Is makeup safe before you play with gulaal?

We can’t keep calm because it’s Holi week! The festival of colours and the sweet festive delicacies brings its own excitement with it. Whether you’re heading out to a friend’s Holi party or a society’s get-together on Holi, you may want to look fabulous on this occasion. If you’re planning to rock gorgeous make-up for Holi, your skin may not like it.

Let’s consider the fact that you’ll end up getting drenched and coated with ‘gulaal’ on Holi. The colours you may play with aren’t great for your skin’s health already. And topping your face with makeup may even aggravate the existing skin issues like acne, pimples and blackheads.

To know the insights on the effects of colours on skin, HealthShots spoke to Ravina Jain, dermatologist, Founder and CEO, The Skin Story & The Beard Story.

Jain says, “Firstly, the idea of using makeup on your face before stepping out to play Holi is not a good one, as there is a high possibility that the chemicals in the cosmetics you use will react with the colour, or gulaal, used to celebrate the festival, leading to acne and other skin infections.”

Ain’t that a bummer? Well, festivals are meant to look and feel good! Jain suggests a few essential steps to protect your skin first in case you’re planning to apply a dab of makeup on this day.

Here’s how you can manage to look picture-perfect on Holi:

1. The first step would be to cleanse and exfoliate your skin.
2. You can then apply a moisturizer suited to your skin type. Please remember to rub it into the skin on your face with gentle strokes, so that it is completely absorbed and penetrates the skin sufficiently.
3. Post this, add a layer of waterproof sunscreen at least half an hour before you apply makeup and step out.
4. “Lips often get side-lined in many skincare routines, even though they get damaged very easily. So, special attention should be given to lip care, as the outer layer is extremely thin, and hence absorbs colours quickly,” says Jain.
5. It is advisable to apply a generous layer of lip balm to lock in the moisture on your lips.

Despite the extensive over the top filters and makeup tutorials, your skin should look like skin. Following this pre-Holi skincare routine will already make your skin look much radiant and supple. However, if you still want to glam up for the occasion, keep your makeup minimal and consider opting for a ‘no makeup’ makeup look. Don’t forget to use waterproof makeup products unless you want streams of melting makeup on your face.

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Here are some tips to consider before applying makeup for Holi:

1. Primer

Post skincare, use a luminizing primer. It will act as a buffer between the external elements like colour, pollution and water while giving your skin that envious glow.

2. Foundation base

Keep your full coverage foundations for night events. Instead, apply a pea-sized amount of a CC cream. It will give a translucent coverage without clogging your pores.

3. Blush

Rosy cheeks aren’t going out of style ever! Considering that, apply a cream blush on the apples of your cheek and blend it using a finger or a stippling brush.

4. Eyes

Steer clear of anything black, the kajal, eyeliner or a mascara, even if it’s waterproof! The last thing you want is black lines of makeup running down your face. Keep your eyes minimal by applying a cheek tint on the eyes or the same cream blush you used on your cheeks. It will give you a monochromatic makeup look.

5. Lipstick

Have you ever applied lipstick on your bare face? A swipe of a vibrant hue on lips instantly makes you look drab to fab. After prepping your lips with a hydrating lip balm, apply a blob of lipstick on the inner area of your lips and dab it towards the high and lows of your pout. Doing this trick will give that rose petal kinda effect to your lips like the popular Korean makeup looks.

Following these tips you don’t have to worry about your makeup while getting soaked in colours or even drenching others! Have a good time with your family and friends and look flawless even while being dunked into a pool of colours. And don’t forget to double cleanse your face and remove your makeup as soon as you get back home.