Makeup Under Your Mask: Yes or No?

To all the ladies out there I have a question: how many of you wear makeup underneath your mask?

I only ask this question because I do. But I have also had people talk to me about how silly it feels for them to wear makeup during this pandemic because it makes them break out from wearing it under a mask all day. Some have commented that they did not see the point of wearing makeup if people won’t see it anyway. 

Photo by RobbieWi on Pixabay

Wearing makeup under the mask is not easy. During the first few months of the pandemic, I tried it and realized that the normal way I put on makeup meant that everything was going on the mask. By the time I took it off to eat lunch, most of my makeup was practically wiped off by the mask. Maybe it was because my makeup, while normally smudge-proof, was underneath the mask and I was probably sweating underneath it. 

For a time I found the whole smudge thing annoying so I stopped wearing makeup altogether. But then I realized that I wasn’t feeling “dressed” going to work without makeup for some reason. I felt like mentally without makeup I was not in a professional mode so I decided to try wearing makeup to work again. 

It was not easy to find the right combination of makeup that I could use that would not smudge off underneath the mask. Here’s what I do for makeup at work:

1. I settled on using a tinted BB cream that doubled as a sunscreen as my foundation/base. I use the Ponds Age Miracle BB cream for this.
2. I wear tinted lip balm but I use a matte lip color that stays on until I wash it off (I use Maybelline’s Superstay right now).
3. For my cheeks and eyes, I use a lip tint that can double as blush and eyeshadow. At the moment the brand I use is Earth & Eve.
4. I use an eyebrow pencil for my brows and eyelid and set the brows with a clear mascara. Again, all from Maybelline.
5. I set the entire face (and neck, one must not forget the neck) with a setting powder then I am good to go! For setting, I cannot get enough of Perfect Diary’s loose powder. It sets everything really well with just a light dusting. Plus it makes my skin feel super soft and smooth when I have it on, which I love. 

I try not to retouch during the day because I make it a point not to take off my mask as much as possible. I am also concerned about my makeup getting any germs or viruses outside so I prefer to put on and set my makeup in the mornings and cross my fingers that it stays on for the rest of the day. Thankfully mine seems to stay on all day, although the shade of everything does get a bit paler by the end of the workday.  

For me, makeup helps with my confidence level at work. I know people say that it’s not important because people don’t see it and won’t know I don’t have any makeup on but I do. I wear makeup for myself, not for other people. It would feel like I’m slacking off and not taking work seriously if I didn’t. Call it weird but that’s the way my mind works. 

If it helps you to feel better about yourself, I’d advise wearing makeup during the day. It helps for me, it may help for you too. I think in this day and age if something as simple as putting makeup on helps you to feel good about yourself and gives you that extra boost in these trying times I’d say go for it. If you feel better without it, that’s fine too.

Although I’d have to add: if you want to wear makeup and are worried about smudging the mask, it might be best to wear dark-colored masks so people won’t see the smudges as much!

What do you prefer? Makeup or no makeup?