I’m sure you’ve heard it from your mother, grandmother, and every other woman over forty – take care of your skin! With a hectic college schedule, I know just as well as you that fitting in a proper skincare regimen can be difficult. The last thing you want to do at 3am is stand in front of a mirror for ten minutes, nor do you have time when you’re rushing out of the house at 8:58 for the dreaded 9am class. Wouldn’t it be easier just to leave our make-up on permanently? Don’t I wish. But the fact of it is that sleeping in your makeup – both face and eye makeup – can be very bad for your skin and eyes.
For one, if you’re prone to acne, leaving your makeup on causes your pores to get clogged for an extended period of time – causing more breakouts. Leaving your eye make-up on can lead to eye infections and wrinkles later in life. If you want clear, beautiful skin when you wake up in the morning, all you need to do is follow these few simple steps!
Step 1: Remove your eye makeup
I’m a big fan of Almay products. I have sensitive skin most of the time – and their eye-makeup remover is very gentle. They have both bottled remover and pre-moistened remover pads for convenience – I usually have both on hand. Neutrogena also makes great make-up remover products. Make sure that you deliberately remove all your eye-makeup, instead of relying on your cleanser to take it off. You shouldn’t get your cleanser close to your eyes – especially if it has benzyl peroxide or salicylic acid in it (both used for acne treatment).
Step 2: Wash your face!
Obviously, this is the most important step. If you’re prone to acne, use a cleanser with benzyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Try both until you see which one your skin reacts better to. My skin doesn’t react to these well, so I started seeing a dermatoglist when I was in high school. If you feel like cleansers and over the counter treatments aren’t helping, don’t be afraid to see a doctor! They can prescribe you stronger combinations of medicine that will help heal your current acne and prevent it from coming back. Usually in the forms of creams or gels, these should not be combined with a face wash that has ANY time of medicine in them. Use a simple wash, such as CeraVa or Cetaphil. Also, stay away from anything with beads. These can actually irritate your skin more and cause tiny cuts in your pores.
Step 3: Medicate and moisturize
Got a zit? Zap one of those wonderful overnight spot treatments on there before you go to sleep. Make sure you let this dry, and then apply moisturizer. This is an absolute must! Use something that is calming to your skin. I swear by Aveeno products. They’re creamy enough to feel like my skin is really getting the moisture it needs, but light enough so that it doesn’t feel like I have blobs of lotion on my face. You should apply your moisturizer in an upward direction (the opposite of the way wrinkles form) and should be applied from your neck up. Also, you should find a moisturizer with SPF. Not quite as important in the winter and when Pittsburgh is notoriously crowded – but sun-spots are not something you want to encourage!
Follow these simple steps, and you’re on your way to a brighter and more beautiful you! Believe me, your skin will thank you in 20 years!