A few days ago I published an article outlining all the damaging effects associated from repeatedly sleeping with your contours and eyebrows ‘on fleek’. While you may, indeed, doze off looking like a Disney princess, none of that sparkle and shine’s going to matter in the morning once you rinse off all the MAC gunk to reveal budding new pimples.
Of course, as mentioned in the previous article, the long-term damage won’t necessarily spawn from one night of negligence. But repeat offenders should caution themselves with this detrimental habit, lest they want to smash the gas pedal on their skin’s natural youth.
Nevertheless, we’re all going to slip up from time to time. So – what’s a girl (or guy) to do when they find themselves waking up face-first on a pillow smudged with yesterday’s makeup?
I’ve been there, and this emergency morning-after procedure can do just the trick in preventing any further skin issues.
Step 1: Do a double cleanse and exfoliate.
To treat your tortured pores, it’s time to go all 10-step K-Skincare and double cleanse.
Get rid of all the nasty stuff on your face using an oil cleanser that’ll melt off your now dry (and possibly crusty) makeup, clear your skin of dirt and pollutants, as well as draw out any oil-based impurities.
Once you’ve cleaned out the surface of your skin, follow it up with a foam or water-based cleanser to get a deeper clean of your pores. Just like how an oil cleanser tackles the excessive build-up of oil and sebum on your skin, a water-based cleanser is designed to remove any water-based impurities such as sweat and environmental toxins.
After doing this, your once-suffocating skin can finally breathe again. Now, exfoliate – which will not only slough away the dead skin cells and provide a further cleansing step, but will also allow your pores to better absorb the rest of the nourishing products in this procedure.
Step 2: Apply your serums and moisturizer
Dry skin is a common side effect of sleeping in your makeup. Every night, your skin works to repair and replenish itself, which includes maintaining its natural moisture levels to keep it feeling healthy and supple.
However, leaving an entire mask of foundation, bronzer, blush, and what-have-you prevents your skin from carrying out this natural process, causing it to dry out instead. Dehydrated skin leaves it vulnerable to environmental pollutants as it loses its protective moisture barrier, which can cause irritations or sensitive reactions. Its dry appearance can also emphasize any existing fine lines or wrinkles.
Assuming you’d want none of that to take place, go ahead and apply the rest of the products in your usual daily skin care routine. Most importantly – top off the process with your moisturizer to help restore your skin’s hydration levels.
If you’re feeling fancy, you might even want to reach for a hydrating sheet mask to treat your skin’s temporarily dull complexion.
A good face mask can help calm your stressed skin as well as revive it’s natural glow and radiance. Depending on the mask, some might even provide your skin with anti-aging or acne-healing properties. Plus, it’s a great way to pamper yourself after a night of pissing off your skin.
Step 3: Treat any breakouts
Now it’s time to deal with those pesky blemishes. If you’re fortunate enough, you won’t be greeted with a face full of zits after one night – but others with more sensitive skin may need to take on a blooming breakout or two.
Go ahead and apply a spot treatment to any pimples on the rise. For an effective product recommendation, try out Innisfree’s Jeju Bija Anti Trouble Spot Essence; a product with not only the typical salicylic acid that helps treat blemishes, but with torreya seed oil that helps soothe and heal wounded skin.
Innisfree Jeju Bija Anti Trouble Spot Essence
Photo courtesy of Amazon.
Innisfree is also known for its natural ingredients and environmentally-friendly initiatives. As such, this little guy is labelled as ‘6-free’, meaning it’s free from parabens, animal ingredients, mineral oils, synthetic colorings, artificial fragrances, and imidazolidinyl urea (an ingredient known to irritate human skin).
Step 4: Bare it for a day
After all’s been applied and treated, it’s a good idea to let your skin breathe for day. This means skipping out on makeup – or, if you really, absolutely have to, go for something a lot more lightweight on your skin.
E.L.F.’s line of Acne Fighting Foundation is a great go-to for my bad skin days; it not only consists of the aforementioned salicyclic acid, but also has tea tree oil and aloe that help soothe your skin. At the same time, it’s light enough that it won’t further congest your pores.
e.l.f. Cosmetics Acne Fighting Foundation
Photo courtesy of Amazon.
Revlon’s Youth FX Fill + Blue Concealer is also a great alternative on days when I don’t feel like caking on my creamy NARS concealer. Again, it’s a lightweight (and moisturizing!) product that works to blur any fine lines and brighten the area around the eyes. Great for one you need your dark circles corrected without totally suffocating the skin around them.
Revlon Youth Fx Fill + Blur Concealer
Photo courtesy of Amazon.
However, I must emphasize that it’s always best to give your skin some time to rest in its recovery process. As tempting as it is to slap on your usual face, try abstaining for just a day. Your skin and pores will thank you – and it’ll show.
We’re not perfect, so we’re all going to commit the ultimate makeup sin from time to time. And as scary as I’m making everything seem, it really isn’t the end of all your good-skin days if you mess up. That is, if you prevent yourself from turning it into a nightly habit.
But slipping up after one absolutely exhausting night – just relax, give your skin the treatment it needs, and everything should work out fine.