What I hear when I don't wear makeup

De kracht van make-up applies to me. You won't hear me complain about blemishes or acne, but believe me: without makeup, you can hardly recognize me. And that doesn't go unnoticed by my fellow humans. If I leave concealer, bronzer, and mascara aside, I can expect these 4 questions:

Are you sick?

No, I don't suffer from migraines, diarrhea, or ear infections. I just don't have any makeup on. In the summer, I typically have a sepia-toned complexion. Starting in November, you can compare my skin tone to a glass of semi-skimmed milk. And that raises questions.

So, did you stay out late?

Ten out of ten times when I get this question, I've just been napping for eight hours. Like a baby.

Is everything okay with you?

Apparently, I also draw a smile on my face when I apply makeup. Without a makeup mask, my face instantly looks intensely sad, I think.

Huh, Lynn, is that you?

Sometimes people don't recognize me without makeup. And I see you frowning like: yeah right, now she's exaggerating. No, really not. People I've lived next to my whole life walk right past me when I'm in shabby clothes looking for pesto hummus in the Albert Heijn fridge.

So hold your horses the next time you see me with bare lashes.