True Beauty | "Beneath the make-up and behind the smile, I am just a girl who wishes for the world."

I've never been one for make-up, but I can't help but fall in love with the way it transforms us. It's incredible. I think women (and men) are gorgeous with and without make-up, but I can appreciate that we all want to feel beautiful and if make-up makes us feel that way, then so be it.

I get so frustrated with celebrity magazines commenting on people leaving the house with a fresh face as something that is just not acceptable. I've done a bit of research and the thing that comes across the most is 'shocking photos'. Why?! Why is that shocking? So what if we don't want to leave the house with a face full of make-up? It's not exactly a crime. No wonder we have self esteem issues when we're constantly faced with headlines like this.

Recently, my boyfriend and I had professional photos taken and we both got given a 'MAC' makeover before hand. It was a really new experience for me and I felt so pampered and absolutely gorgeous. (If I wasn't so lazy, I would probably try and do my look myself just to feel that way again). It took about 50 minutes and I didn't see myself until the final product. I didn't even recognise myself. It was refreshing. It gave me a completely new confidence that I'd not had before.

Here is a before (no make up at all), and then with the makeover.

It's frustrating when there is such a big thing around women having to wear make-up to be beautiful. Just because I'll go to work with no product on, doesn't make me any less beautiful than the rest of my female colleagues. We are such stunning creations. If you want to wear a face full of make-up every day; do it. If you don't want to wear any; don't. Lets not let the media decide this for us. Make-up does not define us. We are absolutely bloody gorgeous either way.