Going makeup-free is stressful

If you can't bear the thought of leaving the house without that quick swipe of lipgloss or pat of powder, you're not alone.

Job interviews, public speaking and first dates are less stressful for women than is going out without makeup on.

In a survey for London's Vitality Show, 3,000 women revealed their comfort level with makeup-free living.

Only half of us are fine with being seen "au natural" by friends, family or partner, and a whopping 70 per cent of women polled said they wouldn't want work colleagues or bosses seeing them without their hair and makeup looking great.

"Many women feel that there is a stigma associated with not wearing make-up and that their employers may discriminate against them if they don't turn up to work 'dolled up'," Celia Bibby, a psychologist, told the Daily Mail.

[See also: When should you toss your makeup?]

In general, women wake up about half an hour earlier than their partners, and spend a good 21 minutes on their hair and makeup before leaving the house.

The survey also found that 91 per cent of respondents would rather cancel a first date than turn up without makeup.

Thirty-one per cent of the women refuse to go to the gym bare-faced.

And one in six women won't answer the front door unless they're all done up.

A recent study, unrelated to this survey, found that 44 per cent of women hate being seen without makeup. Why? They felt unattractive, self-conscious and naked without it.

How often do you go out sans makeup? Would you be willing to challenge the "makeup is a necessity to success" message with a No Makeup Week? Or is ditching the foundation just too stressful?

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