It's hardly any secret that guys typically prefer a "natural look" rather than a real natural face. Studies have even shown that the "ideal" face for a guy is roughly 50% on the scale between a face with absolutely no makeup and a face completely caked out in cosmetics.
I'm not going to deny that this is a legitimate preference for many men. What I'm claiming is that this doesn't necessarily hold true for *good* men.
Useful & Beneficial Reasons to Wear Makeup
Before I get a lot of sh*t for saying this, there are plenty of useful and beneficial reasons to use makeup. This includes concealing an unsightly skin condition as well as going with a formal, semi-formal, or even a "casual presentable" look among other things. Needless to say, adorning the face with paint and color is a practice as old as humanity itself. It allows for a form of self-expression and bestows a sense of identity upon the individual wearing it regardless of gender.
Makeup in History: Ancient Egypt
On the other hand, cosmetics have often been used as a marker of social and political status. Cosmetic use in history traces back thousands of years to societies such as far back as ancient Rome, China, and Mesopotamia.
Ancient Egyptians, in particular, emphasized the use of makeup in day to day life, regardless of gender. Cosmetic palettes found buried along with other grave goods in Egyptian tombs suggest that the Egyptians attributed mystical and spiritual properties to cosmetics as well as recognizing them as aesthetically pleasant. In a society where the ruler was expected to carry himself like a god (necessarily free of any imperfection), it's no wonder that Egyptians went to such great lengths in order to portray him in this way. In some ways, the entire social hierarchy of ancient Egypt rested upon this view of cosmetics.
Makeup in History: Western Culture
The ancient Egyptians obviously weren't the only ones to tie cosmetics and other idealized beauty "enhancements" with mystical and alluring properties. Our own (western) culture is guilty of this in more ways than one. One doesn't have to look for very long to find just how pervasive this perception has been throughout western society over the past 500 or so years.
- 16th Century - - 18th century - -19th century -
- 20th/21st century -
Makeup Influences Daily Interactions
In reality, day to day cosmetic use typically does not have this effect on people. But it does have an effect on how you interact with people. Often times it's as if there's a screen between you and the rest of society - one that makes you seem more distanced and aloof in your interactions with people.
At the same time, you might even feel compelled to wear it and adopt the accompanying behavior simply because its what's expected. For some, it can even go so far as to what sports cars, boob jobs, and fancy watches do for others in signalling social status; just as it already has done for so many.
Men's Makeup Preferences in Relationships
As far as men and relationships are concerned, far more of what creates a genuine, wholehearted interaction with a woman is how she makes us feel. Am I free to compliment her without her insecurities causing me to regret doing so? Does she make me feel received and valued by wanting to hold her, to comfort, to look out for her?
How guys answer questions like this, more often than not, will end up determining the quality of your relationship. If you can make him feel this way while wearing makeup as you have been, then by all means continue. But I'm willing to bet that by then, you'll have far less of a desire to potentially spend upwards of 30 minutes a day and hundreds of dollars a year for something you could easily get for free.
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