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How do you get yourself to remove your makeup even when it's the last thing you want to do?


How do you get yourself to remove your makeup even when it’s the last thing you want to do? What are your tips/tricks to motivate yourself to get to it?
As a long-time acne sufferer… that is pretty big motivation for me. I also keep makeup removing wipes on hand for when I’m desperate/lazy. It sounds odd, but sometimes I take a shower before bed instead… for some reason, the dual benefits of relaxing in a hot shower while getting all my makeup off is easier to do than just standing over the sink.

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Audrey Avatar

I’m really fortunate in the sense that nothing seems to break me out, so I am completely horrible at taking off my makeup. That’s definitely something I need to work on this year. I get really lazy with it because it seems to just “magically” come off over night, LOL. I’m so bad.

Charli Avatar

I don’t really have this issue. I like taking showers before bed too, otherwise I imagine just rubbing a day’s worth of dirt from my face onto my pillow and sleeping on that gunk for the whole night. It makes me shudder. Lol

Luciana Avatar

Charli, I’m just like you! I like to take showers before going to bed and I’m disgusted by even the idea of going to bed with all that gunk in my face! Really, I don’t know how people do it!! It’s just cleaning and cleaning is always good (especially when it’s cleaning your own self)!!! ;D

Dreamer19 Avatar

Exactly the same here! I always take a shower before going to bed so I can be clean and get into the clean sheets clean. It’s especially important now that I’m married. 🙂

Phoebe Avatar

Me too. I shower before bed. Not just the dirt from my face…I picture oil from my hair on my pillow and having to sleep on that every night until I do laundry really grosses me out.

My boyfriend is a morning showerer, so even if I take a shower at night, I still feel gross if I stay at his place. Ha. He won’t change though because he likes to “wake up” with a shower in the morning.

Shufen Avatar

Always keep in mind that not removing makeup is really bad for your skin; your skin will definitely become older, you may get acnes, and so on. That’s how I make myself remove it even if it’s the last thing I want to do. & I always have a hot shower after removing makeup (something I really enjoy, which is another motivation for me! :D)

Kenzie Avatar

I too battle with acne so it’s not really an option for me not to. Plus I’ve gotten to the point where laying my face on the pillow with makeup on feels really uncomfortable and gross. So if I’m super lazy I use a makeup wipe then toner and moisturizer. But my skin will be angry with me if I do it more than one night in a row… so I’m usually pretty diligent.

Stephanie Avatar

If I don’t feel like taking it off I am either sick or exhausted so I have a shower instead which always makes me feel better and doesn’t feel like a chore.

Celine Avatar

I plain and simple just make myself do it no matter how tired I am. I hate the feeling of waking up with makeup still on, so that is a big motivation for me.

xamyx Avatar

I usually shower before bed, so that takes care of makeup removal, as well. On the occasion I don’t, then I’ll slather on some coconut oil & wipe it down with a large cotton square. I also don’t wear actual foundation most days, opting for a TM, so I will sometimes just use a “baby wipe”, then rinse with warm water, swipe on some toner, then moisturize.

Stephanie Duron Avatar

When I clean my face I use eye makeup remover, cleansing oil, and then two quick washes. So when I’m lazy I go to the restroom and I just rub the oil on my skin, leaving me no choice but to wash it off. It’s kind of silly but it helps me to stay on track. If that fails I use wipes.

Jessica Avatar

I also keep makeup wipes on hand… and some nights, I just use one of those and skip the rest of my routine. It’s better than nothing, right? But, of course, every once in a while… I skip it all together and go to bed with makeup on. Yes, I know… shame on me. Just keeping it real!

Daniel Avatar

I am a compulsive skin picker, and have suffered from severe acne. Now I take meds to control my acne, and it has toned down a lot. When I wear makeup, I think about the break outs that it would cause if I kept it on all night long, and the scars from picking at the acne; I was bullied because of my compulsion, from schoolmates, teachers and even my own family, so: no acne, no scars, no bullying.

Ryou Avatar

For me, it’s simple: I find it highly uncomfortable to sleep with make-up on, so unless I remove my make-up properly I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep anyway.

Kiss & Make-up Avatar

I just do it, simple as that. Even when I am suuuper tired (or drunk, lol) I still realize it’s incredible bad for your skin to sleep in your make-up, so no matter what, I always remove my war paint before going to bed.

P.S.: Happy New Year!

Jan Avatar

Even if I’m exhausted and try to fall asleep, I simply can’t if I haven’t taken off my makeup. So – I learned long ago to simply not try to go to sleep until I remove it all.

KCO Avatar

– The thought of day-old makeup and dirt seeping into my pores overnight and not letting my skin breathe
– Having to wash my pillowcase and bedsheets because of makeup stains!

Even if I’m exhausted or inebriated, I ALWAYS wash my face before bed!

Sylirael Avatar

You know what I hate more than pimples? Laundry. That’s right, you heard me correctly. Reminding myself that I’ll have to wash my pillowcase more often if I don’t take my makeup off at night is a better incentive than reminding myself that I’ll clog my pores/irritate my eyes.

How bizarre is that? 😛

zainab Avatar

I usually have a short shower before bed (always if I’m wearing makeup or have cooked enough to smell of stuff) and since that’s a rare few moments of no kid time that’s all the motivation I need. Plus if I leave anything on too long my skin feels horrible so I always find the time to get it off.

KaseyCannuck Avatar

I have oily skin and by the time I get home from work I’m more than ready to take it all off, usually right after I escape from my bra!
If I reapply to go out then I just think back to the days when I did I occasionally go to bed with makeup on, and how good it felt the next day to have gritty eyes full of mascara flakes.
I like the feeling of a clean face so it’s rarely the LAST thing I want to do anyway. Brushing my teeth is ☺️

KK Avatar

I too suffer from acne and can’t afford not to have the makeup off my face. The other thing which motivates me nowadays is my Shu Uemura cleansing oil….its like i am pampering my skin, so i enjoy what earlier seemed like a task!

Gemma Avatar

I only fail to remove my make up perhaps when I’ve had a night out and am falling asleep, which is maybe a couple times a year. I just think of sleeping in the day’s dirt and my skin not being able to breathe and the inevitable spot that will show up in the morning and I feel too guilty not to remove my make up!

Vanja Avatar

I can’t sleep with my makeup on 😀 so there is no way I don’t remove it. When I’m realy tired and don’t want to stand over the sink I just bring everything to bed or I sit in front of computer or TV.

Blai Avatar

I keep a pack of Yes To Cucumber wipes by my bed and sink. They work really well and make my skin feel really fresh. It’s more of a treat than a chore to use them!

I used to have great skin that never broke out and never had blemishes. When I turned 25 I suddenly had all the problems every girl always told me about. It was horrible! After that cleaning my make up off helped clear up much of the problem. I wish I had started being more religious about it when I was younger. I might have extended the youthfulness of my skin.

Laura Avatar

I have issues with acne…so that’s enough of a motivation for me to push myself to clean my skin thoroughly. It’s a pain, but I think of the break-out that I could have to deal with me and that gets me moving.

patsyann Avatar

I remind myself how awful and puffy I am going to look in the morning 🙂 . Just like Christine, I will usually jump in the shower before bedtime and take everything off under the running water. I will normally take off eye make up first though. Since I rarely wear mascara, I can also just take the eye stuff off with a dab of cleansing oil in the shower. I like to use DHC for that. I have been known to go to bed without doing my nightly skin care routine if I am really bushed and have no make up on anyway.

stef b Avatar

I could never go to sleep with makeup on…forget about what it does to your skin…i can’t stand the thought of foundation all over my pillow and mascara all over my sleep mask – ew!

Alison Avatar

Just do it! There’s nothing really else to it. Its bad for my skin, and I’m going to look worse (and make my pillow dirty) if I don’t, so I just buckle down, even when I’m tired.

Jane Avatar

I have makeup remover wipes in my nightstand. That and lip balm are my entire evening beauty routine.

In my younger, dumber days, I used to go to bed with my mascara still on on purpose. I thought the resulting second day smudgey, smokey eye look was cool.

Nicole Avatar

Cleansing my face is part of my going to bed routine. When I am really tired I skip toner and moisturizer, but nor the cleanser which I remove with water.

NeenaJ Avatar

I’ve done 2 things to motivate me:
1. Find a great one-step product that removes everything in one go – which, for me, is Clinique’s Take the Day Off Balm, recommended my Caroline Hirons.
2. I bought wrist sweat bands because I HATED when my jammy sleeves would get all wet and cold from washing my face at the sink at night. Problem solved.

Lauren Avatar

That’s easy. Fear of breakouts. I have never EVER gone to bed without washing my face first, at least not since I was 14 and now I’m 35. I wash my face first even when I don’t wear makeup. If I’m feeling exceptionally lazy and I only wore a tinted moisturizer with powder and blush, I use my Neutrogena foaming Grapefruit Scrub only. That is VERY good at removing nearly all traces of light makeup. But normally I wear more makeup. Almost every day (including 95% of tinted moisturizer days and ALL long wear foundation days) I remove my makeup either with a makeup removing cloth or a cotton pad with Caudalie cleansing water, then wash my face with a clairsonic brush. Then I apply my toner, serum, and moisturizer.

Lauren Avatar

One more thing to add: Fear of wrinkles means I really want to wear serum and moisturizer which means that I need to wash my face. However, as noted, I am totally acne prone so I really do wash my face every night.

Stephanie R Avatar

I’m lazy enough to know I don’t want to have to go upstairs just to wash my face if I don’t have to. I’ll take it off with a cleansing balm and use my Clarisonic before I take a shower, but my usual routine is to take it off with Caudalie Cleansing Water and cotton squares, then use an eye makeup remover to get the eye makeup off. Then I use a cleanser and apply the rest of the skincare routine after. I have a cabinet in my downstairs bathroom (pedestal sink, so no storage there) that holds band-aids, various necessary items, extra toilet paper, and then some of my skincare. No excuses for not washing my face or taking off makeup this way! If I’m really lazy or not feeling well, I have Ponds Makeup Cleansing Wipes upstairs in our bathroom.

And thanks everyone. Now I want to change the sheets on my bed immediately, even though they’re clean.

Lark Avatar

First, I keep the remover wipes next to the bed, and another box in a drawer next to the sofa. No excuse to not get that far! But the face still needs washing, to get all that remover soap off. If too exhausted, a good rinse as I stagger to my bed is better than nothing. There’s Cetephil Face moisturizer on the nightstand… Remover residue is as bad as make up, or thats the fiction I live by. Works out OK for me.

Irene Avatar

I have pretty bad skin with mild rosacea and seb dermatitis, so taking off my make-up before bed has always been extremely important to prevent breakouts! I can count with one hand the times I haven’t done it, mainly when I was younger and staying at a friend’s place for the night so I couldn’t be bothered or had nothing to take the makeup off with (although any moisturizer or cream will work in a pinch, just put some on a cotton pad or tissue and rub the makeup off).

Nina Avatar

I hate going to bed with a full face of makeup on! Even though I love doing my makeup, I love having a clean face after a long day…it feels so relaxing and satisfying, I don’t think I could even sleep with makeup on!

Mimielle Avatar

My skincare routine motivates me as well. I have started using Tretinoin so I really need to pay attention to my schedule to maintain the correct routine. Leading in, I knew it would be a bit more demanding so I stepped up my nighttime removal practices and ditched the disposable makeup cloths for removal in favor of a 2 stage remover for eye makeup followed by micellar water, much gentler. Oil cleanse every 3rd day often with a relaxing bath. It’s a ritualistic habit that makes me feel very pampered so once started, it’s really easy to want to keep on.

Deb Avatar

For some reason, this is never a problem for me. It’s just a non-negotiable, and seeing it that way helps me never skip taking my makeup off.

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I pretty much agree with Christine. If you go to bed with make up on, it will ruin your skin plus you can’t put on any serums or moisturizer. Living in northern Ohio where the dry heat is on inside all day, the moisturizer is a must. I think a clean face also keeps you from breaking out and deveoping wrinkles are quickly. Make up also ruins your pillow cases.

Danielle Avatar

Every once in a while I really don’t feel like taking my makeup off, but I still push myself to do it. I find taking my makeup off right when I get home in the early evening to be better than waiting until I am really tired later on.

Tasleema Avatar

Nothing. Because the idea of that makeup clogging up my pores is enough to get me moving. I have hormonal breakouts. I don’t need to be adding to it. The only time I MIGHT not wash is if I haven’t actually worn makeup or applied sunscreen (yeh you have to wash that off too esp physical sun blocks) if I have stayed in all day. Even then I like to wash away the oils of the day. Get it ingrained so far in you that to take off your makeup is a ‘nothing’ step and to have someone ask you what you have to mentally do to get yourself into the frame of mind to remove it is something to be laughed at and pitied. Your skin will love you for it.

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