One of the most frequently asked question by my clients is “how bad is the regular use of makeup for the skin?”
Who doesn’t wear makeup these days, I mean WHO?
I have clients asking me literally to formulate a serum-based foundation for them to use while they drop off their kids to school.
And I totally get that, because even I have caught myself wearing makeup in a condition where I couldn’t even talk because of illness. My only concern, I didn’t want to look sick when I was sick!!
But you know what, you don’t have to have clogged pores and dull skin because of wearing makeup everyday, all day.
You can pull off clear vibrant skin even after feeding it with those concealers and foundations for 10 straight hours everyday.
Just follow these 5 tips and you are good to go.
1.Use makeup with SPF for the day.
Its a total myth that you need to let your skin breathe by leaving it bare. Skin does not have a respiratory system that it can breathe. And makeup is not bad for your skin if you use appropriate formula for your skin type.
Where a layer of foundation and setting powder provide additional protection against the sun-rays, you have to understand that it cannot be replaced by a proper sunscreen.
A foundation doesn’t compensate for a sunscreen.
Don’t think that wearing a thick layer of foundation means you are protecting your skin completely from UVA and UVB rays.
You need to wear a shield of physical sunscreen under your foundation or use a foundation that carries an SPF in it.
I usually tell my clients to buy a setting powder with an SPF,so they can reapply it every 2-3 hours during the day. Even the setting sprays with sun protection factor solve the purpose.
Product : Physicians formula tinted moisturise with SPF
2.Use oil-free makeup if you have oily skin.
Just the way different skin types need different skincare; they need different makeup too.
Where makeup is concerned, it doesn’t go by the rule of one for all.
Especially the oily skin needs to kept far off from heavy oil based foundations and primers.
Sometimes the synthetic perfumes and oils can travel deep into the skin and cause inflammation and result in breakouts and blemishes too.
There is wide choice of oil free makeup available in different brands that can give a perfect matte finish to the skin without disrupting its natural oil balance.
Product: Rimmel stay matte pressed powder
3.Clean your makeup brushes and sponges.
I know that cleaning the making brushes sounds like a total work to everyone. But its way too important to clean the brushes at least once a month otherwise every time to apply makeup, you are wearing all the bacteria, dirt and oil that the brushes carry on them.
Product: Real techniques formula brush cleaning gel
4.Makeup has an expiry date.
Generally what we do is use the makeup till it gets out of trend without taking into account the expiry date of the product. Especially foundations and mascara, once opened, get exposed to air, allowing the bacteria to enter the bottle.
These products if used even after the expiration date, might cause some serious allergies and infections.
You should never use cosmetics post expiration. They should be tossed after the expiration date, no matter how much product is still left to use.
5.Just a makeup-removing wipe isn’t enough to take off the makeup.
Consistent use of creamy, oil based layers of foundations and primers can cause the pores to clog resulting in bumpy skin surface and other signs of ageing like blemishes and uneven skin tone.
Makeup removing wipes are not enough to break down the thick layer of makeup thoroughly. Its important to use a makeup remover with the formulas that are designed to wipe off the makeup before wetting your face to use a face wash.
After cleaning the face with the make up wipe, use a cotton ball drenched with a good quality makeup remover to gently take off the makeup and then wash off with a hydrating face wash.
If not carrying any makeup remover, use jojoba oil to remove the makeup.
Its very important to go easy on the delicate area around the eyes. Use a gentle eye makeup remover specially formulated for the sensitive area around the eyes, to remove the eye makeup and that waterproof mascara without pulling and rubbing the delicate skin.
Even gentle exfoliation or a pore-clearing mask would work very well after taking off the makeup at night, keeping the pores clean.
Product: Cucumber organics cleansing oil for acne prone skin.
Wearing makeup for longer hours, day after day, has far more affect on your skin then you realize.
So if you are using makeup regularly and at the same time keen to keep your skin in the best of health, its very important that you follow these simple tips and avoid the harmful effects of makeup.