“This isn’t a push up bra, it’s body armor.
And this ain’t makeup sweetheart, it’s war paint.”

- Iliza Shlesinger

I watched Iliza Shlesinger's comedy program, War Paint, last year and these words completely resonated with me. For a long time, I used makeup to cover myself up. I had terrible acne from grade five until about my second year of university and it was entirely embarrassing. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until I was seventeen...so when I finally got the chance, all I wanted to do was wear a makeup mask. No it wasn't bad like you're thinking - it matched my neck and it wasn't caked on - but, the reasons I was wearing it were wrong. I wouldn't leave the house without makeup on, I wouldn't let my boyfriend see my bare face, I could barely look at myself without makeup. I used makeup to hide my ugly and it took me a really long time to realize I was beautiful without makeup on. And to be honest, some days, that's still an ongoing struggle as I'm sure it is for a lot of young girls and women. Now I try to look at makeup as something to enhance what I already have, to make my features stand out, not to cover them up. Makeup is a fantastic weapon: a pop of bright pink blush can trick you into feeling happier, a smoldering smokey eye can make you feel like a total bad-ass and a swipe of bold red lipstick can make anyone feel like a vivacious vixen. Makeup allows you to be a chameleon: from classy to bo-ho and from girly to gritty. Yeah, sometimes we need makeup to remedy certain flaws, but most of the time, makeup is transformative, instilling a confidence that we always had but just needed a reminder of.  Makeup helps you be bold and brave. Put on your face to conquer the day: makeup is warpaint.