On Wearing Masks and Makeup

Our new normal is to wear masks when outside to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. But for those of us who love makeup, we’re finding out that sometimes we can’t have it all. Here’s my take on wearing masks AND makeup.

I’m strictly of the school of thought that we need to wear masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19. I am not trying to be an unknown carrier spreading the virus to people who may be in high risk populations. But as the doctor in the title of this blog is only a moniker, you want to get your information from the current CDC guidelines.

There are things you can do to try and reduce transfer of your makeup. Making sure you set your makeup with powder is one way to prevent transfer. You don’t have to cake on the powder (as a matter of fact if you are near my age or older OR if you have a drier skin type, you might want to go easy on all that powder anyway). A light dusting of your setting powder will do. You can refer back to the tons of reviews I’ve done on powders for dark skin in the past if you’re looking for one to try.

Shop some of my favorite powders in the widget below!

See my shades in foundations, concealers, and powders here.

You can also work in layers—meaning if you want things to stay put, use a base. If you find your eyeshadow creases, using an eyeshadow base (some find that cream or liquid concealers also work, but they don’t for me) will give the eyeshadow something to “hold onto” and stay put.

Shop eyeshadow bases in the widget below!

The same concept applies for your concealer and foundation. Primers aren’t 100% necessary in every makeup routine (watch me talk more about this here) but if you find that your foundation and concealer have a hard time staying put even when you set it with powder, you might want to look into one.

See How to Stay Beat in the Heat here.

When it comes to makeup setting sprays, I’m just not a huge believer. Ben Nye Final Set Matte Makeup Spray is one I used when I was a makeup artist YEARS ago, but I don’t find makeup sprays necessary if you properly layer your makeup.

Shop foundation primers in the widget below!

But also make sure your foundation itself isn’t the culprit. Check out the two videos below for the tea on that.

Shop skin-like foundations below!

Under eye concealer…

If you find your under eye concealer in particular is playing games, you have a couple of options. First, make sure you’re using the right formula. Matte finish concealers are NOTORIOUS for making fine lines and wrinkles look more apparent under the eyes. You may want to switch to a satin or dewy finish under eye concealer. You can watch me talk and demo this in the video below. It says filler, but it also applies to doing your concealer if you have fine lines and wrinkles.

Another thing you may want to do is use an eye cream. The under eye area is delicate and needs moisture. Now here’s the thing with eye creams—they are great for moisture and some can help fade the look of fine lines and wrinkles over time, but they aren’t going to give you the type of results you’d get from say filler or Botox.

But using an eye cream can help prevent the under eye area from looking dry and having your makeup settle into your lines. StriVectin blurFECTOR for Eyes is an awesome product if you particularly have issues with makeup settling under your eyes. It also doubles as an eyeshadow primer. See it in action below!

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A post shared by Danielle Gray (@stylenbeautydoc) on Dec 12, 2019 at 5:29pm PST

New makeup lifestyle…

Now ultimately my answer to wearing masks and makeup is that you cannot have it both ways. The friction caused by the masks moving around is going to eventually cause your makeup to shift. Not only that but the mask can make it feel much hotter which can lead to sweat and oil production breaking down your makeup faster. You may also have lines on your face from where the masks touches it. You will always have to retouch your makeup (likely more often than usual) if you choose to do a full face when wearing a mask.

Personally that’s way too much work for me so I typically have ZERO makeup on when I’m wearing a mask unless I’m filming that day. On days when I film and have to be out in a mask, I’ll just retouch my makeup each time. As I explained above, there really is no way to prevent some of the friction caused by the mask to not at least disrupt SOME of your makeup. On these days I tend to wear the disposable masks more than the reusable ones because getting makeup off a cloth mask can be really annoying and even with your best efforts, it can still leave some staining.

If you wear makeup more often than I do because of work or just because you want to, you may have to adjust your lifestyle. Maybe just do your eyes, wear your mask, and then put the rest of your makeup on when you get to your destination. Just understand that when you put the mask on and take it off again, you’ll have to do some retouching.

Maskne aka Mask Acne

For tips on maskne, check out this post.

But let’s be clear…

Wearing your mask out in public or in situations where social distancing isn’t possible can help slow the spread of COVID-19. I LOVE makeup as much as the next person, but please be smart and thoughtful about making sure you’re properly wearing a mask and following all other current CDC guidelines. Coronavirus did NOT take a summer vacation.

How has your makeup routine changed since quarantine? Tell me in the comments!