Riley Christopher

Last Tuesday I decided to attempt the “No Product Challenge”. Last Tuesday I drove home to Georgia for Thanksgiving break at around 5 am. I had to drop my roommate off at the airport and decided on the car ride home that this would be the perfect day to attempt the challenge. My roommate and I woke up a little later that we planned (as usual), and we rushed to get out the door. I did not have any time to wash my face or apply makeup, and I even forgot to put deodorant on before we left. Once we arrived at the airport and I dropped my roommate off, I decided since I had around a 5 hour car ride home I would attempt the “no product day” challenge.

I started off pretty strong and had only minor issues during the beginning of the day. While stopping at gas stations I felt very self conscious walking in without any makeup on. I do not normally wear a full face of makeup but I do wear some to cover up my basic insecurities. I have always been self conscious of my forehead because I believe it is rather big, so normally I fill in my very light blondish eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil to make my forehead appear smaller. While in the gas stations I felt very self conscious, so I just tried to remind myself that no one cared what I looked like (especially at 7 am) and that I looked beautiful regardless of what my forehead looks like. It is such a minor change, but it is something that I am used to covering up every day.

By the time I arrived home, I was exhausted and fell asleep for a couple hours before my boyfriend came over to my house with breakfast. In the beginning of our relationship I always wore a decent amount of makeup and always had my eyebrows filled in, but after dating for over a year I realized he truly does not care how I dress or look in front of him. What shocked me the most was that when he gave me a hug he commented on how good I smelled. At that point I had forgotten that I had not put on deodorant that morning, and it made me feel good knowing that I did not smell like bad body odor. I told him that I was participating in the “no product day” challenge and he immediately smiled. It made me feel really confident knowing that other people still thought I was pretty (and not stinky) when I did not use any products.

I only hung out with the rest of my family that night so I was completely comfortable not wearing any makeup. The only thing I noticed is that when I went to respond to my friends on snapchat, I was a bit nervous about sending just a bare picture of myself. In the spirit of the “no product day” challenge, I sent them anyways. This challenge has made me realize that I do not need makeup to be presentable and beautiful in the eyes of others and myself.