Why it's ok to sleep in your make up
Keep falling asleep in your makeup? thinks maybe you shouldn’t feel too guilty about it
Do you wear makeup to bed?
I’m not asking if you should, as even if this is the first beauty page you’ve ever laid eyes on you’ve learned it’s a bad thing through some kind of feminine osmosis.
I do not believe people are completely honest in surveys (I read a survey on that once), but based on the very honest women I know the most common answers include “sometimes” and “when I’m with a man”.
Based on extensive anecdotal evidence, too, I’ve learned that even a very sleepy lady will brush her teeth and wash her face when alone but a man you’re very into gets special treatment.
Women have adorned themselves since the beginning of time (something to do with male attraction being more visceral, Sigmund Freud), are we really setting the sisterhood back by leaving some on for a new man?
INTO THE MYSTIQUE
Not long after I began covering beauty there was an American mineral skincare brand that made the mistake of marketing their foundation as “pure enough to sleep in” in celebration of National Sleepover Day (seriously).
Queue apparently-genuine feminist outrage, mixed with offence at the sheer greed of it all. How dare beauty companies find another way to make us shop for sleepy time.
“They want to find a willing consumer in the person who is unconscious.
“Next they will make playlists for people in comas, deodorants for the unborn,” mocked The Guardian.
Covering the same product, Jezebel (“the supposedly feminist website”) suggested makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury — who really does advocate sleeping in makeup — “look into therapy.”
I do agree making a lifetime commitment to bedtime makeup seems extreme but isn’t it a valid commercial choice to spot something women do sometimes and suggest how to make it feel a little less grimy?
Mineral makeup is no purer than any other kind, incidentally.
Most use the talc alternative bismuth oxychloride, which is both synthetic and liable to enlarge pores if traces build up in them over time.
The term “non-comedogenic on a label also means nothing, as there is no comprehensive test for whether a product clogs pores or not. No foundation is going to be pure enough to sleep in, though if you are after something more natural generally I recommend Inika’s Certified Organic Liquid Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid, €38.45 at lookfantastic.com, which is very light and hydrating.
Smart date-night makeup is more about enhancing your best bits than hiding from your partner, makeup is powerful but total artifice can’t inspire the same affection as your own features.
Still, I do wonder if Elizabeth Bennett would have waited quite so long Mr Darcy to decide whether her “fine eyes” were worth pursuing if some eyelash curlers and Maybelline The Rocket Mascara, €11.99, has made sure no-one could miss them.
Practical Magic
Most of us meet men while wearing makeup. It is very natural, you probably wear a little to work and a lot more when you go out.
If you first see each other on social media, the impression you give will have at least some glam in the mix.
Once you start dating someone you really like it is very difficult to go totally bare-faced.
There will be days when you both learn intimate things about each other that you’ll accept, tolerate or even love.
Those are rarely the early days.
Even if you think he’s the one — especially if you think he’s the one, in fact — you want to prolong the first flush any way you can.
We protect the things we want to keep, invest time and money in their preservation.
Plus, in the insightful words of Paris Hilton: there are too many cute girls out there not to be making an effort.
There are also practical choices to think of down the line.
Say, even after months of him suggesting you move northeast you’re still south-westside till you die, thank you, there are going to be nights when schlepping all your favourite skincare across town simply isn’t convenient.
This is no reason to let your blush game suffer but your skin may need some help.
Morning After Skin-Savers Cleansing Oil
Forget swiping away with the micellar water, if your makeup has survived a night’s pillow abrasion you need something that can clear your skin quickly without dehydrating it further. Raw oils like coconut and olive are often a base ingredient in such products but make terrible cleansers, so raiding the kitchen is not ideal.
Salicylic Acid
This is key to clearing the congestion (spots and black or whiteheads) that emerges when sebum mixes with dirt and makeup particles. Icky, I know.
What we won’t do for love…
Glossier launched a targeted SA product this month that is as handbag friendly as the rest of their range. Glossier Zit Stick, €14, also contains benzoyl peroxide, which kills spot-causing bacteria, and is on in just two clicks.
Hyaluronic Acid
Long-wearing foundations, powders and shadows can thoroughly dehydrate skin overnight.
No7 Laboratories Firming Booster Serum, €49, contains super-moisturising hyaluronic acid, as well as antioxidant hibiscus seed oil and smoothing proteins.
The tube even comes with a multi rollerball tip, providing for a morning massage.
CBD Oil
This oil is simply the calming plant extract du jour, any anti-inflammatory is a good idea when skin is irritated.
Vitamin E, niacinamide and hemp seed oil blends like Herbivore’s Emerald Moisture Glow Oil, €48.83 at SpaceNK and cultbeauty.co.uk , are also great choices.
A slick of lip balm is a great way to conceal dehydration.
Try to avoid balms that use eucalyptus, camphor or anything at all that make skin feel colder.
While they may feel refreshing in the morning, this cooling reaction is a form of irritation your lips’ fine skin can do without.
NARS Clean Cut Afterglow Lip Balm, €26, can be used on the lips and eyelids for hydration and a gentle sheen.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
