Overnight makeup = bad news for skin.

We have all had those days when the last thing you want to do is to spend more time in the bathroom removing your makeup and you would prefer to just roll into your bed. Read on to find out why leaving your makeup on overnight is such bad news for your skin.

There are lots of different types of makeup – face, lip and eye makeup, all have different detrimental effects if left on your skin during the night.

Let’s start with foundation. Foundation formulas have come a long way over the years and the current trend for longwear makeups means that they need to be THOROUGHLY removed. Firstly with an oil-based product to dissolve the long-wear ingredients and secondly with a prescribed cleanser to remove all traces of debris, sebum and dirt leaving your skin squeaky clean. Failing to remove foundation means that as you sleep, foundation particles can penetrate the sub-layers of the dermis, pores can become clogged and this prevents the skin from being able to rehydrate and to protect itself from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress in turn can lead to a loss of skin elasticity and resilience resulting in premature skin ageing. This is because at night the skin changes from daytime ‘protect’ mode into a more receptive ‘absorption’ mode. So don’t let your skin absorb coloured makeup particles at night; make the most of this regenerative time and apply active night products to support skin health.  Along with foundation I am going to include face powder, blushers, concealers, eyeshadows and contouring products (in fact anything which is applied to the epidermis) in this category as they can all have a similar impact on the skin at night.

Moving on to lip makeup, including lip pencils, lipsticks, lip glosses – in fact any makeup you apply to your lips. Firstly you need to know, that if you are prone to blackheads and breakouts the waxes used in lip products can clog the pores around your lips. Very annoying! Secondly, lip products can be very drying on your lips. The lips do not have a protective epidermal layer like the rest of your skin so the skin on your lips is far more vulnerable. Although most lipstick will have worn off throughout the day due to eating, drinking and talking (and possibly kissing???) you would be surprised at how many colour particles are still clinging on to that vulnerable lip skin. This can cause dry, cracked lips. To thoroughly remove lip products use an old, soft toothbrush with an oil based cleaner to gently cleanse your lips. Rinse and apply a night lip product. We recommend Dermalogica nightly lip treatment if you are concerned about the fine lines around your mouth as well as the lips themselves.

Finally, eyelashes. Sleeping in mascara or eyeliner can dry your eyelashes making them brittle and more prone to breakage, leaving you with short, stumpy lashes instead of long and luscious ones. In addition, eyeliner and mascara can clog the small hair follicles and sebaceous glands leaving congestion, inflammation and possibly even infection. Remove mascara and eyeliner thoroughly, but gently as the skin around the eye area is so fine and delicate. We love Blinc mascara as it is totally waterproof, but super-easy to remove using a flannel (or cotton wool) with warm water. Hard to believe? Just try it! When you visit the salon you can request a one-eye patch test to compare it to your regular mascara. We know you will be converted! Once your eyes are cleansed apply a night time eye product to keep your peepers looking perfect.

I hope this has inspired you to look after your skin at night (no matter how much Prosecco you have drunk!) and just think how clean your pillow case will look in the morning too!

Originally published December 13, 2018