Hey Guys! 

First things first, my skin has not been clear enough to photograph without makeup in over a year! So I just want to celebrate what the difference a proper skin care regimen can do for you, click here to read more about my journey to clear skin!  

Okay, so it took me a while to post this because like the rest of the girls in the world, the thought of no make-up in a photo, much less for an entire summer is way intimidating. But as I started to take such good care of my skin, it started to thank me by clearing up enough to go without foundation, which has been a goal of mine for a very long time.

I want to be honest and say that I think we as girls feel a lot of pressure to look perfect and we achieve that by wearing make-up. And that is OKAY. I come from the make-up industry, I get it. For me, I started seeing so many negative effects it has on my skin because I was wearing it every single day, and I would layer it on too heavily and it was clogging my bores and suffocating my skin. When I got a treatment done by the esthitician that helped (saved!) my skin, she had precleansed and cleansed my skin and when she was toning she was still seeing make-up on the towel and her exactly words were “girl, you gotta stop wearing so much make-up” which I didn’t want to hear at first because I didn’t think I wore that much! And she was coming from a perspective of skincare. So, I’m not telling you to not wear it by any means, but I’m saying to listen to your skin! That esthitician could tell that my layered make-up was a reason my skin wasn’t clearing up… it couldn’t breathe! Sometimes we forget our skin is a living organ and it needs oxygen to be healthy! 

My reason to go foundation free this summer is in no way an “anti-makeup” movement, not even close. It’s a step in my skin recovery to let my skin breath and take a break and summer is the perfect time for that because I live in Arizona where it’s so  hot here makeup doesn’t make it past noon anyway! I wear an SPF 30 on my face everyday to avoid damage to my skin, especially since I don’t wear foundation! I’ve been using Aveda tinted moisturizer (SPF 15) with my Aveda sunscreen. I chose these products because they’re 99% naturally derived from plants, and I found them to be the healthiest for my skin.

To be honest, at first the thought of not wearing make-up was so intimidating I thought no way on earth, which is why I decided I needed to give it a try! I’m not saying I will go the entire summer without foundation, I’m sure some fancy event will call for it on occasion. But I wanted to experiment with self confidence and a journey to happier skin, and this seemed like a good time to start… no time like the present time! Thank you for reading this, happy summer and don’t forget to listen to your skin!

XOXO, Mykel Elizabeth