Removing Makeup

We've all seen the women who stroll down the street whose makeup looks smeared, old, and grimy. As time goes on, this look that used to only accompany day-old makeup becomes more ingrained and more "painted" on. It's not an attractive look and one you most definitely want to avoid. The solution to such visual woes is very simple and completely in your control: remove your makeup.

I'm not saying to never wear makeup, because I am a full supporter of cosmetics, but you need to take care of your face and skin. You never want to sleep in your makeup and I honestly don't know who'd want to anyway; after a long day of work or school or even play, I can't wait to take off my makeup and wash my face.

When you wear makeup all day, dirt and oils stick to your skin and clog your pores. This invariably leads to breakouts as well. Besides looking gross in the morning and an increased likelihood of blemishes, makeup that you've slept in—believe it or not—actually does look slept in; it's smeared, flat, and unevenly distributed, defeating makeup's objective to enhance your looks.

Remove your makeup every night and follow that with a good face washing and moisturizer application. While makeup does improve your appearance, it's not exactly the best for your skin all the time. That's why you need to treat your complexion to cleansing and moisturizing both morning and night. When you wash your face in the morning, you clear your skin from any oils or dirt you picked up while sleeping and washing your face at night obviously removes the residue from the day.

When you do remove your makeup, don't use water. It's more likely to smear rather than remove. Instead invest in a bottle of makeup remover, which is self explanatory; it's supposed to completely remove your makeup. You can find makeup removers anywhere, from generic brands to name brands to specialty lines. You also have the choice between oil-carrying removers or oil-free removers.

My skin tends to be oilier and so I just use the Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover, which in my opinion works just as well as the same kind of product from Mary Kay. I'd recommend the oil-free remover really for any skin type because it doesn't dry out your skin at all. Instead, it removes the makeup without leaving much of an oily film on your face. This variety is especially useful for when you want to redo your eye makeup for a night out without having to completely rewash your face.

Removing your makeup is essential to maintaining a soft and smooth complexion. Not doing so will result in aging your face and giving you a not-so-attractive look. Makeup removal takes hardly any time and when accompanied with cleansing and moisturizing, will pave the way for lifelong healthy skin.