Many of us have walked into a gym for the first time not because we were chasing health, but because we were chasing an aesthetic. We imagined a different version of ourselves- more toned, more sculpted, more aligned with what the world might call attractive. So we bought the shoes, stepped into unfamiliar rooms lined with mirrors and silent expectations, and began a practice that, at first, was all about how we wanted to appear.
But if we stayed with it, something subtle began to shift. Eventually, the mirror stopped being a source of pressure and started to reflect effort. The same body we once critiqued became the body we were proud to carry through the day. What started with aesthetics unfolded into strength, sleep, stamina, clarity. We might have entered the gym to change how we looked, but we remained because of how it made us feel.
Beauty works the same way. We often reach for makeup because we want to feel more polished, more presentable, more aligned with the version of ourselves we hope others will see. But over time, applying makeup can become less about performance and more about presence. It becomes a ritual that steadies the morning. A moment of care that doesn’t ask you to fix anything, only to notice, witness, and honor.
At F.A.C.E., we’ve seen people come to the makeup chair in search of something purely aesthetic, and leave with something unexpected—a sense of ease, a breath they didn’t know they were holding, a clearer sense of self. The mirror reflects more than just what’s on the surface. It offers a kind of pause, a check-in, a quiet place to remember who you are becoming.
So if you came to makeup through the door of aesthetics, that is nothing to apologize for. Aesthetics are a powerful entry point. They invite us to ask what beauty means to us, and who we are when we feel most like ourselves. And if we keep going, we often discover that what we really crave isn’t perfection—it’s connection. To ourselves. To our stories. To our sense of worth.
Maybe the most meaningful transformations are the ones that begin on the surface and lead us inward. Where the initial pursuit of beauty opens the door to self-regard, self-trust, and even self-love.
And maybe aesthetics, when we follow them far enough, don’t just decorate our lives. They deepen them.