I remember the first time I wore makeup in public.
I was 14, and I’d just discovered Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse…every tweens holy grail.
Except I didn’t know how to colour match.
So I picked a shade that looked “close enough” under the yellow supermarket lights. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
I turned up to school looking like a dusty gingerbread man with bronzer in my eyebrows. But I was so proud of myself. I thought I looked grown.
Makeup back then was about hiding. Covering spots. Drawing on lips I didn’t have. Being “pretty enough” to keep up.
Now? It’s play. It’s fun. It’s creative. It’s contouring one cheekbone and leaving the other alone because I can’t be bothered.
Here are the 3 biggest things I’ve learned about makeup that finally made me feel confident wearing it.
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Lesson Number 1 – You don’t need to “fix” anything
The biggest shift happened when I realised makeup is not plastic surgery.
You don’t need to trick people into thinking you have a smaller nose or bigger lips or perfect skin. You’re allowed to just… enhance what’s already there.
I used to pile on concealer, trying to erase every shadow and spot. Then I’d wonder why I looked like a shiny ghost in every photo.
Now, I just dot concealer under my eyes and around my nose, tap it in with my fingers, and leave it at that. My skin still looks like skin. And I still look like me, just with slightly better lighting.
Makeup shouldn’t make you feel like a stranger.
It should feel like you.
Lesson Number 2 – Skin prep is more important than foundation
Once upon a time, I thought good makeup started with foundation. Now I know it begins with skincare.
If your face is dry, flaking, or unbalanced, your makeup won’t sit right.
No matter how good the products are, they won’t blend. They’ll just sit there, like regret.
So before I touch any makeup, I prep like I’m about to meet the love of my life.
Hydrating toner. Lightweight moisturiser. Glowy primer if I’m feeling extra.
And sometimes, that’s enough. Sometimes I don’t even wear foundation, just a bit of concealer and cream blush. Call it cute.
Glow doesn’t come from highlighter. It comes from not abusing your skin with 40 powders and then wondering why your face looks like a dusty ashtray.
Lesson Number 3 – You only need a few products to look put-together
There was a time when I thought a full face meant 17 products.
Now? Give me a brow pencil, a cream blush, lip liner, mascara — done.
Most days, my go-to routine is:
- Tinted moisturiser or concealer
- Brow pencil (light strokes only)
- Cream blush (applied like I’ve just run up a hill)
- Lip liner + balm (so it looks like I was born with cute lips)
- Mascara (but only on top lashes, we’re not clumping today)
It’s giving soft glam. It’s giving “I drink water and mind my business.”
You don’t need a complicated routine to look polished. Just a few products that actually suit you.
So no, I don’t follow trends religiously. I don’t bake my face or laminate my brows.
But I’ve finally figured out how to use makeup without using it as a disguise. And that’s the real glow-up.
Wear the winged liner. Skip the contour. Do both. Do neither. Just promise me you’ll do it because you want to, not because you feel like you have to.
Thank you for trusting me.
All my love,
– Tess