When I come out to friends about my no-makeup-in-the-bedroom rule, I'm met with shaking heads, confusion, and the occasional "WTF?" Clearly, I'm not the only woman in the world who washes her face before (many people never wear makeup to begin with), and there's obviously no wrong or right way to look while having sex, but there is a wide gap between comfort zones in my friend group. For me, rolling around in eyeliner and blush is a small form of personal hell; for them, it's a confidence booster. Thus far, only one partner has commented on my pre-coital routine: A former boyfriend groaned about how long I took taking off my makeup and even fell asleep by the time I was finally ready to go, but it's hardly hurt my sex life. In fact, men have complimented my freckles that are normally hidden by foundation and said my natural eyelashes are long as hell. I don't need this validation, but I sure don't hate it.

Look, there are a lot of fetishes, habits, and preferences out there: Some people are into sploshing ; others like to do it at the gym ; I want to be as bare bones as possible. I think it's because the act is already so vulnerable that if I'm in it, I want to really be in it — I want to let my partner see me at my most fragile and embrace the flushed pink afterglow and bed head. (I like to imagine I look like the kind of nude forest nymph you see prancing on the ceilings of chapels, but that's up for debate.) But the best unintended benefit of sex sans makeup? No need to get up and wash your face means no need to cut cuddle time short. Just make sure you get up to go to the bathroom at some point — congested skin sucks, but UTIs are way worse.