A TRENDSETTER in her mid-twenties has revealed that she would rather get extra sleep than wake up an hour early to apply makeup.
She keeps her complexion clear with a very minimal skincare routine.
Toni-Lee went viral on YouTube when she posted an empowering video about her decision not to wear makeup.
The 26-year-old, from South Portland Maine, told The U.S. Sun that her reasons are both the cost and time that it takes to apply the beauty products.
“I’ve gotten so used to myself not wearing it, I almost don’t know if I would like the way it looked on me,” she said.
“My grandma didn’t really wear makeup. We come from a family where it’s almost like we couldn’t afford to wear makeup.
“It wasn’t something on our mind to go spend money on, it was like we should go buy something to eat first rather than trying to make ourselves look pretty.
“I think we always did a great job of telling each other how beautiful we are within our natural states.
“It’s always been encouraging and it has helped me be able to feel confident without wearing makeup.”
She said her mom now wears foundation but finds eye products such as mascara irritating.
Toni-Lee was first exposed to makeup when she began to do cheerleading as a child.
“I had to wear what looked like a lipgloss but it was an eyeshadow. It was always so wet and I hated wearing it,” she said.
“I was probably eight when I started competitively cheering, which is so crazy to think about how young I was.”
Despite not liking makeup as a child, she began to experiment with doing her own while battling insecurities in middle school.
She said that it seemed to be the “easier” way to fit in since everyone else was doing it.
“It was so bad when I tried to do it,” she said. “Of course, I started out with the hardest thing, eyeliner.
“I tried to put it on and it was just all over the place. It almost looked like I had black eyeshadow on.
“The eyeliner was from CVS and I watched a YouTube video of a girl using Maybelline liquid eyeliner.
“I was like, I can do this. She made it look so easy and like painting a picture. But it was not at all.
“I have two best friends, one wears very minimal makeup and my other friend loves makeup.
“I remember going over to her house and her whole desk would be full of MAC and these brands that I didn’t even know existed.
“I was always just like, ‘Wow, this is insane’. That’s so much money that is on the table and half of it she would be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t even use that.’”
Toni-Lee said she would oblige her friends’ request to put makeup on her throughout their teens but they were understanding that it wasn’t something she was interested in for herself.
“They never were like, you should wear makeup or it’s a bad thing that you’re not wearing makeup,’” she said.
“I often find every time I tell someone I don’t wear makeup they’re very shocked and almost can’t believe it.
“When they come to my house they’re like ‘You’ve got witch hazel and that’s it?’
“It’s kind of funny. I know that it’s kind of unique but then I’m just like, wow.
“There are so many people that every day they get up an hour early to do their makeup and I think that’s impressive.
“I don’t have a skincare routine either really. Other than taking a shower and washing my face with hot water.
“I think that not putting anything on the face is the best thing to do.
“I remember I would get acne in middle school and I would want to cover it up so bad.
“But then I would think of my friend who did cover up her acne, it would always get worse.
“I was thinking, well, it might be because you’re covering it up.
“I would have my bump for maybe five days and then it would go away.
“My friends ask me ‘If you get married, will you wear makeup?’
“It’s a good question because it’s a special occasion.
“But within everything that I do, I always want to be as authentic as I can and if I were to do it for one day I’d probably look back and absolutely hate it.
“I’d feel like that’s not what I look like.
“My undereyes are always my biggest insecurity because I have very dark undereyes.
“With makeup, I would be like ‘Oh, where did they go? I miss them.”
Toni-Lee said when she’s having a bad skin day she uses a Gua Sha tool that has been in the freezer to de-puff her undereyes.
She also swears by the healing properties of immersing in fresh water, having recently started to learn how to surf.
Her favorite brand of witch hazel is from Thayers and costs just $11.
The YouTuber said her decision not to wear makeup hasn’t meant that she’s treated any differently in everyday life.
Her viral video helped her to find a community online.
It came at a time when celebrities including Pamela Anderson and Alicia Keys were also embracing their natural beauty.
“I think by not wearing makeup and feeling good in my own skin, I help other people think ‘I can do that and I’m not gonna be judged because I don’t have a full face of makeup,’” Toni-Lee said.
“People come to me almost to find and embrace their natural beauty because I think sometimes it’s hard for people to look in a mirror and see themselves as beautiful.
“I don’t really have that problem. I think everyone is beautiful.
“I think that there’s about to be a huge revelation of women just finding themselves beautiful, not having to have Botox or crazy surgeries.
“At least that’s what I hope.
“I love seeing when someone has wrinkle lines or laugh lines, you know they laugh a lot.”
Toni-Lee said it can be discouraging when her phone enhances her photos as well as when influencers pretend they haven’t made edits to how they look on their Instagram Stories.
She’s concerned about the number of young girls who are trying to alter their real-life appearance to match how they look online with filters.
“Some of it is a little too much for me,” she said.
“But of course, there are some people that I’m sure would look at me and be like,’ Wow, that girl needs to fill her lips.’
“I guess it’s all within your perspective, but I’m always natural beauty all the way.
“What you were born with is beautiful.
“It comes down to a feeling within yourself.
“I look in the mirror at myself on the days when I don’t feel so great.
“I acknowledge that I don’t feel great and then still looking I’ll be like, ‘Wow, your smile is still beautiful.’
“I’ll pick through the things that I do love about myself.
“Like, oh, you have such a cute little nose and those cute things.”
Toni-Lee said she would advise others who want to reduce how much they wear makeup to look in the mirror and tell themselves that they’re beautiful without it.
She also suggests taking a break from social media, having recently had a four-month break from Instagram for herself.
“I never find myself feeling discouraged on YouTube in the way I sometimes do on Instagram,” she said.
“There’s only so many filters you can do on a video before you think that looks a little much.”
