In an age of Facebook and Instagram apps, wearing a full face of makeup on the daily has been normalised. No thanks to the social influencers that fill our pages with every scroll, even with popular YouTubers like James Charles, Bretman Rock and NikkieTutorials, we get inspired to bump up our makeup routines to look our best even if it’s just to update our Instagram stories — guilty of being one of them? It’s cool, there’s nothing to be ashamed of — besides, who doesn’t want to look like a snacc ’round the clock? We know we do.
But when you see these media influencers, with eyes swathed in layers of eyeshadow and glitter, you’d never realise that what they’re putting on their eyes might do more harm than good to their peepers. The main culprit? Well, if you haven’t already got the hint from our title, we’re talking about glitter eyeshadows.
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD
The reality of it all: all things that glitter is not gold; especially not for your eyes. Though at times we may be tempted to dip our brushes into some bright, sparkly colours, wearing more eye makeup might raise the risk of eye irritation and allergic conjunctivitis. This is because, with glitter eye makeup, there are larger specks of glitter that may eventually irritate the corneas which may eventually lead to an infection.
In other worst-case scenarios like the one reported on Cosmopolitan, one of the victims actually lost her sight from a speck of glitter that got into her eye. Yikes!
Now we’re not trying to deter you from actually wearing glitter for the rest of your life, but as a safety precaution, we’d recommend you to temper your use of glitter and to always, always remove it at the end of the day — despite how shagged out you might be.
Not to mention, you could also do with some good dedicated makeup removers for the eyes, so you won’t have to worry about any residue on your lids before you hit the sheets. Ahead, we’ve listed some of the current eye makeup-removing cleansers that you can keep a lookout for.
1. Chantecaille Rose Eye Makeup Remover, $69. Available at LOOKFANTASTIC.
2. ilapothecary See-Clearly Eye Make-Up Remover 50ml, $49. Available at LOOKFANTASTIC.
3. Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover, $48. Available at SEPHORA.
4. Dr. Hauschka Eye Make Up Remover, $36.50. Available at LOOKFANTASTIC.
5. Uriage Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover 100ml, $20. Available at LOOKFANTASTIC.
6. Make Up For Ever Sens’Eyes, $44. Available at SEPHORA.
7. Sephora Collection Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover, $18. Available at SEPHORA.
8. 3INA Makeup The Eyes & Lips Make Up Remover 125 ml, $18.50. Available at LOOKFANTASTIC.
9. Estée Lauder Take it Away Gentle Eye & Lip LongWear Makeup Remover 100ml, $52. Available at SEPHORA.
10. Revitalash Micellar Water Lash Wash Conditioning Eye Makeup Remover 100ml, $62. Available at SEPHORA.
11. Garnier Skin Naturals 2-in-1 Eye Make-Up Remover 125ml, $6.50. Available at LOOKFANTASTIC.
12. Origins Well Off® Fast And Gentle Eye Makeup Remover 150ml, $40. Available at SEPHORA.
CONTACT LENSES FIRST, MAKEUP SECOND
But glitters aside, there are other precautionary measures that you can also take to prevent your eyes from irritation and infections. Take, for instance, contact lenses. For all of you out there who aren’t blessed with perfect eyesight, we see you. Though it might be common for some to put on their lenses after wearing their makeup, putting them before applying your makeup would be much of a safer bet than the former. Reason being: products that you might layer on your lids or around your eye area — like eyeshadow, mascara or eyeliner — might fall into your eyes during application which may be trapped in the lens if you put it in after application, increasing your risk of an eye infection.
REFRAIN FROM USING NON-EYE-APPROVED PRODUCTS ON YOUR LIDS
It’s also wise you steer clear from products that aren’t meant for your eyes — say, the clear gloss that’s commonly used on your eyelids to achieve the coveted glossy eye makeup look that you’ve been seeing on your favourite beauty YouTube gurus’ channels. This is because the amount of alcohol, waxes, oils, and emollients might irritate your eye area and cause some irritation.
The same also goes for neon eyeshadows. In our previous article, we shed some light on the safety of neon eyeshadows, with the conclusion that these neon palettes from trusted and reputable brands are safe for use on the eyes for most people — but those with sensitive eyes or skin would have to be cautious about applying them. This is mainly because the pigments in these eyeshadow palettes have certain neon colourants which aren’t safe to be applied on the eye area — so if you want to be safe, you can check the ingredients of the products you’re using on sites such as EWG.org or the Red List from Safe Cosmetics.
Banner images courtesy of: LoveThisPic, We Are Ladies, WeHeartIt
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