Six Common Makeup Mistakes

Do you wear makeup? If yes, stop doing these 6 things to your skin!

I get this question a lot from my clients: “Is makeup bad for my skin? Does wearing makeup clog my pores? What is the best way to remove it at night? Is it okay to wear makeup every day?” 

The fact is, you’re wearing makeup on your face for 10 to 12 hours a day, if not more, so for better or worse, it definitely has an effect on your skin, and a lot more than you might realize. It is therefore important to know that the choices you make directly affect the skin on your face.

In this article, I’ll share with you six common mistakes people make when choosing, wearing, and removing makeup, including a few pro tips and solutions to make sure your skin stays in the best possible health with fewer lines, wrinkles, blemishes and clogged pores.

Six common makeup mistakes that are harming your skin (and how to fix them)

Ideally, your nighttime skincare routine should be done earlier in the evening rather than right before you put your face on your pillow. 

There are two benefits to performing your routine earlier in the evening.

• You will probably be less lazy if you do this earlier. Meaning, you don’t want to skip doing a post-cleanse mask or applying eye cream because you’re too tired.
• Also, your skin will be in the best possible position to benefit from your nighttime products. Scientists once thought that the skin’s repair process kicked in during sleep, but it is now believed that it occurs when the day goes from light to dark.

Do your routine earlier and your skin will be better off for it.

While the skin is in fact the largest organ of the body, it does not have a respiratory system, therefore the concept of your skin “breathing” is just a myth. The truth is that face makeup, in the form of liquid foundation or even powder, gives additional protection from the sun (this is true even if it doesn’t list an SPF number). Since protecting your skin from UV light during the day should be your first priority, using makeup can be extremely beneficial. Of course, you will have to choose the right type of makeup for your skin type to ensure it’s the best fit.

Particularly when it comes to removing liquid foundation (or removing water-resistant sunscreens) using a cream or oil-based cleanser is the best product to use for proper makeup removal. However, if you wet your skin with water first and then apply your creamy cleanser, it will be diluted and the makeup will not break down very well, leaving you with unclean skin. You should therefore avoid wetting your skin beforehand and simply apply the cream or cleanser directly.

I know they’re convenient (I’m guilty of doing this in the past too) but using cleansing wipes for removing face makeup is one of the worst things you could do because those wipes don’t clean your skin at all. Instead, they spread all the dirt, bacteria, oil and makeup around your face without lifting anything off. Essentially, using a wipe is like applying cleanser to your face with soap and then not washing it off. 

This is a rather easy one, but I know most of us have done this multiple times. In order to stop this bad habit, it’s important to understand how incredibly dirty your skin gets at night, due to:

• sebum (oil) that secretes through your pores all day
• bacteria from touching your face with your hands and the dirt under your nails (without even realizing it)
• makeup from setting powders, primers, blushes, and liquid foundations

Letting your skin marinate in dirt, oil, and makeup all day and night can lead to clogged pores, breakouts, and contribute to a dull-looking complexion. This makes it extremely important to cleanse your skin (Sunflower Cleansing Oil or Citrus Cleanser) every night and perform a nighttime routine based on your skin type.

Anytime you purchase a product and you alter its formula, it can change its effectiveness. In the case of sunscreen, it is important to know that the product has gone through rigorous testing and approval by the FDA to ensure it’s truly protecting your skin from the sun. Of all the products you want to be effective, sunscreen should be the most important one. If you’re wanting a little coverage, I would suggest you find a lightweight foundation and apply it over your daily sunscreen.

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With Love, 

Nanaglow