For me, makeup has never been a daily thing.
Makeup makes me feel very conspicuous. It makes me feel like I am someone slightly other than myself. Because of that, it doesn't feel connected to everyday me. Dont get me wrong, I adore an occasional good red lip as much as the next woman, but rather than makeup helping me feel like the best version of myself it makes me feel like I'm becoming something different. Maybe it is connected to the fact that I wear makeup when I perform or maybe it came before that.
When I was younger that conspicuous feeling was terrible. I didn't want to be “looked at” because I had a pretty low opinion of myself physically. And of course in youth no one else does much to counter that.
In the last few years I’ve finally started to like myself more and more. I have heard people say that's one of the perks of your 30s and so far it's going great. My use of makeup hasn't really changed but now its more because I like being seen as I am and less because I'm afraid of being seen at all.
-Erin Olson