Should you wear makeup with a mask?

Plus, five tips to help you care for your skin and still feel cute while you have to wear a mask!

We are living in a new, albeit weird, era of standardized mask wearing. All of us have been asked to wear a face covering whenever we leave the house to run errands. Medical personnel have been required to wear respirators or surgical masks daily and many are having to reuse them because of widespread shortages.

I have a lot of clients that are working in the medical field so, a lot of the information on this post is focused on the healthcare setting. I love all my nurses! But honestly, all of us can use this practical advice.

So, can you wear makeup with a mask and still be sanitary? Does it harm your mask? Is it unhygienic to even have a moisturizer on?

Here's the short answer. Once makeup gets on a mask, it is considered contaminated. It can also damage the fabric and make it less effective. Basically, anything that can cause visible soiling of the mask’s fabric should be avoided. Any aqueous-based products like lipstick, blush, foundation and yes, even moisturizer can compromise the integrity of your mask. Even men’s products like aftershave can make a mask less efficient.

Some facilities are sanitizing their personnel’s masks daily. For the general public, there are safe ways to clean cloth masks for long term use. We are not going to get into that on this post, but a quick google search of the CDC guidelines can show you the best way to keep your masks clean as much as you can.

Here are 5 things you can do to spoil your skin right now:

1. Hyaluronic Acid is your friend. It pulls moisture into your skin from your environment to keep your hydration levels balanced. Use a nice HA serum at night for extra hydration underneath your moisturizer. Here’s my favorite: Hydraluron Moisture Serum

2. Double cleanse!!! The best way for you to feel super clean and super hydrated. Use a washcloth, and always skip the wipes! Here’s my favorite double cleansing system: Double Cleanse - Pixi Beauty

3. Step-up your brow, liner, lash game. Even with goggles on, you can frame your eyebrows in with a little eyeshadow or brow gel, practice that winged eyeliner and spend a little more time adding another coat of mascara. (Check with your facility first to make sure it’s ok.)

4. Pamper your skin with a yummy masque on your days off! Use a gel based masques(avoid clay-based ones, they can dry you out) to give you an extra kick of hydration. Also, you might as well slip into a bath and have a glass of wine. You deserve it! Here’s the mask I’ve been loving recently: Peter Thomas Roth - Cucumber Gel Mask

5. My BFF Tiana is a RN at a Boston hospital and she has a great tip! “When I know I have to be barefaced the next day, I will mix a little bit of Tan Luxe self-tanner drops in with my moisturizer overnight and I wake up with the best glow!” If you want a more gradual tan they also make a hybrid hyaluronic acid serum/self-tanner you can use on its own or mix it in with your moisturizer.

Watch my interview with Tiana below!

THANK YOU!

Ending this post with a huge thank you to all the medical staff worldwide for all the sacrifices you’ve made during this time. You are working very long hours, with a lot of added stress and anxiety. You might not feel like a hero; you might feel like you are just doing your job. All the #everydayheroes talk might even make you feel a level of pressure you haven’t felt before. Just know that we literally cannot function without people who do jobs like you do! So, please take care of yourself.