I've always had a special place in my black rocker heart for Top 40 pop music. I think mainstream pop has its moments of pure genius, and Katy Perry's mega-hit single "Teenage Dream" is definitely one of them. It's a song about a guy (specifically her husband, Russell Brand) who makes Katy feel, as the lyrics go, like she's living a teenage dream. "My heart stops when you look at me," she sings—and that's a feeling I think all ladies deserve to experience at some point in their lives.

The reason I bring that up is because the song kicks off with the line, "You think I'm pretty / Without any makeup on," and I couldn't stop thinking about it while I was working on one of our May ish beauty stories, "Makeup Men Can't Resist." The gist of the article is that guys profess to like it better when girls look natural. (Our understanding of what "natural" is is quite different from theirs, apparently, but you'll have to read the article to know what I'm talking about...and to get our tips for nailing the perfect natural look.)

In Love With Color

Truth be told, that info was a little troubling for me, because what my closet lacks in color, my lipstick collection more than makes up for. (Speaking of lipstick, check out our "Get Gorgeous" lipstick loot! It's absolutely beautiful!) Sure, I have a few natural colors in my kit, but 85% of my lipsticks are different shades of red, fuchsia, and orange. I even have a violet tube or two. I like my colors fun, and I never fail to get comments on how fabulous I look...from other girls.

My boyfriend, though, says he thinks I'm prettiest without any makeup on. (And he's been telling me this for years, way before Katy Perry and Bruno Mars started singing about it.) I always roll my eyes at him when he says stuff like that. But then again, I've always been a bit of a Negatron when it comes to my self-image.) He never comments on my obsession with louder-than-life lipstick, which, since we often meet in public settings (and I don't leave the house without a little lipstick on), is almost always what he ends up seeing. No quirk of the eyebrow, no "Violet, really?" hirits. He just accepts that it's something I love.

Beautiful With Or Without Makeup

Sometimes, though, he drops by the house just to hang out, and it was on one such occasion as we were watching TV that he suddenly looked at me and said, "I miss seeing you like this." "Like what?" I asked. "Like this, with no makeup on. You're so pretty." After over four years together, there's no need for pambobola of any kind between us, so I could tell that he meant it. And it was very sweet.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing makeup. I do a lot of the time because I enjoy it; I love playing with color and I love enhancing certain features in fun, new ways. But remember that you're also beautiful without it, and as sweet as it is to be told (everyday, no less), no one should have to remind you: You're beautiful. Sometimes I forget.

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