For Piper Kathryn Bond, choosing to go makeup-free has been life-changing.
The 23-year-old Australian says she grew up feeling “quite insecure” because her belief system around appearance compelled her to constantly upkeep and manage her looks—but never for the right reasons.
The young woman shared with The Epoch Times how she used to do her full makeup and hair every day, but felt called to fast from what she now sees as an addiction.
“I needed to fast from it,” she said. “I would have never known the freedom on the other side unless I did so. It showed me how dependent I was on it.”
Today, Piper says she can’t even imagine going back to the way she once was.
“It feels so freeing,” she said. “I definitely wasn’t always like this—I really thought that one of the most important things in life was my appearance. I felt I wasn’t, maybe, looking professional enough—like I couldn’t walk into a corporate type of office without a full face of makeup on.
“It was always, I guess, for the opinions of other people. ... As a young woman, there is a lot of societal pressure—and it’s almost a malaise, isn’t it? That we have this extreme beauty standard or vanity kind of foisted upon us.
“It’s so easy for us to look at beautiful women that everyone just thinks of as gorgeous and then to look at ourselves and think we’re less compared to them. But that’s just not how God sees it; God doesn’t see it as though we are less beautiful than the next person in any way. He is our creator. He created us to be ourselves. It’s about that heavenly mindset—to set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
‘People Are Definitely Beginning to Wake Up’
As she strove to adopt a more holistic way of life with her husband in their home city of Adelaide, Piper began examining what she was putting on her skin and why.Though she believes everyone’s approach to personal grooming is uniquely individual, Piper couldn’t ignore the inner voice that was telling her to break the habit of relying too much on makeup.
Fasting from makeup showed her how dependent she had become, but it was a gradual process, she says. Rather than waking up one day thinking she had to “quit cold turkey,” her use of cosmetics diminished over time.
“I didn’t even realize,” she said, “until I looked back when I was at a certain point of, maybe, only putting on mascara every day and thought ‘Gosh, I would never have done this 12 months ago.’
“That’s the beautiful thing about God. He’s so gentle when it comes to convicting us of the things we need to be convicted of. A lot of the time, it isn’t like ripping a Band-Aid off. A lot of the time, He will prepare you and just slowly get you there, and then, all of a sudden, you'll look back and realize how far you’ve come.”
What initially helped her, and what Piper recommends to those looking to reduce their makeup use, is starting by switching to more natural products rather than synthetic ones. Rather than shopping at expensive cosmetic stores, Piper first opted for natural brands offering lighter coverage. She then gradually removed steps from her routine; first blush, then foundation and concealer.
“It’s just removing one little thing ... I would then only wear a tiny little bit of bronzer and maybe mascara and eyebrow gel, or fluff up my eyebrows a little bit. And then it was no bronzer and just mascara. It just became less and less over time; step-by-step, bite-by-bite, until I was makeup-free,” she said.
Piper was also concerned about the potential health risks of the daily application of synthetic formulations, be it deodorants, perfumes, moisturizers, or other skincare products.
Holistic Life and Selfless Heart
The main motivator for Piper was changing what she refers to as her “heart posture”: switching from a self-focused mindset to a more selfless one. In line with Bible scripture, which advocates for fasting as a way to humility, the committed Christian feels the journey so far has strengthened her faith and changed her outlook on life.“The heart posture change came in the way of me wanting to actually serve others above myself, and that came with developing in my relationship with God,” she said.
“I would always, always do my hair. I didn’t even like putting my hair up in a ponytail because I didn’t like the way it made my face look,” she said, “But the fact is, there are better uses of my time, whether it’s serving my family or even getting that extra half-hour of sleep in the morning.
“I am definitely filling my time with more wholesome things that can be fruitful for other people around me as well ... and not just myself.”
Emphasizing how much she loves children, Piper, who has now been married for four-and-a-half years, says she cannot wait to have a family of her own.
The keen homemaker, who admits she didn’t have great self-esteem growing up, is passionate about instilling healthy attitudes in her own future children; especially any daughters she might have.
Though she no longer sees cosmetics as a necessity, the young content creator still believes make-up can be used in beautiful ways. “It’s so fun to be creative sometimes, and to maybe feel fancy for a wedding or something like that,” she said.
“The reason why I share, at the end of the day, is because there is nothing more important than people’s salvation and the love that God has for us. And so, if I have a platform, I’m going to use it to glorify God. I just always want to be a positive light. I always want to love on people,” she said.
