I Went a Whole Week With No Makeup, and Here’s What Happened

The past year has seen me wearing more makeup than ever before. I was in a relationship for eight years, and when you’re with someone for that long, you start to feel pretty comfortable in your own skin. When that relationship ended, so did my comfort. All of a sudden I found myself going on dates again, and while I used to stay in on the weekends, instead, I was out with my girlfriends, going to dinners, and meeting potential suitors. My breakup made me lose a little bit of confidence in myself, but makeup helped even the playing field. So, I started wearing it all of the time. Even on casual walks around my neighborhood.

I have sensitive, acne-prone skin, and to say it wasn’t used to all the makeup is an understatement. I take a hormonal acne medication called Spironolactone, and while that helps cut down on a lot of my breakouts, I still get pimples when certain products don’t agree with my skin. While I used to go months without ever placing a stitch of makeup on my face, over the last year, I rarely went a day. When I was given the opportunity to try a week without makeup, I jumped at the chance, knowing my skin needed the TLC. Although I was a little nervous — my bronzer and contour sticks had become like a safety blanket — I was excited to see the results.

For seven days, instead of focusing on makeup, I took the opportunity to focus on my skin-care routine. My basic regimen stayed pretty much the same; I’ve been using a new serum to combat my hyperpigmentation, and that stayed in my rotation, as well as my favorite moisturizer, eye cream, and SPF.

I also started using my LED Esthetics Glotech Mask Pro ($609, originally $761) every single day, sometimes twice a day. I’m a big fan of LED masks, but when it comes to being consistent, I’m lazy. The fact that I wasn’t wearing makeup at any point during the day, however, made it easy for me to throw it on at any time, whether I was working at my desk or cleaning up my apartment. I also started doing more face masks, and wearing eye masks every single morning. (My current favorite is the Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Eye Patches ($75).)

Of course, there were mornings when I woke up and I needed a little extra help. In those instances, I’d mix a bit of the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Bronzing Drops with Peptides ($38) with my moisturizer in the morning, which instantly gave my skin a much-needed glow — no base products required.

So, I went a whole week without makeup, so what? Well, for starters, my skin looked better overall. Before I started my no-makeup journey, a huge pimple popped up on the side of my nose, and I’m not overreacting when I say it was the longest-lasting zit I’ve ever dealt with. Even though I was tempted to reach for my concealer to cover it up, instead I grabbed a Glossier x Scarface Hydro-Star ($15). I truly think skipping out on the makeup is what finally got the blemish to disappear.

Overall, one of the main things I learned was that life was easier without makeup. I didn’t have to spend an extra 40 minutes getting ready every day, and I didn’t have to spend time cleaning products off of my face every night before bed, either. Yes, it was a little weird going on dates and going out to dinner with a completely bare face, but it also felt liberating.

Growing up, I always heard that I needed to give my skin “room to breathe,” and while I always felt like the sentiment was bullshit, I saw a huge difference in how I looked and felt after going just seven days without makeup. My skin was brighter, smoother, and generally felt more well taken care of.