SUVANNI’S SUGGESTIONS

My friends and family always ask me “Why do you wear makeup?”, and although I have a list of reasons, nobody actually understands. Ever since I was younger, makeup has intrigued me. Watching makeup tutorials on youtube, going into Sephora and Ulta to see all the new products, and even just watching my mom sparked my interest. I became interested in makeup and was inspired to attempt applying it myself after witnessing how others could create works of art on their faces. I didn’t actually start wearing makeup until I was about 13. Back then, makeup was just for fun. I wasn’t the best, but I didn’t care about being the best. I was just a young girl wearing makeup. I would usually just wear a little bit of mascara and some lip gloss, but to me, it was a game changer.

With makeup, I feel like I am able to graft my emotions with the way I do my makeup. Whether I was feeling serene or anxious, I always knew that I could express myself and my feelings through makeup. I consider makeup to be my art, and there are many different ways that I may represent myself through it. To most people, it seems strange to have a connection with an inanimate product like makeup, but to me, it wasn’t just an inanimate object. I always associated makeup with a celebration, regardless of how I was feeling. If I was sad, I would put on makeup as a fun way to cheer myself up, or if I were happy, I would feel as though my makeup allowed me to show my joy. Getting dressed up and glammed up to go out and celebrate, but even on a typical day, makeup makes me feel better and increases my enjoyment for things throughout the day. When I was younger I only wore makeup to parties, but as I grew up it turned into an everyday thing. Even when I wasn’t wearing makeup all the time, people were still asking me “why makeup?”.

I always felt better wearing makeup. It was like a mask to cover the imperfections I didn’t want to be broadcasted to the world. When I was 15 my acne started to get very bad. I was hating the way I looked and I used makeup to cover it. I was basically wearing a full face everywhere I was going. I was extremely insecure with the way I was looking and I wanted to mask not only my face but the way I was feeling as well. Mostly everyone thinks that this is the reason I wear makeup, and it was for a while, but it isn’t now. As I continued to get older I realized that makeup just hides the things I’m insecure about, it doesn’t make them go away. I have found a new love for makeup. I realized that its beauty isn’t something that should be abused, but instead embraced. Makeup for me now is similar to what it was to me when I was a kid. Makeup is fun for me. Although I know I don’t need makeup, it gives me a boost of confidence, which I think is a confusing thing for most people to understand. My friends and family can’t understand that wanting a boost of confidence does not mean I am insecure. My mother believes that you should always look your best no matter where you are going, so she always convinces me to wear makeup. On the other hand, my boyfriend is constantly telling me that I shouldn't wear makeup because I don't need it and I look good all-natural. I understand them both, but I don't wear makeup out of obligation.

I think that makeup is a great creative outlet. I have never been the most artistic person, but makeup is something I consider to be an artwork. I can be as creative as I want and express myself in a way that makes me happy. And just like artwork, makeup is ambiguous. Ambiguous means that something can be open to more than one interpretation, and artwork is something that can be perceived in different ways. I feel like I can go to all different lengths when it comes to the creativity of makeup. My face is like a blank canvas and the makeup is the paint. People may have all different kinds of ideas when it comes to “Why do I actually wear makeup?”. It’s not because I’m insecure, or because I’m bored, or because I want to follow the trend of everyone else. Makeup makes me happy and it allows me to express myself in ways that I have never been able to express myself ever before.