil and iodine to get a deep, dark tan.

Then I add mascara and a swipe of lip color. That’s it. Five minutes, give or take, and I’m done.

There was a time when I might have considered this embarrassingly incomplete, but now it feels luxurious. I have better things to do with the time I used to spend scrutinizing my face in the bathroom mirror. I don’t miss wondering whether my makeup looks sophisticated enough while simultaneously trying to make it look like I’m not wearing makeup at all.

There’s also something wonderfully liberating about realizing that I don’t have to fix every sign of having lived a life. I have laugh lines and forehead wrinkles. The freckles that were cute at 15 haven’t aged quite as well. There are days when I have dark circles and days when my complexion looks uneven. None of these things bother me enough anymore to spend 30 minutes trying to erase them. In fact, I’ve noticed something interesting since I stopped trying so hard.

I hear more often, “You’re glowing,” “You look refreshed” or, my favorite, “Did you just get back from vacation?” I suspect some of that has to do with the dewy finish of my tinted moisturizer. But I also think lighter makeup makes a face look more alive. I look less “made up,” but I feel better — which makes me look happier, I think.