#103: Can I Wear Eye Makeup When My Eyes Are Dry?
A question a lot of people have been asking me online, and in the office, is, "How can I wear eye makeup when my eyes are dry?" It's a really important question, because you don't want to make your dry eyes worse by surrounding your eyes with powders and ingredients that could irritate or cause damage to your eyes.
Many of my patients experience red, irritated eyes from improper use of makeup. They complain that their makeup just seems to run down their face by the end of the day. There are a couple of easy to implement tips to know to make makeup wear possible for your sensitive eyes. I've got FIVE tips to show you how. Llet's get started.
#1) Take a Break
I hate to start with this one, but if your eyes are truly inflamed and irritated, you may have to start with taking a break from your eye makeup. There are several different ways in which you can take a break. It could mean that you need to stop wearing mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow for several days, or weeks. Or perhaps, take one full day off each week, or never put it on if you are staying home.
You can also shorten the amount of time you wear makeup by removing it immediately after you get home from work or from going out. If you are still trying to wear foundation, concealer, or face powder, make sure you are completely avoiding getting it in your eye area. Allowing powders to fall into the eyes is a sure way to get irritation.
When you are not wearing makeup, use this opportunity to instill some extra artificial tears. If there is inflammation in your tears, using artificial tears will decrease the concentration of the inflammatory factors. Make sure you're only using preservative-free tears though. You don't want to add more preservatives to eyes that are already irritated. Wait until the inflammation is calmed down, and let your eyes feel soothed and relieved before you start using makeup again.
#2) Remove your Eye Makeup Every Night
Ensure you're taking your eye makeup off every night with a Toxin-free makeup remover. If you've been around here a while, you know that I have a list of eye makeup removers that are great for people with sensitive eyes, and I'd like to share it with you. Download your Free Guide to Makeup Removers here.
Let me go over them briefly. There are five different types of eye makeup removers, and you want to pick the one that's best for your lifestyle.
- Micellar water makeup remover. This is formula is very gentle and great for people who have sensitive skin, and sensitive eyes.
- Oil-free makeup remover. This is great for people who have oily skin.
- Oil-based makeup remover. This is great for people who have dry skin.
- Makeup remover wipe. These are great for people who are on the go. Some of them even come individually wrapped, like the Refreshing Towelettes from Eyes Are the Story.
- Makeup remover cloth. This product is easy to use and contains zero chemicals. You just add water to the cloth and wipe the makeup right off. It's amazing. Plus, they are machine washable and reusable.
Those are the five types of makeup removers. If you download the guide, you'll find all 5 types and how to get them with everything laid out for you.
#3) Switch to CLEAN Makeup
Make the switch to wearing clean makeup. Your eyes will be so thankful to you. And, the longer you stay away from toxic ingredients the better your eyes will feel. I covered all the best reasons to switch to clean makeup in a recent blog, so if you haven't checked it out already, click here to read it and stay updated!
This previous post covers everything about clean makeup, and why we want to use it. Basically, we want to keep the toxins away from our eyes. This means we should be using actual clean products. Stay away from products labeled with buzz-words like "organic", "all-natural", or "paraben-free". Purchasing products with one of those labels doesn't guarantee that the product is truly clean.
If you check out this blog, we'll go over all of that in detail with you. Eliminating toxins around your eyes is the name of the game to avoid redness, irritation, and wrinkles.
#4) Wear your Makeup Properly
Know how to properly wear your makeup. You want to avoid water lining and tight lining. If you don't know what those terms mean, you could still be doing it. Check out this blog for pictures.
The structure of the eye involved in water lining and tight lining contains your meibomian glands. These glands are key in creating a healthy tear film. The glands themselves are delicate structures and need to be preserved.
When you apply eyeliner, you want to make sure that you're avoiding that part of your eye area. If you'd like to learn the other 10 rules about makeup wear and care, check out the Clean Makeup Manual Course. The course covers everything you need to know about wearing clean makeup. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to get relief from your red, irritated eyes. This is crucial information if you have dry eyes and want to wear eye makeup.
#5) Keep it Going
All of these effects will compound. The longer you follow these tips the better. The toxins from the makeup you used to wear will get out of your system. The more you use clean makeup the better your eyes will feel. Removing your eye makeup with a non-toxic product will keep your eyes feeling great at the end of the day. Consistency is key, so the longer you stay at it, the better they will be in the long run.
Follow your makeup removal routine with the 4-Simple step dry eye regimen and your eyes will feel even better. Check out this blog if you are not sure about the 4 steps you should be taking daily to care for your eyes.
CONCLUSION
You can wear makeup when you have dry eyes. You may need to make some changes to how you wear your makeup and how you care for your eyes though. Making a switch to Clean Makeup is the key to having your sensitive eyes tolerate makeup again.
Take a look at the products offered by Eyes Are The Story for the healthiest eye makeup on the market. This beauty brand is the brainchild of several prominent dry eye specialists. Great things can come about when caring physicians come together to produce a solution for Clean Makeup.
