Ever been chastised for leaving your make-up on overnight? Don’t worry – we’ve all been there. Whether it’s because you’ve stumbled through your bedroom door after a night out or fallen asleep on the couch after a long workweek, forgetting your nightly beauty regime is sometimes unavoidable. Friends take every opportunity to remind us of the endless evil an abandoned layer of foundation will subject our skin to, which only exacerbates the guilt-levels when we wake-up looking, well – good. But is this beauty sin – which celebs like Kim Kardashian admit to committing on the regular – truly as devilish as we are all told?
Pros
1. You wake up just like Kim Kardashian. Well, you might not be waking up in a $20 million mansion to an Instagram following of 72 million, but you will be following her style of slumber. According to The Cut, during an introduction to Makeup Artist of the Year honouree Charlotte Tilbury, Kim admitted she wasn’t against leaving her makeup on overnight: “Charlotte Tilbury is my hero…she sleeps with her makeup on. She’s my idol. She’s inspired me when I’m really lazy and I can’t do my makeup the next day, so I’ll sleep in my makeup.” It’s not all good news though, unless you have magic creams, Kim admits it’s not necessarily the best move: “I know that’s probably the worst advice, but she has all the magic creams to put on the next day to make up for it.”
2. Don’t you love it when last night’s make-up miraculously looks good – in a cool, messy sort of way? Sip your coffee in grunge style, with smoky eyes and rock star hair to put Kate Moss in her place, after arising with you make-up still (somewhat) intact.
Cons
1. If the thought of bacteria makes your skin crawl, your reaction is apt, because bacteria is (literally) crawling on your skin. Well, technically, bacteria is always present, just about everywhere. But we’re talking acne-causing bacteria. Just when you thought your days of teenage hormones were gone, a fresh patch of spots pops up; your face-washing habits (or lack there of) are most likely to blame.
2. Eye infection. Ever woken up with itchy, red or irritated skin surrounding the eye? Chances are, tiny particles of your eye makeup have leaked into your eyes overnight. Leaving on all those layers of waterproof mascara, eyeliner and eye shadow could also cause infection. Ouch.
3. Ironically enough, your mascara could thin your eyelashes out. By leaving it on overnight, your lashes are dried out, which could cause them to become brittle and thin.
4. Lip-liner, lipstick, lip-gloss, lip… blackheads? The waxes in some lip products can cause pores to become blocked, which could lead to blackheads. There’s nothing glossy about that.
5. Premature aging. Lines and wrinkles are pretty much inevitable; however, it’s well known that there are a plethora of preventive methods when it comes to aging skin. Leaving on makeup for extended periods of time attracts free radicals, which breaks down collagen in the skin, reducing elasticity and leading to more fine lines and wrinkles.
The verdict
While waking up in style can sometimes work – such as rocking your post-party style to the letterbox and seeing that guy next door, or inadvertently recreating a grunge aesthetic – the cons outweigh these slim possibilities. The risk of eye irritations, dry skin, acne, blackheads and premature aging simply don’t justify leaving your makeup on. Fight those heavy eyelids, grab a makeup wipe from the packet and toner from the bathroom cabinet. We guarantee you will thank yourself in the morning.
Images: Getty
