#nomakeupseries

@lexinimmo & I after our @nomakeupseries shoot a few weeks back😊 Happy Friday 🙌🏾 #exploretocreate #vscobnw #VSCOcam #igers #boston #igboston #ig_boston #igersboston #photo #igersmass #mashpics #discoveraround #huffpostgram #iphoneonly #justgoshoot #instagoodmyphoto #theweekoninstagram #peoplescreative #visualsoflife #portrait #selfie #women #nomakeupseries #bw (at Nashville, Tennessee)

I used to sneak and wear make up, when I was younger, like 5th grade, but I always got caught. My mom knew even if it were the smallest amount. It wasn'tuntil I was older when I realized that every once of makeup I wore, I was altering every trait, every once of confidence and every bit of strength that was hereditarily given to me. Now, I think about what beauty means to me. To me beauty is strength and confidence and I could never find that within any makeup.

Beauty, my natural beauty tells my story. It's describes my mom's nose and my dad's eyes, my grandmothers smile and cheek bones, my aunts' forehead. My natural beauty connects me to my family and makes up every cell in my body. When I don't wear makeup I proudly walk with my history, their history and I wear my story, I wear my beauty. - Destiny Palmer @dspalmer 🎨 #nomakeup #photo #nomakeupseries #beauty #blackbeauty (at Dorchester)

I'm proud to showcase a warrior and friend for #womenshistorymonth @shearose who is an accomplished singer and entrepeneur and also took part in my #nomakeupseries "nourish and grow the seeds of your purpose from the inside out it is divine believe in its truth and purpose for you call it into your existence! when it answers vibrate in its knowing perfection embrace it with all your being do you remember now? your awesomeness? it's been waiting for your return exciting okay slow down now and take it all in, just be... ahhhhh....breath in exhale bloom play dance sing open your heart take flight express the fruit and colors of your story paint your naturally glowing face with the infinite brush of love, oneness, and acceptance of self and others. wow, a breathtaking sight to feel and see! now sparkle with a little pink lipstick, golden bronzer and a fierce cat eye because life is fun that way! -Love&Light Shea" (at Dudley Square)

"As a young teen, my mom never let me wear makeup. She would always say "if you wear makeup all the time, people won't appreciate your natural beauty. As an awkward, angsty, pubescent teen, I hated this and would sneak some on whenever I had the chance. When she finally let me wear it though, I understood what she meant. Although I love a good cat eye and lipstick as much as the next girl, I always feel like I'm hiding a part of my identity when I wear a full face of makeup-especially when it comes to foundation. I have a mole my right cheek, which although is technically an imperfection, is my favorite part of my face and a huge part of my identity. You're imperfections make you who you are, so my motto is if my makeup is heavy enough to cover my mole, I'm not wearing it." -RAHEL TEBO #beauty #nomakeupseries #mashpics #instagram #huffpostgram #nomakeup #photo #igers #discoveraround #women #womenshistorymonth #boston #superwoman #bareface #naturalbeauty (at Paris Street Gallery/Studios)

"I've got a love/fear relationship with it. I maybe wear make-up once or twice a week, and when I do, I use mascara, eyeliner, and some under eye concealer. I fluctuate between it feeling empowering and fun to a subconscious desire to look "better" or "enhance features". I wish I could say that I 100% use make-up when I go out just for me, but the truth is, like every other woman, I am subject to the systems of sexism and capitalism that exist and tell me that I am not good enough, that my features are imperfections, that I need to correct my face, that it is broken, that I am broken, that I need to stop aging [as if I can turn back time AND that aging = ugly]. In the moments where I can connect with something deeper than myself and this society, I wear eyeliner and feel badass, like a rockstar, and tied into my desi culture, where it's not uncommon to see girls and boys wearing kohl at very young ages. It also breaks my heart to hear women speak to other women, and say things like, "Oh, you don't even need make up, I definitely do", or "I wish I had your skin" or even "Maybe you should put some makeup on..." The ways in which we've been conditioned to compete which each other, compare with each other, makes us all feel pretty shitty. I'm constantly, actively unlearning my conditioning." - @_ardhanarishvara_ #beauty #nomakeupseries #mashpics #instagram #huffpostgram #nomakeup #photo #igers #discoveraround #women #womenshistorymonth #boston #superwoman #bareface #naturalbeauty (at Paris Street Gallery/Studios)

"Makeup gave my life a complete 360. Growing up I never had confidence in myself and would always look in the mirror with pure disappointment. I would pinpoint all my flaws from my weight and braces to my messy hair and tall body. I was always very vulnerable, especially the summer before my freshman year of high school; I lost 25 pounds and started wearing makeup in an attempt to gain some self-esteem. A simple black line on my eyes or a soft pink shadow on my cheeks was enough to look at myself and feel a sense of worth. Nowadays it's hard for me to leave my room without covering my dark circles or filling in my eyebrows because I still feel a similar sense of vulnerability from my teenage years. However, the progression of my self-love has been steadily increasing. Even being able to take a picture with a bare face is a milestone in my eyes... however silly that may sound." - @gvasqueezy #beauty #nomakeupseries #mashpics #instagram #huffpostgram #nomakeup #photo #igers #discoveraround #women #womenshistorymonth #boston #superwoman #bareface #naturalbeauty (at Paris Street Gallery/Studios)