If you’re a female who’s been wearing contact lenses for a while, you know that makeup can cause problems, at times. You’ve learned to be careful applying makeup and to stay away from glitter eye shadows.
However, if you’re new to contacts, you might be unaware of the pain associated with getting a piece of mascara in your eye, or worse under your lens, and that’s just one scenario.
Eye makeup needn’t be restricted to a bare minimum if you wear contacts. With a bit of care and common sense, you can have as much fun as you like with your makeup. Here are some rules to follow when you wear makeup and contact lenses. These tips are also good for people with sensitive eye issues.
Put Your Lenses in First
Put your contacts in before you apply your daily moisturizer and begin your beauty routine. If you apply makeup before inserting your contacts, makeup residue, dirt, lotion, or germs could transfer onto the lens. Of course, always thoroughly wash and dry your hands before handling your contact lenses.
If you are new to wearing contacts, your eyes might water quite a bit, at first, so putting them in before you do your eye makeup only makes sense.
Avoid Clump-Prone Mascara
Contact lens wearers should avoid mascaras that are formulated with fiber, along with the ones that tend to clump on lashes. Clumps and particles can get into your eyes and become trapped under the lenses, causing irritation.
Avoid Powder Eye Makeup
Mascara isn’t the only thing that can irritate your eyes. Powdered makeup has micro-fine dust that can also be irritating to eyes. Cream eyelines and eye shadows reduce the risk of makeup particles getting into your eyes and sticking to your lenses.
Read Product Labels\Ingredient Lists
We need to pay attention to what ingredients are in the beauty and skin care products we use. Certain add-ins can cause mild to severe discomfort in and around the eye area and potentially bothersome ingredients are the same whether your wear contacts or not.
Avoid products with alcohol or formaldehyde in them and any ingredients you experience itching or redness with prior to use should always be steered clear of. Makeup and eye professionals also recommend avoiding products formulated with ingredients such as fragrances and lanolin in favour of products that are non-toxic, hypoallergenic and dermatologist and/or optometrist-tested.
The oils commonly found in face creams and makeup can lead to cloudy lenses, making them difficult to see through.
Make sure that all the products you use are safe for use with your lenses. Get rid of anything that you know irritates your eyes or reacts with your lenses to cause infections. It’s better to invest in oil-free and hypoallergenic products, then to have to deal with an eye infection.
Remove Contacts before Removing Makeup
The order in which you remove your lenses is just as important as the order in which you put them in. It’s advisable to remove your contacts before you completely remove your makeup. Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before taking out your lenses to prevent irritation or infection caused by bacteria that may be on your hands.
Take Good Care of Your Lenses
If you wear makeup, you need to be particularly careful about lens care. It would even be advisable to consider switching to daily contacts to lower the risk of eye redness and irritation.
However, if daily contacts are too pricey for you, clean your contacts with fresh solution every day and don’t forget about cleaning the contacts case, as well. Dirty contact lens cases are the principal cause of eye infections.
More Makeup Tips for Contact Wearers
- Eyeliner shouldn’t be applied too close to your eyes or it could get stuck on your lenses. Avoid applying it to the inside of the lash line
- Powdered Eye Shadow should only be used if you apply a primer first. Primer will help the eye shadow to adhere to your eyelids better. Use a clean brush to avoid getting eye shadow debris in your eyes
- Mascara, like eyeliner, shouldn’t be applied too close to your eyes. Avoid fake eyelashes because the glue can get stuck on your contact lenses and irritate your eyes
- Eye Makeup Removers should be oil and fragrance-free. Water-based makeup removers are best. Always use cotton balls especially made for cleaning makeup so you don’t leave fibers behind
It’s very important to start with clean hands, makeup products and makeup tools. Remember to wash your hands after applying lotions or creams as any remnant of these products can be picked up by your contact lenses while you’re putting them on and cause irritation.
