Hi everyone! Today I wanted to talk about a project that I started on instagram a little while ago. I am calling it "no make up sundays". It is a pretty simple concept, every Sunday I take a self portrait of myself wearing no makeup and post it on instagram with out using a filter. I hash tag #nomakeupportraits and I ask all the lovely ladies of instagram to join in!
The idea came to me when I saw a photo of a well known person with out any makeup on. She looked so different and I wondered if I had just gotten a glimpse of the person she was to her friends and family. This made me ask myself if there was a distinction between the person I show my closest family and friends and the person I show to my co-workers and to my blog readers.
Bloggers put themselves out there everyday in one way or another. When you grow a following there is a form of stardom that comes along with that, your readers go to you for inspiration, they rely on you in small ways to help tell them it's ok to have freckles or to have large legs and still wear skinny jeans:) I have spoken about this before here, but the amazing thing about the fashion blogging scene is there is no casting agency tell you your nose is too big or your not thin or curvy enough. If you have an aesthetic that appeals to the masses you become a role model, how amazing is that!
I myself have gathered mounds of confidence since I started blogging and reading blogs. And, now that my readership has grown a bit and I get asked certain questions and I want to be honest with my audience. Obviously we are all people who deserve as much privacy as desired, and if you don't participate in a project like this, it doesn't mean you are lying to your readers. But, for me I wanted to show people what I really look like, and I wanted to show myself as well.
I grew up in a big city in the 80's and my mother was a cuban immigrant single mother for most of my life. Watching her put her makeup on was a ritual for me as a child, it was an art for her, and I truly consider makeup apart of my culture. I wear liquid eyeliner everyday and rock bright orange lipstick because that's what she did, and I thought it was beautiful. I have always believed that as decoration makeup is a beautiful thing. It has existed in one way or another for centuries and I have complete respect for it.
So, I hope you will join me on instagram every Sunday in #nomakeupportraits! Each week there are more and more contributers and it has been amazing to see, if you search nomakeupportraits in the search section of instagram you can see for yourself. The lovely Nicole over at Pussycat Vintage even wrote about what the project means to her here. Lets all help eachother play with makeup, not rely on it!
What a great idea to gently nudge ladies to bravely expose their natural face. Since I never wear make up I often forget that this is a challenge for those who would never go with out "putting on their face" .Kudos to you for provoking others to be more comfortable in their skin and letting their beauty shine.
Posted by: rachael | 13 August 2012 at 05:40 AM
I love this so much, I love make up and always have but I appreciate the natural beauty that every woman beholds, regardless of what they feel is flawed. I keep meaning to join in and I keep forgetting. This Sunday for absolutely sure, I will!!! Thanks for continuing to inspire in endless ways m'dear.
xomando
Posted by: Mandy | 31 July 2012 at 08:35 AM
i love this idea and the backlit shot of you is gorgeous! but.. my face has decided to reverse age a decade and i am having pretty bad breakouts.
Posted by: liz | 30 July 2012 at 04:57 PM
You look so lovely sans makeup. I have terrible skin & am always so embarrassed of it. I'm not embarrassed of my face or my features without makeup, but my red, blotchy skin is the one thing that makes me think twice about letting anyone seeing me "naked."
Posted by: Suburban Sweetheart | 30 July 2012 at 03:17 PM
so weirdly when i say this on instagram, you posted it next to another photo. and they both look like they were taken in my old house. i have a room this color blue with wood doors and white furniture. and my back window was like the one in your photo...
any way, i love that you do this. i personally pretty much never wear make up anyway....
of corgis and cocktails
Posted by: katherine | 30 July 2012 at 12:16 PM
This is a really cool idea! I almost never wear make up anymore so I'm not afraid to show myself without it but I am big big on honesty and truth so showing our "true" selves to others is so important. If I can remember, I'll join in next Sunday!
Posted by: Kendra | 30 July 2012 at 08:56 AM
yes of course! you can get instagram on our iPad or any smart phone now:) so excited for you to participate!
Sent from my iPhone
Posted by: Rebecca Caridad | 29 July 2012 at 09:05 PM
can we join via tweeter? i dont have an iphone but i have an ipad! i love this idea and think it is important to do this!
xo,
cb
Posted by: cb | 29 July 2012 at 08:56 PM