Most of us have done it at some point; when faced with a choice between heading off to bed and spending a few minutes more removing stubborn eye make-up, it can be hard to ignore the pull of the pillow.
Yet, going to bed without removing eye make-up can do more harm that just leaving black streaks across your pillow cases. Leaving your make-up on overnight can irritate the delicate skin around the eyes and leave pores congested.
It also increases the likelihood of make-up particles getting inside the eye and under the eyelids, which can introduce bacteria and cause eyes to feel itchy, inflamed and uncomfortable when you wake up. Removing eye make-up thoroughly is especially important for people who wear contact lenses.
So, what should you be using? There are some oil-based eye make-up removers out there that are very effective at removing heavy duty eye make-up, but they can irritate the delicate skin. Water-based products like Dermalogica’s Soothing Eye Make-up Remover are much, much kinder to the skin, gently removing make-up and impurities without stripping it.
To be honest, if you are wearing eye make-up on a daily basis, it would be a better idea to choose products that are less difficult to remove; avoid waterproof mascara unless absolutely necessary and save the heavy duty stuff for special occasions. Using a gentle product on a daily basis will leave your eyes happier and healthier!