I came from a family where my sisters were strongly encouraged to only use a very light amount of makeup. This advice (i.e., use some makeup but only a light amount) is explicit and implicit throughout the Church.

Here are just a few examples (with emphasis added):

A Year’s Supply of Makeup

“Well, his exact words were, ‘I don’t see why a cute little kid [she was not a kid] like her should be worried about makeup.’” (this assertion goes unchallenged in the story)

Church Magazines Image Guidelines

Submit your best photographs of people who through their lives and their modest and conservative clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, and makeup represent Church standards. Photograph members in good standing; they do not need to be temple recommend holders, but their lives and their modest clothing should represent Church standards well. Your photos should show joy and dedication in the faces of the members.

Too Much

My makeup was just as heavily caked on as my jewelry, and my layers of black and white clothing piled up as well.

I had been reading the Book of Mormon for some time, but as I kept piling on the jewelry, makeup, and clothing a passage from Isaiah in 2 Nephi kept running through my mind:

I decided that if it might all be taken away eventually, why not try to go without it now? So little bit by little bit, more and more jewelry came off each day. I turned to more natural-looking makeup and simplified my clothing.

As the weight from my accessories on the outside came off, so did the weight on the inside. My spirit seemed to be coming uncovered and letting my personality and love show through.

Wet Cement and Real Womanhood

Of course, it’s important to look your best as a representative of Christ, take care of your body, and be healthy. And it’s OK to wear makeup. When used in moderation, it can enhance natural beauty. But the Lord wants you to focus on the genuine beauty inside you.

Dating Standards

Elder Spencer W. Kimball: “Boys seldom criticize a girl for using too little makeup. Sometimes they say, ‘She’s a nice girl, but I wish she’d dress up, and she uses too much makeup.’ To be overdressed, to be gaudily dressed, to be dressed to look sexy, to be overdecorated is bad taste, to say the least. The young woman is smart who can don just enough powder and lipstick to convince the fellows it isn’t makeup at all, but the ‘real you.’

Latter-day Saint Voices Sep 2006

[in an effort to show how worldly she was] She conformed to the popular trend of wearing short skirts, dark makeup, and bold hairstyles, and she also had developed some bad habits, such as smoking…[when she went to Church] To my surprise, I saw instead a young lady whose skirt was modest and whose hair and makeup were all that could be asked of a Latter-day Saint young woman.

FYI: For Your Information - Not Dressed for Success

Actually, there are a few no-nos that we run across every now and then, so to make life easier for all of us, we’ve printed a list of things not to wear if you want your picture in the New Era. And even if a New Era photo is not an option, your advisers would probably breathe a lot easier if you steered clear of these things at Church activities:

… Extreme makeup, like white base with black eyes and lips, or 15 bright colors of eyeshadow (unless it’s part of a costume).

Missionary Handbook

Makeup also should not call attention to itself.

A Gift of Understanding

Kay spent some time pointing out Nancy’s good features and suggesting colors that would enhance her natural beauty. She cleansed Nancy’s skin and used a little makeup to complement her facial structure. Then she combed her hair in a simple but flattering style.

To the Point

One would truly need a great and spacious makeup kit to compete with beauty as portrayed in media all around us.

What’s the Deal with Boys? … What’s the Deal with Girls? April 2010 New Era

We like you for who you are, and you don’t have to be someone you’re not, like wear tons of makeup or not be yourself.

The Joy Is in Becoming - June 1979 New Era

Marie: In trying to make ourselves look our best we found that the major source of information on makeup, fashions, grooming, etc., is found in magazines that promote standards which are contrary to the standards of the Church.

Feedback - Dec 1990 New Era

Your hair, makeup, and dress reflect your personality. And hopefully your personality reflects upon your standards. There are many ways to express yourself. Choose wisely so that you are represented the way you truly want to be.

The Earrings - Jan 2007 Liahona

When my patience gave out, I told her to stop with her makeup, insisting that she looks great even without it.

Now Is the Time to Arise and Shine! April 2012 General Conference

I wish every young woman assembled here tonight would know and understand that your beauty—your “shine”—does not lie in makeup, gooey cream, or the latest clothing or hairstyles. It lies in your personal purity.

How to Be Friends with Your Family - Feb 2015 New Era

Or you might teach your sister the proper way to apply makeup (remember: less is more!)

This is the Way; and there is none other way - Robert D. Hales, BYU Speech

Once you start having a young lady put on her eye makeup and her lipstick and start to attract those around her at an age when she literally does not know what she is doing, you are asking for trouble. Any young lady here who started dating heavily and going steady before the age of sixteen, be careful. I can give you a high correlation between early dating and immoral conduct.

A Parent’s Guide - ch 6, Mature Intimacy: Courtship and Marriage, 1985

What do you do to make yourself desirable? Do you overdo or underdo? Too much makeup or too little?

About “Reading” and Righting - Jan 1976 New Era

So ask yourself what messages others might receive from the tie you do or do not wear, the makeup you apply, the hairstyle you select, or the kinds of clothes you wear for church, school, and work?

A Portrait of Brenda - Feb 1988 New Era

Brenda was like that too. She used little makeup and never fussed over her appearance, but when the winter sun hit her hair just right on the way home from school, he’d look and think she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

Let Them Eat Figs - Oct 1991 New Era

“Well you don’t use as much makeup as the girls I’m used to. You know, eyeshadow, stuff like that. Anyway, I’d say you’re real good looking for the 1500s.”

“Thank you for wearing some makeup,” he said.