Alicia Keys showed up at the VMAs this year wearing no makeup. Her reason is everything. The message she's broadcasting is stellar and who can't relate? I myself have been going through a little bit of a "crisis of faith" lately. Recently, my best friend showed up at our house and I immediately noticed how low maintenance her look was. Here I was with a full face of makeup (about five eyeshadows blended onto my lids, contour, three different concealers, full coverage foundation - the works) and I found myself extremely jealous of her natural look. She was gorgeous. And, I suddenly felt way overdone. More and more recently, I'm seeing bare faces and I worry that I'm covering up my own natural beauty. So when Husband and I got into a discussion at the very end of July he, the man who fell in love with my bare face (seriously, how did I get so lucky?), admitted that he misses seeing my bare face. Go figure! And, I can't really say that I blame him; I have been going at it pretty hard lately. I've been doing a full face of makeup every single day; not really giving it a break, even on weekends. I apply my makeup early in the morning and don't remove it and wash my face until I am just about to climb into bed. Considering that he has never really liked me wearing makeup, I decided that it's time to dial my routine back.

The majority of the collection

If you haven't figured this out about me, I am pretty much the textbook definition of a beauty addict. All the girls flock into my room when they come over to ooh and aah over my vanity and I haven't had the heart to tell any of them that there is another stash of makeup somewhere in my house. I read all about the latest trends and the products that are taking the beauty community by storm daily. I watch a ton of youtube videos and tutorials. I spend way too much on makeup  (I also spend a lot on skincare, but I would never say it's too much because good skincare is an absolute non-negotiable.) and it seems like the more I buy, the more I wear because I get this overwhelming guilt for owning it and not using it. I've never really been someone who wears a lot of makeup, but here I am with a huge collection and a 30+ minute makeup routine. So how does a beauty addict dial back?

The first change that I made was a big one: I moved and reorganized my collection, keeping only a small tray of stuff in place of the old nine drawer system. I cleaned out my closet (a project unto itself) and after I had made enough room I moved my collection onto the shelf in the back. It's still close enough that I can get into it but it's also not in my normal line of sight so I won't constantly be tempted. After that, I started picking out what would I would keep on my vanity. I started with an organizer tray and filled it with the essentials: moisturizers, serums, sunscreen, eye creams, tinted lip balms, mascara, a brow pencil, and lightweight concealer. I'll admit, it was a complete shock to see my entire collection reduced to so little. It was also surprisingly freeing. I don't feel as much of the overwhelming guilt for not using products that I don't have in front of my face regularly.

The new vanity

I started out by mandating one week of makeup detox. This was a vital part of my transition. First and foremost, it gave me the foundation for starting over. I never intend to apply as much makeup as I do. I find myself reaching for a single product and finding three more that I decide to use for the day. I feared that if I didn't stop using everything completely first I would never really commit to using less. That was a difficult and rewarding week. I started out by feeling that everyone was silently judging me. I didn't feel as "on the ball" or put together as I usually do and that was a difficult internal struggle for me. I left the house every morning with that overwhelming feeling that I was forgetting something. On the other hand, I had less work to do getting ready in the morning. I didn't have to worry about whether I had applied too much makeup. I always have that underlying fear that I have cake face, or that I didn't blend well enough, or that I'm streaky, or the worst - I am wearing the wrong foundation shade. Not wearing anything at all was kind of great for my psyche that way. It also helped me to gauge what is really important for to me. I found myself really, really desperate to curl my lashes and apply a layer of mascara. Without it, I feel like my eyes look really small. It's such a small thing to do but it really opens my eyes up. I also really missed doing my brows. Again, it's a small thing, but it is sorely missed when I don't groom them.

After my week was up, I added a single drawer to my organizer tray. I added some natural eyeshadow palettes, cream blushes, primers, and bronzer to my vanity. I also gave myself some small rules to adhere to. The first is that base products should be sheer and undetectable. My love for full coverage foundations makes this rule a little shocking. It's hard for my mind to wrap around the idea of applying any makeup without first applying a base of foundation for it to adhere to. I have changed my mentality in this regard. Instead of needing a full coverage base as the foundation for my makeup, I am using skincare as the foundation on which to build my look for the day. It's actually really, really nice. I am slowly but surely getting used to seeing my face with all of its markings and characteristics with a smokey eye.

Without a heavy base of makeup, I'm only applying natural looking blushes or nothing at all. I'm loving either a nude cream stain or a cream blush applied with my finger tips. I am finding myself using them less and less and enjoying my natural flush more and more.

While I should probably skip the bronzer, I'm too in love with it currently to pack them all away entirely. That's why my next rule had to be made: No chiseling out my cheekbones with contour. If I allow myself to pull out the bronzer, I'm only going to warm up the face and apply it around the perimeter. My favorite part of applying bronzer is how tan I look after I apply a dusting to my hairline anyway. I realize that contouring makes my face look thinner, but so does exercise, so get on that treadmill instead! (Yeah, I'm a little harsh sometimes, even with myself.)

The next rule is kind of easy for me: Thou shalt only wear nude eyeshadows. I'm kind of a lover of all nude eyeshadow palettes. I only have a few that are a little bolder. I have had a few days that I've let myself take a more dramatic route, but I balance it out by not applying eyeliner and only applying concealer to my lids for the next day or two. I have found that I really like this bare look. I don't have to worry about fallout, smudging, or creasing and my main concern is applying mascara anyway.

I have committed to taking no longer than 20 minutes to get ready for the day, including my skin care routine. This kind of sounds like it is a long time, but it's really not when you consider that you need to allow gaps of time between applying your skincare products to allow them to sink in. My routine this past month has boiled down to skincare, nourishing primer, brow grooming, eye shadow (if any), mascara, skin tint, bronzer, and lip gloss. It's so simple, but I still feel put together and on top of everything. And, even without using a lot of product I still feel beautiful. That's the real point to all of this right?

And, last but not least, give the makeup a break every once and a while. I have said this before, but I stopped living it for a while there. Don't feel guilty if you go to work sans makeup. It doesn't mean you are any less beautiful or capable. Growing up my mom wouldn't even leave the house to drop me off at school without "putting her face on." I think it somewhere stuck in my head that applying makeup was a requirement for being a put together adult female. I think that a lot of women feel that way - that that is what is expected of them. I am struggling with feeling inadequate without makeup on, but I am getting better at understanding that I am not.

I have been living with these rules for over a month and a half now and I am supremely happy. I somehow feel even more confident in my own skin. I'm all about taking better care of myself. My routine is much more streamlined in the morning. We're traveling next month and I'm actually looking forward to a lighter makeup bag while I travel. It's going to give me more room to bring souvenirs back! Do you think you could commit to a more natural approach with your makeup?