Born Beautiful, Flaws and All

You know the saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but be real. Given the amount of time many of us spend getting ready in the morning, it’s cause to wonder: is beauty something that we rely on Cover Girl to create for us, or are we really at peace with the faces with which we were blessed?
    After playing “makeup” with nationally renowned make-up artist, JK Hunter, one thing is clear. The answer is not as obvious as I originally thought. Here is a woman who loves (and I mean LOVES!) cosmetics, yet when she “stripped down” to show us her wake-up face, while she did appear a bit less “diva,” it was both surprising and comforting to see that she was no less secure. “My face is my face,” says Hunter. “It’s what God gave me. I never feel insecure because I’m comfortable with who I am.” After a pause, she adds, with a sparkle in her eye, “And I also know where I can take it to.”
    We asked Hunter to share the honest emotions that makeup evokes in her. And here’s what this glamour girl had to say.

ALL MADE UP

Her Nashville: Provide us with three words to describe how you feel with your makeup on.

JK Hunter: Glam, fab ... fierce!

HN: Why do you think women enjoy makeup so much?

JKH: For me, I love how it can transform any person. When I get up in the morning and start putting on my makeup, I immediately feel an elevation in my mood, especially if I’m having a bad day. It’s like I may feel one way, but the makeup helps to create someone else.

HN: You definitely have a presence about you. How do people respond when you enter a room?

JKH: It’s a mix. Some women seem immediately intimidated, not so much because of the makeup, but because of my confidence. You can tell when a woman thinks you look good. That stare-up-and-down thing that they do. It’s a trip.
    Men? They sometimes don’t know what to do. I think it’s because there’s often a misconception that women wear makeup for them. I wear it for me. I don’t carry myself like, “Please notice I’m pretty.” I know that I’m attractive. One thing I do know for sure is that gay men love me! (laughs)

HN: Some men claim that a woman in a lot of makeup is a major turn-off. Any thoughts?

JKH: Honey, people accept what you give them. Men don’t know what they like until you teach them. I know some men who have said that and then saw their wives with full faces on, and it wasn’t long before they found that to be their preference. That’s why you have to do what makes you happy. When you’re happy, they’re happy. It’s been proven that that’s what’s most important.

ON BEING BARE-FACED

HN: OK, how about three words for how you feel without your makeup?

JKH: Hmmm ... natural. Blessed. And fresh.

HN: Although we have never seen you without makeup on, you don’t seem any less comfortable.

JKH: I do makeup for a living, so my face is my calling card. But, I spend most of my time without makeup on ... well, I do keep on a pair of lashes and some lip gloss, but that’s about it. I don’t see my natural self as a bad-looking woman. If I met a man in the grocery store or at the post office and this is who he saw, I would be like, “This is who I am, and I love me just as I am ... deal with it.”

HN: Do you have any issues going without makeup?

JKH: When I wore makeup for the first time as a teenager, I felt like I upgraded myself, mostly because I had acne, and makeup hid a lot of those imperfections. Now? I’m in menopause, and I have that skin issue again. I don’t rely on foundation, but it’s nice to have flawless skin if I want it.

HN: Any advice for the women who may not be as daring to “take it all off” in public?

JKH: You go bare-faced enough and people, including you, will get used it to. I find it pretty liberating to know that I can go out, totally me, and still be found attractive — flaws and all. Your flaws are what make you distinctive. Makeup doesn’t make you beautiful. It should just be used to bring attention to what you were born with. Trust that God knew what he was doing.