Am I Pretty Enough?

I remember being a little girl, when all I had to do was wear my favourite dress to feel like the prettiest girl I could be. I'd lay it out on my bed, bring the perfect shoes to match and jump in the shower to be completely clean before I put such an amazing dress on. I let my hair dry to its naturally loose curls and went around acting like the most well behaved little girl you'd know, because in my head, I felt like a princess and all it took was a pretty dress.

As a kid growing up, I never wanted to wear makeup. In fact, I thought it made me look ugly.. Not that I knew what to do with it, or how to use it or even owned any to begin with. But even the slightest bit of powder made me feel like I had a mask on my face and all I wanted to do was take it off.

Fast forward to ten years later.. I wake up in the morning, most probably with a bun or ponytail that I put my hair in the night before because of some article I've read that strictly claims my pillowcases are damaging my hair. I make my way to the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth and freshen up. It's usually time for my dose of tea as I scroll through my favourite Instagram feeds, Pinterest boards, YouTube channels, a few blog posts and some tweets. I'm suddenly motivated to try and look my best.

I head to the shower, use my favourite body wash, scrub and exfoliate. Maybe even put that hair mask on...You know, the one for special occasions. I look through my wardrobe, try ten different outfits on and all of a sudden, 30 minutes have passed before I've found just the right outfit. I curl my hair into gorgeous waves, just the way I like it. Right about now, I've given my moisturiser and primer just enough time to set. I gently dab my foundation on with a beautyblender, attempt to create the best eye look I've ever done, maybe even try to wing my liner, hoping it won't fail but if it does, layering 2 of my favourite mascaras for long voluminous lashes will do the job. I apply some blush for beautiful rosy cheeks and put on my perfect nude lipstick, nude lips have always suited me best.

All of that work is just a recipe for beauty, well at least it should be.. I spent 2 whole hours getting ready. I walk up to the most flattering mirror in the house as I scrunch the ends of my hair for some extra volume right before the big reveal. I take a look at myself with a huge smile on my face, but all I can see is.. Me, me with some enhanced features. I mean, I wasn't expecting to see a model, or to look like I just came out of a magazine cover, but.. Is that all? 2 whole hours to just see my same self look right back at me? 

Then it hit me.. That's all I'll ever see. But you know what? I didn't mind. That's how I was made and I should be happy with it. I shouldn't have to paint my face to be happy with myself. Makeup is art and I love playing around with it, but I also love my makeup-free days. I love letting my skin breathe, I love giving my cheeks the chance to be naturally pink and that's how it should be. Sure, makeup is  a fun confidence booster that does a great job at enhancing our best features but that doesn't mean we need any to look beautiful. Everyone has their days where they don't feel their most beautiful self and can only see their flaws, even the people you find so stunning. You might see someone and think, how in the world can they look so effortlessly gorgeous all the time? But even they think they're not pretty enough sometimes.

If you ever feel like you're not pretty enough or good enough, just think there's someone out there that would love to look like you. They'd love to have your super curly, super straight or anything in between hair. They'd love to have your green, blue, grey, brown, light, dark eyes. They'd love your freckles, dimples, or none at all. They'd love to be as tall or as short as you. They'd love to be as pale or as dark as you. Someone out there looks at you and thinks, why can't I be that pretty?  It might be a cliche thing to say, but everyone is beautiful in their own special way, no matter what size, height or colour.

If you can't see it, someone else can.