Why do we wear makeup?

Why can't you leave in the morning without makeup?

I personally can't go out without makeup although I don't absolutely need it.

Just share your reasons. It would be interesting... Thanks

For me - I feel pretty when I have it on. I am in my mid 30's and now it has become something that is needed.
The foundation evens out the skin tone - the eyeliner opens up my eyes, as well as mascara and the powder makes me look less shiny!

I used to only wear makeup to cover up my acne, which is still here. Then one day, I thought, maybe the makeup is what makes my acne so bad. I stopped. It's starting to diminish, but is still there. God I hate acne. Anyway, I used a little eyeliner ALWAYS because it opens up my eyes. I'm terrified of mascara and all my friends make fun of me for it. :)

Make up makes you feel more confident, there's not doubt about that. Its so fun as well, but when you find it a drag you put on your face you need to think is it worth the hassle

I couldn't live without make up, especially eyeliner and mascara.

I do not wear makeup. Never have liked it but then I do not like fussing with my hair either. If I cannot wash and go, forget it.

For me makeup is an art. Someday id love to be a makeup artist or aesthetician. When I don't put on my makeup, its like I feel naked. At the very very least I try to wear eyeliner daily(only because I have very slanted eyes and they look beady w/o eyeliner) otherwise, I rarely wear foundation because my skn is fairly acne free and I don't use powder unless its bronzer. Eye makeup is usually the only place I apply b.c as I mentioned before, my eyes are really beady lol. I'm more insecure when I don't wear makeup. I guess that's why ii wear makeup

I cannot leave the house without make up on. Well, I can, but it's not a pretty site. Haha.

I think women wear make-up because it makes us feel beautiful. Everyone has flaws and make-ups helps to both enhance and/or correct thoes flaws.

I used to wear make up when I was younger to look glamorous and unfortunately to try to hide my acne ( all I really did was make the acne worse!) Up in till a few years or so a go I wore it 'cause I just thought it made me look better and more put together. Now I rarely wear make-up at all because I can't wear it at work. I just got use to not wearing it. Hey and men still flirt with me! Of course I‘m still wearing make-up when I go on dates, I need all the help I can get. :D

I don't wear it for every day, only for special occasions and performances. I don't like how icky it makes my skin feel.

I wear make up for going out. It's part of te ritual for getting me set up for a good evening, I also apply it as part of a bonding social thing with my flatmates/ friends. It's not so much about changing appearance as a kind of group grooming thing - does that make sense?

Other than that I can take it or leave it depending on how I feel. Although if I'm feeling punky that day the eyeliner does have a tendency to come out.

The thing for me though is I have a tendency to feel less confident in makeup than without. As if by making an effort I am setting myself to be judged by people's standard of beautiful - without it I can always use the excuse I just don't care. Hmm I know I'm not alone with this but I don't know how prevalent it is.

Nice question by the way - very interesting

I wear makeup only when I'm going out somewhere important or fancy. Otherwise, I skip it. I live in Florida and its so humid, I mean after standing outside for 10 minutes the makeup starts to feel like a paste on my face.

I am a mosiacist and enjoy art. Makeup is my paint and my face is my canvas... besides, it makes me feel important for the day!

I guess we all use makeup to enhance our natural beauty or to hide a few imperfections :p:)

But what about men?

Who decided that makeup was MAINLY for women? I wonder

I have a lot of male friends that wear make up, mostely concealer and the odd bit of eyeliner/ nailvarnish. I think men's make up either has to be hidden or more dramatic because they have stronger shaped faces.

In the past it was perfectly acceptable for both sexes to wear makeup, and every so often it comes back into fashion.

I am a man. I appreciate the diversity, frankness and honesty of answers that have been given thus far. I wear a base makeup on my face. It helps to even out my skin tone and color because I have a very ruddish complexion. I also have an acne problem, occasionally. I like to look like something better than a road map when being in front of people!

But, to address the original poster's question in the deeper sense since it really is an interesting question. In my opinon, I think that anyone who wears makeup, is trying to convey a picture of themselves to other people the way that they think others would like to see them look in terms of the accepted norms of the society in which that person lives. Wearing makeup, and how it is applied in such a society, is an art. Those are my opinions, anyway.

Frankly, the original question by the poster, could almost be considered to be of a philosophical question in nature, if one would like to go that far with it.

I have been involved in church music for over 36 years. In one of the churches where I was the Director of Music, I told my children's choir that they needed to dress up when we were going to be singing in front of the congregation during a Sunday morning worship service. One of the kids questioned why they had to dress up.

I really had to think hard about that question. It was mainly a 'bedroom" and farm community. The kids would wear jeans to church, as well as some of the adults. But, there were also those adults that dressed up to the "nines" when they came to church.

I told the kids later, that dressing up for when we were going to sing, was to present a picture to the other members of the congregation that they could enjoy. It was like we were presenting a work of art, something that we had created and that we hoped that the congregation, in addition to how we sang, would enjoy.

This has just been my two cents worth concerning the subject of makeup. Nothing brilliant, but just my own opinion.

I think that we wear makeup because we can and because we can we do because for me , I feel that the better you look in society ,the better society treats you . Terrible but true . I feel like if you go out not looking your best you will not be treated the best you can be , and I am not talking about men , I couldn't care less about what men think of makeup but generally all society judges you by the way you look , men , women , children , business associates , friends , strangers etc.

I have always been tickled to find that the ancients used crushed berries to color their hair and finger nails. Henna or beet juice to color their hair. Kohl for eyeliner and more natural things for "beautiousnesss." My favorite though was when the Egyptians (I think during Tutankhamen's reign) put a very soft, scented candle on their heads to melt and stream down their bodies, they were greasy but they smelled good!

When I worked as a live-in housekeeper/nanny/chauffuer/and cook I always lived in affluent neighborhoods. There were always a lot of folks in the entertainment industry living nearby. I was almost blown away by the famous men who wore make-up skillfully.