Whether you’re dashing to spin class after work and don’t have time to wash your face, or you want to look cute at the gym (and there’s nothing wrong with that, of course), it can be tricky mixing make-up with workouts.
From hot HIIT sessions to yoga flows where your face is smooshed into the mat, a face full of foundation doesn’t stand much chance when you’re sweating profusely, and the wrong mascara is liable to leave you with streaky panda eyes.
Plus, you may be wondering whether it’s better for your skin to go barefaced while exercising, particularly now when many of us are getting back into our fitness routines after summer.
We asked beauty experts to set out the do’s and don’ts of wearing make-up to the gym…
1. Don’t wear heavy foundation
When it comes to base make-up, a lightweight BB or CC cream is usually better than a full-coverage foundation.
“Heavy make-up can cause more harm than good,” suggests Dr Usman Qureshi, aesthetic doctor and founder of Luxe Skin by Dr Q (luxeskin.co.uk). “[It can] block sweat and sebum from leaving the skin, causing acne and blackheads.”
Qureshi recommends water-based or mineral foundations: “Both formulas are effortless when it comes to application, and they hydrate the skin from morning to night.”
2. Do swap lipstick for a lip stain
Instead of a heavy lipstick or gloss that your hair might stick to, a lip stain is lightweight and long-lasting.
“Stains are great, because they tint the lips – then even when the initial residue has died down, there’s still a flush of colour,” says Rose Gallagher, make-up artist and ambassador for IT Cosmetics (itcosmetics.co.uk).
3. Do try a tubing mascara
“When your mascara prints above or below the lashes, leading to those dreaded panda eyes, the default next step for lots of people is to switch to waterproof mascara,” Gallagher says.
“Personally, I prefer tubing mascara instead. Instead of coating the lashes in pigment, it wraps them in a rubbery polymer – what it means is that you don’t get any of that smudging.”
Unlike many waterproof mascaras, tubing formulas gently disintegrate in water, with Gallagher adding: “It will remove quickly and easily when you wash your face.”
4. Don’t forget SPF
“If exercising outdoors, it’s essential to wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher,” says Qureshi.
Nowadays, many BB and CC creams have sun protection incorporated, or you could spritz a sunblock mist over your make-up.
Qureshi adds: “I would recommend mineral sunscreens, as they are much safer on sensitive and acne-prone skin, and can also help to protect you against UVA and UVB rays.”
5. Do take off your base afterwards
If you’re heading out after a visit to the gym, you don’t need to remove all your make-up and start again.
“I’d recommend removing your entire base after your workout, but feel free to leave things like mascara and brows as they were,” says Gallagher.
“It’s mainly your base that is likely to get sweaty, so by removing this at the end and quickly reapplying, you feel fresher and cleaner without needing to spend hours in the dressing room.”
Qureshi agrees: “Washing the make-up off immediately after your workout is a must. This will lower the chances of sweat getting in your pores and attracting bacteria and dead skin cells.”
6. Don’t worry about going barefaced
Finally, Gallagher wants to remind us that while it’s easy to feel self-conscious when working out in public, ultimately it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.
“We all have our comfort zones, and I completely appreciate you may feel more comfortable working out in your make-up,” she says. “[But] I’d remind you that no one is looking at you! They’re focusing on themselves – far too much so to even notice whether you have make-up on or not.”
You might find it liberating to go barefaced, she adds: “When you don’t have anything else to worry about – such as is my mascara running, or is my make-up everywhere? You’re far more likely to give 110% to your workout and get those endorphins flowing.”
Fit kit: 6 expert-approved beauty buys
Typology Tinted Serum, £28.40
Pixi TintFix in Heavenly, £12
Skin in Motion Plump It SPF30 Tinted Lipbalm in Sheer Berry, £17
IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes+ Lash-Loving Volumising Mascara, £22
Collection Next Level Lash Surge Mascara Black, £6.49, Superdrug
