Willow Shields Posts Candid Essay About Learning to Love Herself Without Make-up

Hunger Games actress Willow Shields loves to get all dressed up for the red carpet, but in an honest new essay, she opens up about her dependence on make-up, and how she’s slowly been learning to love herself without it.

“I don’t know about you but I love make-up!” the 17-year-old writes in her new Instagram, “I enjoy trying new things and creatively diving into all the different options out there.”

However, through her love of make-up, she “got into the habit of wearing makeup every single time I left my home…Especially when I’ve had crazy intense breakouts on and off throughout my life, I’ve always sought to find a way to cover all of this.”

Willow then talks about how despite her love of make-up, she has been trying to love herself without it, and she’s been succeeding.

“I’ve only recently began to discover my confidence without makeup,” she continues, “I love the feeling of sharing my true self with people.. no longer hiding behind layers of foundation and eyeshadow. Don’t get me wrong I still wear makeup very frequently but what I have decided is that a magnificent way to balance both is learning to wear makeup because I WANT to not because I feel that I NEED to. Please take a day to wipe away all of that beautiful makeup to reveal an even more beautiful human being.”

Willow‘s words are inspiring and she looks incredible — with makeup and without.