LESS IS MORE

the #nomakeup trend is growing, and self-empowerment is following suit

It’s exciting to jazz yourself up by trying beautiful, exotic colours in refreshing make-up palettes, adorning yourself in divine shimmers and glitters... but it seems that lately, the ladies have been ditching the usual trend for the natural look.

At the time of writing, over 14 million people have hashtagged Instagram with the #nomakeup tag, proudly waving the flag for fresh, au naturale faces.

Celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, and Kim Kardashian have bared their faces sans-make-up, spreading a bit of self-love to their massive social media following.

Style beauty specialist Tennielle Copson weighs in on the topic.

“The media is a little bit of smoke and mirrors, where even our most beautiful celebrities are photoshopped for front covers,” she says.

“This is a really great, empowering initiative to help girls love themselves and embrace their natural beauty.”

It seems that self-acceptance has, in itself become a trend and is finally becoming celebrated, in conjunction with body positivity.

HOW TO BE A PART OF IT

It sounds simple, but it’s not.

Women have been wearing make-up for a very long time, and to — quite literally — wipe the slate clean, and walk out the door without make-up, can be quite nerve-wracking.

So if the no make-up trend intrigues you and you’d like to be a part of it, you can definitely start slowly.

1. Sit in front of the mirror for 10 minutes a day with no make-up on, with one goal — just be present with yourself.

2. Notice your thoughts and feelings as you look at yourself, and let go of any self-criticisms. Give yourself some compassion and any complements. Do this for 10 minutes a day for at least two weeks and see what happens.

3. When you feel ready, take the next step and head out with your beautiful, sans-make-up face and see how refreshing it is.