I did my hair and makeup every day for a month! Experiment #2 Results

Have you ever wished that you were the kind of woman who is always presentable? Who looks “put together” while grocery shopping or walking the dogs? I have. And believe me, I’ve never been anywhere close to that kind of woman (if indeed such a woman even truly exists). 

So I put this to the test! Every day in February, I washed my face, did something to my hair, and put on makeup. Even on the weekends. 😱

As a reminder, this is part of My Experimental Year. 

Every month in 2024, I’m choosing an activity to do daily to see how it adds (or doesn’t) to my life. Many of these experiments have to do with a fantasy version of myself. I feel like I would be a better person or more interesting or more actualized/fulfilled if I did these things.

But is it actually true? It’s time to officially find out.

If yes, then maybe these actions become part of my regular routine. If not, maybe it’s time to release my imaginings of what would make my life better.

Last month I engaged in my spouse’s hobby every day (A.K.A. I played a lot of video games!). 

In true scientific fashion, I had a hypothesis and guidelines for the experiment, and we’re about to discuss the results! 

Hypothesis (what I think it will add to my life):

First, I should just say that I like the way I look with my hair and makeup done. My fantasy self is always “put together,” so this gave me the chance to see if this is actually what I want or if it’s a fantasy I can let go of. 

I thought that this experiment would desensitize me to the time and effort it takes to “get cute” so that it could become a normal part of my day and it would become abnormal to not get ready.

I also had no clue how long it would take me to fully get ready each morning and I wanted to find out to see if it’s feasible to do on the regular. 

Guidelines:

• Must wash my face with soap and water, not just use a face wipe which had become my habit. 
• Hair can be done in any way except throwing it up messy with a clip. I’ve never been comfortable wearing my hair down, so any kind of up-do is ok. Taming the frizzy baby hairs is a must.
• Makeup must include concealer, eyeliner, and mascara. 
• Must get ready by 10:30 am on weekdays and noon on weekends. 

Does This Make Me High-Maintenance?

I’ve never been a girly girl and apparently, I consider any amount of getting ready in the morning to be girly. I was never socialized or encouraged to be girly. In fact, I grew up with negative connotations about taking time to do hair or makeup. 

Going into this experiment, I realized that being “low maintenance” is one of my identities, but one that hasn’t been serving me. It has often caused me to forgo my own comfort so as not to inconvenience anyone else. 

One of my sisters-in-law always takes the time to do her hair and makeup before we go anywhere, even if it holds up everyone else who is already ready to go. And honestly, I’ve grown to admire her ability to put herself first. 

I also wonder how much my shyness growing up has contributed to my desire to blend in and not be noticed. I was a painfully shy kid. Without hair and makeup done, I feel concealed. 

Notes

Notes from Day 6

The main revelation thus far is just that I like catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror throughout the day. I’ve been wearing jewelry more often too. I have gotten dressed with a bit more care. It has a trickle-down effect on other parts of my appearance. 

Notes from Day 8

It’s not as difficult as I make it out to be! It is just a matter of getting in the habit of doing my hair and makeup every day.

When we moved from Colorado to South Carolina, I had an assumption that Southern people dress fancy. But wandering around downtown of the nearest big city, while there are people dressed a bit nicer than I would on an average day, what stands out more is that the women are what I consider “done up.” They have their nails, hair, and makeup done, even if they’re wearing a t-shirt or workout clothes.

The fanciness is in being “done up” more than it is in the clothes. Which is harder to achieve. But I have to admit, it feels good! A few extra minutes in the morning and then I don’t have to think about it the rest of the day. I like that payoff. 

Notes from Day 12

Getting cutes on the weekend—the hardest part was just remembering to do it! Washing my face and doing something with my hair physically feels good, so that’s easy. Makeup feels like an “extra.” I suppose it makes the day feel like I’ve done something just for me.

Notes from Day 26

I washed my face and did my hair on Saturday, but forgot to do my makeup. Mom arrived and we got to doing other things. Washing my face and doing my fair are the most noticeable to my comfort. I didn’t notice that I hadn’t done my makeup until late in the day when I glanced in the mirror. Makeup is the icing on the cake and less necessary. But also, I like how I look and feel when I do it.

This missed day is a reminder of the necessity to “get cute” before doing things, otherwise, I’m busy going about my day and it doesn’t happen. It needs to come first if it’s going to happen. 

Notes from Day 29

Last day of the month! I spent 29 days in a row doing my hair and makeup (with the exception of one day when I forgot makeup). 

As I think back on my childhood desire not to stand out and not to be seen as girly, I think a lot of that has healed in me, especially as I have been purposeful about being more eccentric. I also think that as an adult, it’s less of a concern. 

I wondered if wearing makeup daily would cause me to dislike what I look like without makeup. But this morning, I gave my makeup-free face a good, long look in the mirror, and I liked it. I somehow felt more appreciation for the loveliness of my natural face. Not less. And I also like how my face looks with makeup. 

It feels normal and not like a special exception to the rule. I would very much like to continue with this one. It feels good physically and emotionally to get cute every day.

Results of doing my hair and makeup every day

Doing my hair and makeup every day for a month did indeed make it normal! Most days I braided my hair in some way, which always feels good to me. 

But how much time did it take?

About 30 minutes. 5 minutes to wash my face. 10 minutes to do my hair. 10 minutes to put on makeup. 5 extra minutes to play with the pups or warm up my coffee. 

Sidenote: I found that it feels better to think of it taking 30 minutes vs a half hour. Same amount of time, I know. Words matter. 

Sidenote #2: Since I work from home and rarely see other humans other than my husband, this experiment has felt fully for me—not because I cared about what anyone else thought about my appearance. 

I enjoyed listening to audiobooks, podcasts, or music while getting ready. A surprise result was that by taking the time to wash my face, braid my hair, and put on makeup each day, I started the day feeling like I had done something just for me. These activities have always felt like chores to me. Now they feel much more life self-care. 

Do I want to continue doing my hair and makeup every day? Yes! As I’m writing this, we are 12 days into the next month and I have washed my face, done my hair, and put on makeup most days (not all). And I kind of regretted not doing it on the days that I missed.

I would love to know what you think about this experiment! Let me know in the comments.