At the end of a long day, you know what you need to do: take it off, take it all off. I’m not talking about your clothes (although you probably don’t want to go to bed fully clothed.) I’m talking about your makeup.
Cosmetics might make your eyes pop and your lips shine during the day, but if you don’t remove every speck at night, you could end up clogging your pores and getting blemishes. Of course a new breakout will mean needing to cake on more concealer the next day, giving you more to remove at night or else risking more blemishes the next day. It’s a viscous cycle!
It’s time to stop the madness. Here’s a guide to removing makeup the right way, and also a shortcut for those nights when you get home late and just want to collapse in bed–and worry about the mascara smudges on the pillow in the morning.
- First, remove your eye makeup using a gentle solvent like Earth Science Chamomile Green Tea Eye Makeup Remover, which is non-irritating and 100% fragrance free. The gel-like formula works so quickly that you’ll remove even the most stubborn eyeliner in mascara in one swipe of a cotton round–so you won’t have to worry about rubbing your delicate eye skin or, worse, eyelash loss.
- Next, remove your lip color. You can use a cosmetic remover but I actually prefer just taking a dab of coconut oil to gently but thoroughly reveal naked lips.
- Wash your face with a gentle cleanser designed to moisturize while thoroughly cleanse, like Canus All-Natural Facial Cleansing Milk, which contains fresh goat’s milk and sunflower oils to remove remaining traces of foundation, concealer and blush that might remain on your skin. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.
- Spot-correct any remaining traces of makeup you see (sometimes, a little eyeliner will linger) with a Q-tip and a dab of remover.
- Complete the rest of your skin care regime: apply anti-aging serum, eye firming cream and night moisturizer. Then off to bed you go!
Plan B
We’ve all been there. Whether you just got back from a late party, a red-eye flight or a long day the office, the idea of going into the bathroom, applying lots of tonics and serums with cotton pads to your skin sounds like torture.
But don’t go to bed covered in smut! Keep a pack of Yes to Cucumbers wipes in your nightstand, your purse or in your car so you can go to bed as close to bare-faced as possible. You’d actually be amazed by how much comes off in one swipe, and the gentle, moisturizing aloe offers gentle nourishment–which you’ll surely need if you’re not up for dealing with the usual night cream regime.
These wipes are also great to keep in your gym bag so you don’t have icky beige-colored sweat to towel off while you’re on the elliptical.
So remember to “strip” every night–your pores (and your pillow) will say thank you every morning!