If you’re used to wearing make-up every day, however little, it can become a real habit. But is that such a bad thing? We ask the experts for the low-down on properly cleansing the skin.
Your skin does not ‘breath’
Dr Justine Hextall, the consultant dermatologist at The Harley Medical Group, says “It is important not to take the term ‘breathe’ literally. Our skin does not breathe as such (in fact, the top layer contains dead cells). I am not sure going make-up free benefits skin, and a lot of make-up now contains ingredients such as antioxidants and sun protection factors that will protect skin from the ageing effects of pollution and sunlight.”
Switch to a lighter foundation
There is no evidence that make-up exacerbates acne but avoid oily, heavy bases. However, there’s no need for heavy coverage as there are so many light-reflective foundations and concealers now that do a much better job of giving the impression of glowing skin tones.
Always remove make-up at the end of the day
“You need to take off all your make-up before bed time, but you needn’t stop wearing it for a day,” says Andrew Gallimore, make-up artist and UK ambassador for Nars. “With today’s formulations and ingredients in many foundations, they are almost like skincare anyway. Give your skin a break overnight and use a gentle toner after cleansing to make sure you’ve removed everything. Then in your day-to-day make-up, choose foundations and tinted moisturisers that nourish the skin and feel light at the same time.”
And again, to double-cleanse
Make sure you thoroughly cleanse your skin every night, and this means twice. This ensures any debris and dirt that has built up from the day doesn’t clog up pores during the night, which could result in breakouts.
For problem skin, go on a three day break
“Your skin is constantly renewing itself so do get into the habit of giving it time to fully regenerate,” says Jasmina Vico, aesthetic skin therapist at Hari’s Salon. To do this, try having a few days a month of not wearing any make-up at all. Often the products we use contain fragrances, allergens and other ingredients that will irritate the skin, so constantly wearing these products will increase dullness, blotchiness and the chance of acne.”
The Telegraph
