I wear a lot of makeup. Concealer, base, contouring, highlighting,blusher,3-6 shades of eyeshadow, eye liner, fiber mascara, 2-4 shades of lip color (usually a liner, stain, and gloss), setting powder, and a finishing mist. Okay, that describes my makeup when I really do it up. I don't need much encouragement to go all out though, just enough time. I really love everything about makeup, from shopping for it, to washing it off. I pretty much won't leave the house without filling in my eyebrows (I don't grow any of my own) and a nice, shiny lip balm.
A man in makeup? Yeah, that's cool if we're just friends. I wouldn't find that attractive. It just isn't masculine to me. But there's totally room at the mirror for one more if a male friend wanted to get dolled up together. If he's MY man I'd rather he cultivate some soft, sweet-smelling, well coiffed facial hair. Facial hair is cool. It's also hot. That's just what I would prefer. Ultimately, I wouldn't interfere.
I hate when people say I'd look better without makeup. No one who has actually seen both states has ever said this. I have had people tell me I have beautiful skin, and then seem surprised when I describe how much product I'm wearing, but that was a looooooong time ago. My landlord had been used to seeing me as I appear when I roll out of bed and answer the door. He's come by and seen me dressed and ready to receive company or go out, and told me the difference is night and day. I do kind of go from frump to fab. Various endocrine ailments are wreaking havoc on my skin. Some nurse recently told me I was beautiful, and didn't need so much. She'd just complimented my eye shadow, and after thanking her, I told her how many colors it was because she seemed interested in technique. Then she told me I didn't need so much makeup. I was polite, but made a rant on social media...
"This is not a photo from today. It's from a day when I was feeling pretty down. Neither [name redacted] nor Grandma were home. [Name redacted] deployed, and Grandma was in hospital. The first thing I do on a day I know will be hard, is completely make my face up. Then I will decide what clothes to wear based upon weather, expected activities, but the colors are dictated by the makeup that made me feel cheerful. Everywhere I went that day I was complimented on my makeup. But you know what else? On that particular day (and on many others) I was also told repeatedly that I do not need so much makeup. How do I feel about that?
Excuse me? Go deal with your own face. You have no idea what my skin looks like underneath. You don't know me, you don't know what my life is like, and you don't know how much better I felt about myself, my upcoming challenges, nor the world around me and the people in it, yourself included after I chilled out in my bathroom, playing with my cosmetics and my appearance. If I was a man would you dare walk up to me just to tell me what I should or should not do about my facial hair? Were you raised by wolves and therefore should have your ill-mannered, unsolicited advice excused? If you aren't a friend or relative, your advice on how to present myself in casual situations is not even a spoke on a sprocket in a broken machine cast off by people long dead on a distal planet in a galaxy far, far away in my existential microcosm. Besides. I didn't come up to you and tell you how a little dark blush applied to your jaw would make your face look slimmer, or how some primer under some concealer, under some foundation would blur the dark circles and wrinkles under your eyes. I'm prettier and more stylish than you. So. Go deal with your face as you please, and I shall continue to do the same with mine."
This sums up my opinion.
