Makeup Removal: How to Avoid a Halloween Skin Disaster

Whether you’re dressing up as a zombie, witch or superhero, nine chances out of ten, you’re going to be applying plenty of makeup this Halloween. A scary costume isn’t complete without several layers of ghoulish makeup to match, and that could mean applying anything from fake blood, glitter, faux eyelashes and everything else in between.

Halloween is the only time of year when “anything goes” when it comes it makeup, but when you’re caking on layer after layer, have you ever stopped to think how all this extra gunk will affect your skin?

A build-up of makeup can lead to skin sensitivity, irritation and breakouts. To avoid a post-Halloween skin disaster, we have 3 skin care tips to prevent turning spooky makeup into scary skin:

1. Up your face washing game

After hours of handing out goodies to trick-or-treaters, or after a late night costume party, you’re probably only thinking about getting some well-deserved shut-eye.

Before you even think about hitting the hay, make sure you wash your face (and we don’t mean just a simple splash of water). Halloween make-up removal is going to involve a little extra time and care.

Suggested cleansing routine:

• Step 1: Combine our Mineral Cleansing Concentrate with our Clear Skin Probiotic Cleanser and mix with a few drops of water. This product mix produces a gentle and natural foaming action which will help effectively remove stuck-on layers of foundation and/or face paint.

• Step 2:  Use a towel (preferably a dark one) and pat away excess water from your face. Add a couple of drops of our Herbal Eye Makeup Remover to a cotton round pad and apply around the eye area. You may need to do this a few times depending on how heavy your eye makeup is.
• Step 3: After you’ve thoroughly removed your eye makeup, use the same method in Step 2 but this time with our Rice Milk 3 in 1 Cleansing Water. Apply to your whole face and neck area with a cotton round pad to remove any excess makeup. Give your face a final rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a towel.

Quick Tip: Washing your make-up brushes is just as important as cleansing your skin. If not properly cleaned, makeup brushes can breed all kinds of nasty bacteria that we can’t even begin to think about. To keep the creepy crawlies off your makeup brushes, clean and sanitize them with our Natural Brush Cleanser.

2. APPLY Calming Products to minimize irritation

On the scariest night of the year, not only will you be wearing an abundance of makeup, you’ll probably be trying a few unfamiliar products as well. To avoid skin sensitivity, it’s important to treat your skin to gentle, calming products that will help minimize any redness and irritation. After you’ve washed your face, we recommend a quick spritz of our Soothing Chamomile Tonique, followed by an application of our Calm Skin Chamomile Moisturizer. Finish by applying our cooling Cucumber Eye Gel to ease the look of puffiness around your eyes.

3. Exfoliate and Purify Your Pores

To help your skin recover from its Halloween hangover, we recommend giving your complexion extra care and attention the morning after.

Start the day by exfoliating thoroughly to help unclog pores and prevent the appearance of breakouts. Our Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant is a gentle exfoliant for all skin types that can be used on its own or mixed with your favorite cleanser.

According to Seventeen Magazine, when left-over cosmetics on your face are mixed with oil on your T-zone, it can cause clogged pores or even worse, bacterial infections – ick! The best way to purify your pores is to follow up your exfoliation treatment with an application of our Charcoal Masque from our Balancing Masque Duo. The activated charcoal found in this masque has unique detoxification and absorption properties that help draw out excess toxins and bacteria from the skin.

This post was written by Karen Young Chester from Eminence Organics.
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