Image via YouTube (Nikkietutorials).
Like a lot of women (and men) I love makeup. I enjoy playing around with new products and look forward to doing my makeup for special occasions.
That doesn’t make me superficial, insecure, vain or trying to impress men. And it certainly doesn’t give anyone the right to makeup shame me.
It’s a feeling that many, including Dutch beauty vlogger Nikkietutorials, are all too familiar with.
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In a video that’s been viewed over 10 million times, the 20 year old nails everything that’s wrong with the judgement women receive for choosing to wear makeup.
“I feel like lately it’s almost a crime to love doing your makeup,” she says to her million plus subscribers. (Post continues after video.)
“Girls have been almost ashamed to say that they love makeup. Because nowadays if you wear makeup, you do it to impress boys, because you’re insecure or because you don’t love yourself.”
And apparently it’s no better when you go without, with Nikkie confessing many people have accused her of lying about what she looks like.
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“If I don’t wear makeup and meet people and show them pictures of my videos or looks I have done, they look at me and straight up tell me ‘That’s not you’,” she says.
“They say ‘It’s funny because you don’t even look like that girl in the picture’.”
To prove just how powerful makeup can be, as well as explain exactly why it’s OK to love and wear makeup (because it is), Nikkie creates a seriously glam tutorial with her favourite products… on just one side of her face.
"I'm going to do one side of my face really glam, I'm going to completely transform it with makeup, and the other side is going to be me. Raw. Unedited. Nothing, just me," she explains.
As she takes us step by step applying each stage of makeup with incredible results, she's funny, empowering and perfectly candid. (Post continues after gallery.)
The power of makeup: step by step
She loves her foundation because it "makes her look Photoshopped without the Photoshop" and her concealer makes her dark circles disappear.
"I love brows. Problem is I don't have them naturally. What us the solution for that? Brow pencil," she says.
Her eye makeup skills are something to be seriously admired, as she demonstrates how to completely transform and open your eyes up with eyeliner and eye shadow.
"One of the main things I get told when people see pictures of me with makeup compared to bare in person, is 'But you look so much slimmer there'. Welcome to contouring," she laughs.
Comparing her contoured cheeks with her natural ones she says "Look at that - cheek bones on point and where is the point!"
While it's clear that Nikkie enjoys using makeup to play around with and transform her face, she doesn't promote it as an alternative to loving your body how it is.
"In no way am I saying that if you have insecurities, you should just slap makeup on, feel better and just never be content with your own self," she says.
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"I just want people to know that makeup is fun, and there are no rules to makeup. If you want to go for that super sharp contour for the day, do it. If you want to go for a red lip and crazy bull eyes, do it."
In the same way, it's just as fine and fun to wear no makeup whatsoever. And we don't mean in a bullsh*t "I woke up like this" celebrity no-makeup selfie way, where there just happens to be professional lighting and a wind machine.
We mean looking in a mirror on a good skin day AND a bad one and loving what you see.
Have you been makeup shamed? Do you think it matters whether you wear makeup or not?