Staff Writer
“I wear makeup to bed because I need to be ready for the men in my dreams,” says Lady Gaga to the cast of the XM radio morning show. She confesses that although it is bad for her skin, she is blessed with good genes.
Too bad good genes don’t keep makeup from clogging your pores, causing pimples and irritating your skin. It also dirties your pillowcase, but that’s an easier fix than a face full of pimples.
See, the fact of the matter is that your skin needs time to breathe so it can go through its own natural exfoliation process. During this process, all the pores on your face open and the dead skin is shed.
It is not just the makeup you want to wash off before this process takes place. Your skin is exposed to all different kinds of pollutions and oils throughout the day. By cleansing your face you are also preventing the backup of sebum, which is the oily stuff that your pores actually produce.
If you are someone like Lady Gaga that likes to wear makeup 24/7, then let me share something with you. You know how I mentioned your pores open by themselves? Well, when they do and you have makeup on, the makeup gets sucked into your pores.
That means that when they close back up all that dirt and makeup is under your skin and irritating your pores. Can you say hello pimples?
If that doesn’t make you want to wash your face then I don’t know what will. It is also a good idea to wash off all your eye makeup as well. Mascara hardens your eyelashes so if you were to bend them on your pillow, they’d break right off.
Have you ever slept with makeup on and woken up to your eyes bothering you? That is because every eye shadow contains little sand particles that can irritate your eyes when left on for too long.
My advice is to use a soft, affordable facial cleanser such as Purpose or Cetaphil to remove makeup and cleanse skin. If your skin becomes dry, use a bald, mild moisturizer to avoid getting pimples from oily lotions.
Taylor Hassa may be reached at thassa@springfieldcollege.edu