Wearing makeup in the gym is a personal preference – some of us do and some of us don’t. There’s no written rule and it really does depend on the person, the day, their mood, etc.
I, personally, will never touch up my makeup for the sake of going to the gym.
If I’m going to the gym first thing in the morning, I typically have a class booked in for 6:30 and don’t manage to get out of bed until 6:00. That doesn’t leave me long to get changed, clean my teeth and rush to the gym. There’s no time for worrying about how I look, how big the bags are under my eyes and what people are going to think about me. I just hope that the gym isn’t too busy and that most normal people are still at home in bed.
Typically my morning routine, after going to the gym, involves showering, sometimes doing my hair, but ALWAYS applying a basic level of makeup in the morning; enough to cover my skin blemishes and dark circles, whilst making me look awake, but not enough that it looks like I’m getting ready to hit the town. Whatever makeup that remains after working in the office all day is what I wear to the gym in the evening. If the dark circles are showing through, my eyeshadow has faded to almost non-existent and my foundation is wearing thin, then so be it. I’ve always got my trusted mascara that makes me look awake.
I’m in awe of girls who go to the gym with a full, fresh face of makeup, some even with lipstick, and who are so fit they aren’t a sweating mess after 5 minutes with their makeup running down their face. Girls who can legitimately do an intense workout and walk out looking as fantastic as when they walked in. This would be me…
One of my friend’s, Harriet, always looks flawless and this carries over into the gym too. So, I caught up with her and got some of her top tips for those of you who are considering wearing a full face in the gym, but don’t want to come out looking like the Joker:
Always carry makeup
Carry a few key pieces of makeup with you everywhere. This will come in handy for touching up before and after the gym, but also during if you spot anything amiss. If you can afford to invest in some highly rated, tough endurance products, you’re sorted.
Go waterproof
Waterproof mascara is great for the rainy days, whilst also being handy for when you’re doing an intense workout in the gym. If you know there’s a chance you’re going to get sweaty, you don’t want mascara that’s going to run down your face at the first sign of dampness.
Setting spray
This is one of the must-have products in your makeup collection. Give yourself a hearty spray over the face first thing in the morning when you first apply your makeup, and then throughout the day as you touch it up. This is handy to do just before you go to the gym too to try to keep everything in place.
Blot don’t wipe!
This is key! Always try to have a tissue or a towel on you. Firstly, it’s good practice to wipe your equipment down after you’ve used it, so others don’t have to touch your sweaty puddles, but it’s also handy for blotting at your makeup to prevent it from running. “DO NOT WIPE YOUR FACE”, Harriet says, because this will take your makeup off, or at the very least smudge it over your face and leave you looking like a panda.
Put your hair up
Wearing your hair down at the gym, no matter how cute, is NOT practical. It will get in your way, it will make you hotter quicker and it will then get stuck on your neck, your back and your face; no one needs that kind of a nuisance. Putting your hair up alleviates all of this and reduces the speed in which you will start sweating on your face.
Invest in a good skincare routine
Makeup covers your pores, and when you’re sweating in the gym the two are going to mix and stop your pores from being able to breathe. This can lead to bad skin, so you want to invest in a good skincare routine that you can carry out daily. Whether you choose to just use a micellar water, or you want to go all out and use toner, moisturiser and anything else you can get your hands on, ensure you stick to it and it’s the right product type for your skin.
Whether you wear makeup or not to the gym, OWN IT GIRL! If you don’t care what you look like and haven’t got the time/energy to put any makeup on – or just don’t like to wear it – fair play to you! If you want to look made up and at your finest, fair play to you too! I hope our tips work 🙂
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve got any additional tips that we could all use – we love to hear your thoughts!
