So, if you’ve been following the blog lately, you’ll know I’ve been on the makeup subject.

For years I have ignored the whole thing, but I finally decided to sit down and sort it out… and there is unfortunate news.

Nearly all makeup is full of junk. And the junk that is in the concealers, foundations, and other complexion makeup that you put directly on your face will likely lead to if not breakouts, then redness, unevenness, open and clogged pores.

Even the good options don’t seem to be “perfect”, but there are lots that are miles ahead of the typical stuff.

I’m sorry if all this has caused you anxiety… or if you kind of hate me a little bit right now for calling out your favourite makeup product!

But it’s honestly not all bad news…. knowledge is power, after all.

Even if it sucks to know that your standby foundation may be making your skin worse, wouldn’t you rather know than keep sabotaging your clear skin efforts?

So Should I Just Not Wear Makeup At All?

So you want to know….

Since most makeup is full of junk, and even the naturals ones aren’t 100% perfect….. does this mean that the only way to get clear is to just not wear any at all?

Well, I think… from a very removed, clinical, non-emotional standpoint… it would be better not to use it.

But of course, for most people with skin problems, that’s not an option. Or at least it doesn’t feel that way.

The whole thing is just such a catch 22! You need it because you have acne, but you can’t get off it because it’s causing acne.

I would advise if you are willing, try just using concealer on spots and not makeup all over your face (except perhaps for special occasions). At least that way, most of your face can breathe and have a chance to heal.

Just Do It If You Need To Though and Don’t Feel Bad About It!

But if you’re never going to feel comfortable without a full face, then to hell with it! Wear makeup I say!

The fact is, not covering up acne is friggin’ stressful.

I have always only worn concealer on spots and under my eyes, but when my skin was bad… well that was most of my face!

I remember one day trying to go out without any cover up makeup on and it was AWFUL. It wasn’t even to work or anything… it was just to the store where no one knew me, but it was still incredibly stressful.

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t care what anyone thought, but that’s not reality.

Stress is really bad for your skin and acne too, so just go ahead and wear it. Honestly, it’s much better this way!

But Do Find a Healthier Makeup Option…

But I do ask you that if you are going to wear it, then make the compromise to find a makeup that is healthier.

It doesn’t mean that if you continue to use unhealthy makeup, that you definitely won’t get clear. Lifestyle changes are pretty powerful.

But still…

There’s no way for me to objectively measure how much your makeup is affecting your skin.

And the last thing you want to do is be sabotaging all the efforts you’re making to clear your skin by using a crappy makeup.

Even if a chemical makeup product doesn’t expressly break you out, it may still be preventing you from having the naturally glowy, even, luminous skin that you want.

After all, you don’t want to be tied to *having* to wear makeup to feel good.

You want want makeup to be a choice. Something you do for fun; not something that feels like a ball and chain.

Which means you don’t want your makeup to make you look good when it’s on, but worse when it comes off.

So do the best you can for yourself and your skin, and bite the bullet and find some better makeup (and other personal care products too, for that matter, but obviously what you put directly on your acne prone areas is of utmost importance).

Even if the natural makeup options aren’t exactly “perfect” either, you’re still getting yourself way ahead by cutting out ten to 20 different irritating and pore clogging chemical ingredients that you weren’t using before.

Believe me, it’s a good thing!

You are absolutely finding the best compromise for your skin and your mental wellbeing, and that’s going to do you a whole lot of favours. Sooner or later, you won’t need that foundation because your skin will be so much better.

Check out my last post on better makeup brands if you haven’t seen it already. And also leave a review in the comments on that post if you’ve used any of them!