What happens when you sleep with your makeup on?

It’s late, you’re tired. We get it. You’ll likely fall asleep with your makeup on every once in a while. But ultimately when it comes down to what’s good and bad, sleeping with your makeup can really mess up your skin. So what happens when you sleep with your makeup on? Glad you asked.

1. Eye irritation

Eye makeup is probably the worst kind to sleep with. When you sleep, the mascara you have on can rub into your eyes.

Not only does this result in infections, but it also clogs the pores around your eyes, resulting in painful styes. Bacteria feed on the lingering makeup particles from mascara and eyeliner.

Neglecting to remove your mascara can also leave behind debris that rub on the cornea, leaving it irritated and abrased. Leftover mascara also sucks the moisture from your eyelashes when left on for too long, making them brittle and clumpy.

2. Worsened acne and more breakouts

If you have acne prone skin (which happens to be the vast majority of us), sleeping with makeup like foundation on can make you breakout or make your acne even worse. This might seem obvious, but sleeping with your foundation on can clog the pores in your skin and leave you with pimples.

3. Fine lines and wrinkles

Sleeping with a layer of makeup on your face can under the skin from repairing and replacing damaged cells. Getting in the way of your skin’s cell renewal process can prevent oil from flowing to your skin’s surface. This can cause dry skin and create visible fine lines and wrinkles.

4. Allergic reactions

If you’re someone with sensitive skin, having your makeup on overnight can result in all types of face irritations. The combination of friction from tossing and turning while you sleep and having makeup on that long can result in itchiness and redness the next day.

5. Chapped lips

Lipsticks can dry out your lips if you keep it on as you sleep. Most lipsticks and glosses contain wax which can make your lips dry out and chap if you keep them on too long. 

What To Do If You Slept With Your Makeup On

So you’ve woken up with makeup residue on your pillow. Oops. You can keep the damage under control by washing your face immediately and applying moisturizer. 

Be sure to change your pillowcase. Sleeping on a pillowcase with makeup residue is almost just as bad as sleeping with it on your face. Make sure to wash it and replace it with a clean one soon afterwards.

What To Do Instead

First, it’s best to follow through with a night skincare routine that works for your skin type. A typical night skincare routine involves wiping off your makeup, applying a cleanser, toner and lastly, moisturizing.

Doing this every night will eventually become second nature and you’ll find that you follow through with it even when you’re tired from a night out.

It’s also worth noting that makeup wipes don’t quite get the job done when it comes to getting all your makeup off. It’s much more effective to wash off with a gentle soap or facial wash and water.

Additionally, baby wipes are not any more effective when it comes to getting the job done. While baby wipes save time and money, they’re not formulated with the ingredients you need to break down stubborn makeup.

Takeaway

You can get away with sleeping with your makeup on a few times unless you have really sensitive skin. Regardless of your skin type, if you make this a habit, the damage you’re doing to your skin will definitely reflect outwards.

No matter how tired you are, try your best to avoid sleeping with your makeup on to keep your face looking and feeling like the gem it really is.