I haven't managed to do it every day as I don't wear makeup all the time and some days I'm just too busy, but I have done it as often as I can whether I feel good or not. I also made the decision not to edit or filter my selfies at all, in order for an image as close to reality as possible was being uploaded.
The results have been interesting and have taught me a few things.
Taking a photo every day has made me much more aware of my face and things that can affect how it looks. While previously this would have made me a bit self-conscious as I would start to obsess over the small things I didn't like, it has now led to me realising where I was going wrong with my makeup and what I liked about my face.
I found that I feel most confident and happy with my look when my skin is looking good. As I'm pale, things like blemishes or dry skin tend to stand out a lot so I started doing more for my skin - including making sure my makeup comes off every evening.
I also realised that I don't need to contour my face to within an inch of its life. I like being pale and I like the fresh look that simple foundation and highlighter give me. My cheekbones may not be sharp enough to cut someone, but I'm okay with that.
Good makeup made me feel great
I've always enjoyed putting my makeup on and try to give myself enough time in the mornings so I don't have to do it at hyper speed, but seeing the results - really seeing them - before I leave for work every day actually helped improve my mood.
My hair could be a mess, my bus could be a no-show and I could be late for work, but knowing that my face looked nice made me feel confident and happy. For someone who has historically been incredibly critical of my appearance, I'm not ashamed to say that good makeup Monday to Friday left me feeling pretty.
it also makes me not care if my dress is wrinkled or my hair doesn't behave, because as far as I'm concerned, two out of three ain't bad.
I'm always slightly worried about what people will comment on my photos, especially as my Instagram profile is public. However, I found that the #motd community is really complimentary.
People that post these photos or search the hashtag range from makeup newbies to artists and each one of them can appreciate well-placed highlighter or winged eyeliner that is sharp enough to kill a man. This means that most of the comments I get are really nice and the people that follow me as a result of these pictures have a genuine love of makeup.
I think that people are always looking for new looks and new techniques, so #motd are a great way to look for inspiration and to learn something, which is why people are so positive. I'd definitely suggest trying #motd posts out for yourself because they can give you a great boost.
I play it safe a lot
I think it's fair to say that we all have a makeup look that we tend to gravitate toward. For me, it's filled brows, winged liner and red lipstick - something that quickly became evident.
It surprised me because I used to be really adventurous with my makeup, using bright colours and glitter on a daily basis. I know that I now work in a professional environment so that limits what I can do to my face somewhat, but I still have plenty of makeup in my collection to play with.
Seeing image after image on my profile of me wearing the same eye shadow and lipstick has made me realise how little of my makeup collection I use. This has inspired me to go through it all, have a clear out and challenge myself to change my look a bit more.
While it's great to be comfortable, I do think that getting too comfortable is a bad thing, so I'm going to attempt to shake things up a bit.
I'm also going to keep on with #motd posts because they have been great for my self-esteem. Plus this way, even if everything else in my day goes horribly wrong, I'll have photographic evidence that my makeup is on point.
Find me on Instagram: mrsjoannatipton (there are a lot of pictures of cats)