Back to Basics

When quarantine began and going to in-person classes stopped, my eyelash extensions, acrylic nails, and dyed blonde hair were still very much a part of me.

These alterations didn’t make me feel fake in any way. Quite the opposite happened; they made me feel more confident. They gave me glam during a boring day and made waking up and rushing to class easier. But without classmates to see me or social events to go to anymore, this all felt unnecessary.

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After weighing the pros and cons, a decision was made.

I decided to get rid of them.

The removal process was a little more difficult than I expected.

My extensions needed time to individually fall out, which left them somewhat splotchy. My acrylics had to be broken off, which anyone who goes to a nail salon knows can be slightly painful. And my dye was already fading, which made going to my root color of brown fairly easy.

Regardless of reverting back to natural, it was still a change.

Instead of feeling empowered by looking 100% natural again, I needed time to readjust to the detox. Obviously, my opinion was skewed due to always seeing myself with these applications, and removing them would inevitably make it challenging. Yet, I knew the end results would be promising.

I welcomed the change and anticipated the end results.

Quarantine became the perfect time to journey through this process too. By not being around as many people, I gave my body time to recover and regrow. Along with that, not wearing makeup helped my skin.

The slowness actually helped me regain confidence in my natural skin again. By looking in the mirror as I was awaited regrowth, I became comfortable with my bareness. I still have dark circles, get acne, have wrinkles, and more “flaws”, but I feel proud of being in my own skin. The glam is good at times, but it isn’t something I personally want to be used to or expect.

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Ultimately, looking natural and feeling basic can be empowering, because it’s me.

Be well, Auburn.

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Photography: Jennifer F.