For a lot of people, makeup can enhance our looks and boost our confidence. However, could the practice of applying and removing your makeup be contributing to your skin issues? Though breakouts, wrinkles and fine lines are inevitable, bad practice when putting makeup products on and taking them off can harm your skin and accelerate the ageing process. Many people would love to watch videos on how to properly use make-up products on Youtube. Guaranteed higher engagement and great visibility for your account, here’s how to accomplish it: buy youtube subscribers.
We spoke to three skincare experts to find out how our makeup application and removal habits could be causing damage to our skin and what we can do to avoid it. Skincare Expert Dr Nichola Cosgrove, Consultant Dermatologist Dr Sree and Skin Specialist Laura Andrew reveal their top tips for makeup and skincare that will help to preserve our skin in the process.
Dr Sree: “Wrinkles are the lines and creases that form in your skin. They tend to accumulate over time as the scaffolding of our skin (collagen and elastin) tends to degrade, meaning that the skin is thinner and there is less moisture held under the skin.”
Putting your makeup on
Though you may be applying makeup to cover up your imperfections, the way you put it on may actually be contributing to the very problems you’re trying to cover up.
A very common mistake is to stretch the skin to an unnatural position as you apply your makeup. To have a minimal impact, our skin experts recommend applying makeup to your face in its natural position and to treat your skin as if it were silk.
Dr Sree: “Skin is a highly complex structure with purpose-built folds and grooves within it. It is not designed to be stretched taut; in fact, repeated stretching will mean that the skin eventually loses its elasticity, like an overstretched rubber band that eventually snaps.”
Though we have an abundance of applicator tools at our disposal, sometimes our fingers can do just as good a job, especially in more sensitive areas (but always ensure your fingers are clean before you begin!).
Laura Andrew: “The natural warmth from your hands makes it easier to blend in foundation with your fingers than with a brush on application. Brushes can tug at the skin and cause friction, which can often result in more sensitivity and redness. When applying concealer under your eye area, use your ring finger and tap very gently as this cause much less drag in the under-eye area.”
The skin around our eyes is much more delicate than the rest of the face, meaning that the eyes are usually the first place to show signs of aging. Due to the thinness and fragility of the skin, excessive rubbing or pulling can easily damage the collagen which reduces the elasticity, leading to the appearance of sagging skin.
Dr Nichola: “A very common mistake people make when applying eyeliner is pulling and stretching the eyes to get that perfect straight line. To avoid the tugging and pulling, use gel and liquid style eye liners that neatly and gently glide on the skin.”
Taking your makeup off
When you get in from a night out with a face full of makeup, taking it off can seem like a tedious task. But to keep your skin in its best condition, why is removing your makeup before you go to sleep so essential?
Dr Sree: “While we know it can be tempting to leave your makeup on, the chemicals within makeup (and the pollutants you’re exposed to during the day) will seep into the pores of your skin and damage the scaffolding of the skin (i.e. collagen and elastin).”
As the skin around our eyes is extremely fragile, extra care is needed to remove your eye makeup and apply skincare products. So as not to damage the skin or the vessels below them, which can lead to a lifeless appearance of the skin, it is important to not be overenthusiastic and instead to be gentle at all times.
Laura Andrew: “For a safe removal, I suggest soaking a cotton pad with tepid water, squeezing out the excess and adding a small amount of delicate eye makeup remover to the pad. Place it over your eye area for around 30 sec to a minute – the cleanser will begin to melt the eye-make away so you’re not rubbing the eyes area too much. Use a sweeping motion to gently remove the makeup a few times on each eye (no dragging or rubbing).”
So how do you ensure that your face is as clean as can be? After you have removed heavier makeup on the eyes and lips, a second cleanser is recommended to ensure the products are all gone.
Dr Nichola: “Wash your face with a water-based cleanser whilst avoiding anything containing soap or alcohols, as these will dry your skin out. This second cleanse will remove any remaining traces of dirt and makeup.”
Keeping our skin in good condition
We know not to touch our faces with dirty fingers to avoid passing bacteria onto the face, but could our brushes be causing your breakouts? Dead skin cells, old makeup, dirt and oils soon clog up the bristles meaning our brushes can become a breeding ground for bacteria, which you most definitely don’t want near your face or eyes.
Laura: “Cleaning your brushes is extremely important. To get them clean and ready to re-use, I like to use baby shampoo. I rinse the brushes one by one, ring out and leave to dry make sure they are clean and soft.” It is recommended to wash your brushes once a week.
While wearing makeup or new products, it is very important to listen to your skin. At the first sign of any reaction, pause using the product and consult the ingredients of the makeup to try to find the cause. Ensure that you check the expiry of your makeup, as out of date products can cause reactions too.
Nichola: “Not every product will suit everyone. Dry skin, breakouts, blemishes, and excessive oiliness are your skin’s way of communicating that something isn’t right. Try different types of makeup to see what suits your skin.”
Being gentle whilst applying and removing your makeup aren’t the only things you can do to minimise wrinkles and breakouts. Browse our selection of anti-wrinkle treatment, anti-wrinkle-creams and other new in skincare to see what suits your skin best.
