Story telling faces

In Ilcsi's "Honestly, for beauty" campaign, we invited a couple of people who shape many people’s opnions to share if there is a spot on their face that tells a story, or which was more difficult to accept than expected. We hope that the stories will help you to reevaluate, accept and love your face even more. :)

Barabási Liza
 

“When I was a teen, I would barely go outside without makeup, because I always felt like my blemishes, acne, or the blood spot in my eye took away from my beauty. This was obviously not the case, but teenage girls often make the mistake of comparing themselves to others as they try to find their own path in life. I’ve tried a lot of things, like diets, excessive exercise, being a vegan/veganism, chemical skincare products, and so on. But at the end of the day, the only thing that helped me was changing my attitude. 

I had to come to terms with the fact that I was using makeup to hide my imperfections, instead of using it to enhance my natural beauty.

I would look at myself in the mirror more and more, and it made me realize that the only way forward was to accept what I saw. I know it’s not easy for everyone, because every face, body, and person is unique, but it’s what helped me the most. Ever since then, skincare and makeup have become two of my biggest passions in life, and I think I was able to find a balance within myself and my life as well.”
 

Schoblocher Barbara
 

“I never liked my left profile. When I’m being photographed, I always try to show my right side. I always envied girls whose skin is clear and glowy without any foundation. Mine isn’t. Or at least it wasn’t for a long time. My smile lines, which I inherited from my mother, have always been there, so makeup that looked good on other people never suited me. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t see all the unique features worth accentuating, only that I didn’t look like other people I considered to be beautiful. One time a fashion magazine published a very nice article about me, but as I was flipping through the magazine, I saw a gorgeous girl on the page after mine. I instantly started comparing myself to her… She looked so confident and radiant. 

Later, I had the pleasure of meeting her in person, and of course she was just as beautiful, but in a completely different way, than what I imagined. Looking back at it, it’s funny how seeing her in the magazine made me project everything I thought I was lacking onto her, when the beauty I was looking for comes from within. Over time, I realized that when my soul and body are in harmony, the person looking back at me in the mirror is beautiful. So I just had to figure out how to be kinder to myself. Self-awareness and a conscious lifestyle were the biggest help. I'm starting to learn what's good for me. 

I like that my face is asymmetrical, that my right eye is much bigger and the left one is sadder, and that even my nose wrinkles when I laugh. This is me. No one else can be that but me.

If you read this, please do me a favor. Go up to the mirror and tell the person you see how special they are. Because there’s no one else like them.“
 

Eke Angéla
 

“I was looking at adults, thinking how nice it must feel that their skin is smooth, and there isn’t a gaping crater of a scratched wound in the middle of their forehead, that’s so big that if you were to fill it up with water, an entire flock of birds could take a bath in there on a hot summer day. I had such bad acne when I was a teenager, that I would hardly look in the mirror. I was so ashamed that I would even resort to sleeping in foundation… I literally thought that the entire school, every person on the bus, and even satellites from outer space were looking at me, and talking about the way I look. My pores are still big enough that if you got lost in me, you could just take a peek into one of them and be found. 

Of course even today I’m not overjoyed by the sight of a pimple on my face, but I have come to know and accept that my face is an ever-changing structure, that I can influence from the outside as well as the inside. Besides, it is the most thorough monitor that can show everything about us, and is an important part of us.“

Döbrösi Laura
 

“1) My forehead wrinkles
My first “beauty-trauma”: I was 23(!), when during a shoot, between two takes, someone told me not to wrinkle my forehead, because it’s ugly. As an actress, doing facial expressions is literally my job, so this was horrible to hear. Since becoming a face-yoga instructor, I have come to find out that the reason for getting forehead wrinkles that early (at least in my case) was bad posture. I’m working on my scoliosis, and I have - more or less -  learned to isolate my forehead muscles. The situation is improving, so no botox for me, I promise.

2) My paper-thin, almost translucent skin
Hormones, food, or basically anything can make my eczema flare up; a capillary might break, that takes years to heal; looking like a vampire when I’m tired - pale with purple veins on my face; everything makes it break out or peel, and it’s already sensitive to begin with; it gets red from the heat and the cold alike; and so on. Even still, this is how I wear it every day, without foundation. 

It’s a lot of work to keep it looking nice: plenty of water, clean pillows, diet, face yoga, and of course skincare that is natural, healing, good quality, fragrance-free, dye-free, and honest. “

Gáspár Kata
 

“Hello! This is me! I’m not wearing makeup, I haven’t had anything on my face done, and my hair is the way it is. I was 15 when I did my first shoot, and ever since then I have found that my face isn’t always considered beautiful. I have come to realize this by seeing the bags under my eyes being retouched in many photos. It completely changes my face. They usually think I’m tired, which is true, but that has nothing to do with my under-eye bags. It’s baggage that I inherited from my family.

It often made me sad that I don't have the perfectly smooth under-eyes of the people in magazines, until I realized that this is (also) what makes me who I am, and that this is my speciality. As a child, I hated my freckles. My mom found a perfect solution for this. She told me that she bought me a cream that gets rid of freckles, and if I want to get rid of my freckles forever, I can find the cream in the drawer. Needless to say, it was a simple face cream, and I did not touch the drawer. 

But feeling this for the first time taught me that it’s better to accept and love the parts of us that we were born with, rather than trying to change them forever. 

For the most part of every year, my face is not “mine”, it belongs to the filmmakers and the theater. I do my makeup and get my makeup done countless times. My skin is exposed to a lot of stress. I've always taken care of my skin, but I have come to believe in #ilcsi! I'm currently using their rose products and my skin tells me that she feels fantastic.makes it break out or peel, and it’s already sensitive to begin with; it gets red from the heat and the cold alike; and so on. Even still, this is how I wear it every day, without foundation. 

I'm happy that @ilcsi_official has launched its #őszinténaszépségért campaign and that I can be a part of it, because I got to stop and think back on my childhood, my freckles, my eyes, and it's good to know that I've started to accept myself.”