Thanks Browneyedgirl,

My parents are fairly old school, and my dad kept ramming into my head that using make up and hair products was not good for me. Point proven everytime I would have zits after putting make up on, or when I started losing my hair ( probably a bit of stress + hormones), which my dad put down to the perms ( yeah I know :shamed: ) and the many colours I did ( but which didn't work since I have black hair and wouldn't have been allowed to bleach it)
I have therefore always had that at the back of my mind.

My mom also told me ( and I know it's anecdotal, but that's one of the reason why I put that thread on in the first place) that she used to work with a girl with whom she was also friend, who had terrible acne, and in order to hide it would put loads of foundation on, which in turn seemed to make her acne worse, which lead to a endless circle. Now I know that was the 60's or 70's and I am sure there's been loads of research done and that make up nowadays is probably better than it used to me, but that has always stuck in my mind.


I know it's kinda of easy for me to draw these conclusions as I have never had the problem, maybe things would have been different if I did have acne.

SO why did you start wearing make up? Was it coz all your friend at school did or because you were having skin problems you wanted to hide?

To appease people, even though I don't have acne, i am far from perfect. I have fairly thick skin on my face, never used to wear sun protection as a kid, and now I am pretty sure that I have sun marks on my nose that look like freckles but aren't, I get zits on my arms and legs, and I get ingrown hairs. I am also one of the hairiest person I know ( and I include blokes in too, ha ha ha),a nd even though people tell me my hair is nice, I don't think so, it's very black so I can't die it much unless I bleached, (and I don't want pee coloured hair, thanks very much,) and if I do use a colour ( which I do from time to time, but with no apparent results) my hair then turns a dirty shade of brown ( god knows why) and finally I get one spot at the back of my head where hair grows like wool ( feels as wool and I end up with one big dreadlock, nice!) and that I can't explain either....

Aurelie,

No one will be bitter at you for saying you don't have acne, really! There's no need to appease anyone.

We all have our own issues about our appearance, many of which are actually completely unwarranted because people are always far more critical of themselves than they should be. Not to mention the awful psychological problem we're almost all guilty of- the wanting of what we don't already have. For instance, what's wrong with very black hair? Why do you want to change its color? Black hair is beautiful- look at Kim Kardashian, among many other people. I have dark hair I've never dyed, and I wouldn't want to- aside from the fact that dying hair is a damaging process, I'm perfectly happy with dark hair. It suits me just fine. (Though, of course, I'd prefer if it was naturally straight, fuller, etc. etc.)

I started wearing makeup in the 7th grade because I enjoyed makeup. It had nothing to do with a skin problem- that didn't come until high school. My mother never wore makeup, and most of my friends didn't when I started wearing it. I just liked the application, experimenting with colors and the results, which did help my suffering self-confidence in middle school. Perhaps it's because I lack artistic ability in other capacities, makeup is a creative outlet for me. The fact that it can mask blemishes and redness and dark under eye circles, make my lashes appear fuller, etc. is a great bonus; it provides me with a confidence boost to go along with the fun.

A lot of makeup isn't suitable for people with very sensitive skin, maybe you were in that category, which is why makeup would cause you to break out? I really don't know how to explain what you experienced. I can understand why your parents may have had concerns about products and makeup. I'm sure they were just looking out for you, thinking that preventing you from having bad experiences with products would protect your self esteem.

Hm.. personally, I started getting acne and breaking out when I was about 9, right when I got my period.  Obviously I wasn't wearing make up at that age.
Afterwards, I'd just wear foundation for dance performances and tall flag competitions, which I absolutely hated.  You were there sweating your butt off, and then thick gooey make up is sliding down your face.  It's disgusting.  However, by high school-ish I would occassionally wear eyeshadow and lip gloss.
It wasn't until college that I started wearing foundation, powder (sometimes), blush, mascara, concealer, and all that shebang.  Coincidentally my face cleared up a bit, which made wearing make up easier.  It's just easier to apply make up when my skin isn't all broken out.  And I hate concealing!  I suck at blending, and dotting each and every pimple or discoloration on my face just makes me feel even more self conscious about my skin.  But I love eyeshadows and blush and lip gloss.  It's sooo fun applying all the different colors and trying out new things.  I think I'm like browneyedgirl in that it's my creative outlet, too.  I suck at drawing, aside from drawing a pig, a cat, and stick figures (my pig and cat totally rock though).
Anyhow.. that's my story. 
And black hair is beautiful, but so is trying out new hair colors.  I have dark dark black hair naturally, but it's so dark that it washes out my skin tone.  I look really pale when I have black hair.  Light browns and honey blondes make me look really dark.  I think dark reds look just right on my skin tone.  Again, I just love experimenting new colors.  Even though I'm staying in the dark red family, I always try something different.  =D

I only bleach little sections for highlights, and I try not to do that too often.  I know my stylist uses the Koleston Perfect line from Wella.  The dye is pretty strong.  It makes my scalp super red, and for a week it looks like I have red dandruff.  I know, gross!
I can ask my stylist for you on what you can do.  However, I don't know how much advice she can give without seeing your hair.

I would like to point out that acne is primarily caused by hormones and facial bacteria. The products you do or don't put on your face have little to do with how bad the condition is. Although the use of face make-up is not recommended, it is usually the talc or other ingredients that can make the problem worse not the mineral oil which the bacteria cannot consume and the other ingredients only make it worse when the pores are already enlarged enough to become blocked by the particles or are an irritant. Washing with a mild cleanser and using a mild antiseptic or anti-acne cream - On The Blemishes ONLY and getting 15 to 20 mins. sun exposure every day and letting it run its course are the best remedies yet for mild to moderate cases. Excessive washing, poking, squeezing, scrubbing and smearing your face with creams without a dermatologists advice are a sure-fire way to permanent scarring.