Day 123: 112 Hours

On February 19^th, I wrote my final blog… and never published it.

It felt wrong. I felt like an infomercial or a cheesy car salesman trying to convince the world that they needed to do something.

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Here is an excerpt from what I wrote:

“When we began this challenge, we thought Day 30 would bring a sense of clarity and we would feel a certain way; however, it’s hard to say how we feel because we can’t seem to find the words for it. We’ve never felt this way before.

I think we have this crazy idea that we won’t be the same person when we stop hiding behind our make up… and, 30 days later, you won’t. That person you’ve created with the insecurities and the incessant need to look perfect will vanish. And, in its place, you’ll find loud moments of spontaneity. You’ll find a friend that someone needed."

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Sounds like a lot of pretty words, doesn’t it? If I were a scientist, I would say that I was lacking hard evidence. And I was. So here it is: what the Audrey Hepburn Challenge really was.

We’ll be the first to admit it: what we did during those 30 days was not revolutionary. In fact, it was quite simple. We went without makeup and let the social experiment fall as it may. We challenged a social norm and broke up with our insecurities.

Day 1 was empowering. I felt strong. 

I wish I could say the entire 30 days was that easy. It wasn’t.

Breaking down 10 years of dependency on products with magazine covers for comparison really does damage to your self-perception. If you think it doesn’t, please bear with me as I give you the evidence.

I used to spend approximately 20 minutes per day putting on my make-up. That’s 140 minutes per week, 560 minutes per month, and 6,720 minutes per year. Putting that into perspective, that’s 112 hours per year spent on make-up. I can’t tell you the last time I spent 112 hours on anything and it didn’t change my perspective. And we’ve all seen the facts and figures for the amount of time we are exposed to magazines, internet, cell-phones, and TV – just to add on to the amount of time we are faced with images that skew our perceptions.

I had a heart-breaking number of people tell me they wish they could do the 30-day challenge… but they had a conference next week, or a date tomorrow, or (to my horror) they just weren’t blessed with natural beauty.

I don’t know who or what made you believe that you and your just-got-out-of-the-shower-and-haven’t-done-my-makeup-yet wasn’t something to celebrate. You in your rare form that is drenched with everything human should be a daily affirmation in itself. In that form, you have no excuses for why you are beautiful. You didn't try a new mascara, you didn't use a different shade of eyeshadow, and you didn't remember to put on lip gloss. You just are. No excuses at all.

I was lucky enough to find a way to “take back the mirror.” My 20 minutes is now down to 2. The 30-day challenge reshaped the way I view people -- especially myself -- but maybe something else will work for you. Whatever it is, I hope you find it. If nothing more, I challenge you to take one day to wear no make up out of the house and smile at everyone you can. It sounds silly, but I was still surprised and even more happy when they smiled back. :)

“Today we commit to loving our blemishes, our veins, and our shadows. We are real. We are painstakingly original, and that must be the most beautiful thing about us.”

We are what we make of ourselves

When I discovered this video I was touched by not only the cultural context but by the underlying meaning. Beauty is created by our actions. A warm heart and generous soul make for a more influential and moving person than a decorated face.

My hope is that this message hits home for the reasons that 1) you have the power to prove you are beautiful but also 2) because I believe that the discarding of baby girls in many cultures is a daily occurrence and should be a more talked about issue.

A Cover Model Makeover Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be

This video is awesome. Check it out. Here are my favorite lines from it. 

“Once someone else has done your makeup, and someone else has done your hair, and someone else has directed the way your body looks, and then taken away your imperfections; then there’s not much left of who you really are.”

“I think we live in a really interesting time where we feel like we have to make people look to this standard that isn’t attainable for anybody.”

“Instead of looking at other things and trying to aspire to be something else, we should just be comfortable in who we are and try to be our best selves.”

“I think something that everyone should keep in mind is that it’s natural to be critical of yourself. It’s natural to be uncomfortable or awkward, but you just have to know that the ideal just doesn’t exist.”

Day 26

Happiness is just a lot more beautiful.

Day 25

When I was in high school, it would take me two hours to get ready for a dance.

This was the product of 20 minutes.

Was my night still wonderful and fun and everything it should have been? Yes.

So, yeah, it's been tested: you won't remember the flawless make up you were or were not wearing on the nights that are truly more about friendship and laughing and dancing and being free. I promise.

Day 24

This happiness has never felt more real.

Why Audrey Hepburn?

Audrey Hepburn.

Over the past few weeks, we've been asked multiple times why Audrey Hepburn was chosen as the source of inspiration for this challenge. 

Our answer to this has been quite simple: Audrey Hepburn represents a movement of self-empowerment. She is quite decidedly her own. She is smart, poised, and -- in a word -- fabulous.

So that's the cliche answer. 

But the reason why Audrey Hepburn is the perfect depiction of self-worth goes a lot deeper than that.

Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium and, due to her parents' occupations, grew up under the harsh conditions set by the Holocaust; however, Audrey was a fighter. When little girls dreamed of becoming ballerinas for the twirling and soft lights, Miss Hepburn joined the ballet to raise money for the "Dutch Resistance."

And her life was not easy. During WWII, she was so malnourished that eating anything of substance was a foreign concept. Her body was the type of broken that makes our hearts ache... but, instead of letting that experience cripple her, she turned around and dedicated the rest of her life to helping UNICEF -- an organization whose opening line is "Donate to End the Preventable Deaths of Children."

Audrey Hepburn represents something quite beautiful -- and not one part of why she was chosen has anything to do with the way she looks.

"I believe in pink. I believe laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day. And I believe in miracles."

"As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others."

"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone."