When Beauty’s a Beast: Harmful Makeup Habits to Avoid

Many women wear makeup every day. With all the options, colors, textures, and shades, makeup comes in many forms and performs many functions.

Many ladies, however, may not know that makeup can do some serious harm to your eyes.

Here are the top habits to be aware of when using makeup:

1. Check the Expiration Date

Wait, there are expiration dates for makeup? Yes, there are and they are very important to follow. If your makeup doesn’t show a date on them, you can follow these general rules to replace them. You might even be able to look up their expiration dates online. Once your makeup is past that date, stop using it and throw it away.

2. Wash Your Hands Before Applying Makeup

Think about all the things you touch in a day. Now, think about touching them with your face, which is essentially what you’re doing if you don’t wash up before applying makeup. Some germs can even cause an infection when they come in contact with your eyes.

3. Wash Your Makeup Brushes

It’s not just your hands that touch your face when you apply makeup. Your makeup brushes collect dirt and bacteria after some time. Washing your makeup brushes regularly will also prevent infections and keep your skin clear. To keep your skin and eyes healthy, use a makeup cleaner.

4. Don’t Share

Forget what your mother told you. Your friend may have a great eyeliner or mascara and you may be tempted to try, but don’t. It might seem like an easy way to try a new product, but it’s also an easy way to get an eye infection.

5. Don’t Apply Makeup When You’re Driving

We get it; You’re busy, running late to work. First, you will want to focus all of your attention on driving. Second, if your car hits a bump while trying to apply your makeup, you can miss and poke your eye. This will not only cause you some pain but can be detrimental to your eye and possibly even your vision. Soon, you’ll be trading your mascara for an eye patch. A general rule of thumb: don’t put sharp things near your face or eyes while in motion. It’s just not a good idea.

6. Remove Your Makeup Every Night

To keep your eyes healthy, you should properly remove your makeup every night - especially your eye makeup. As Dr. Hilary Beaver from the University of Iowa writes, “If eye makeup is not removed daily there is an increased possibility of an allergic reaction or contact irritation.” So unless you want itchy, red eyes, clean up before bedtime.

7. Tightlining

Tightlining is a technique in which you add eyeliner to the upper waterline of your eye lashes to define and thicken your lashes. It’s popular among makeup bloggers and beauty enthusiasts, but overapplication can cause problems. “The problem, I feel,” says Infinite Eye Care’s Dr. Tom, “is that the pasty substance of the eyeliner may plug the oil glands that secrete in that area. Over application can cause blockage of those oil glands and inadvertently cause styes. I think it looks nice, but I encourage people to not do it in order to avoid complications of the oil glands on the eyelids.”



Use these tips to keep your eyes healthy and your makeup on point. If you do start to feel pain or irritation in your eyes, please contact Infinite Eye Care.

No More Tears: Easy Tips to Prevent Pink Eye

School is right around the corner, and so are the germs and sicknesses that come with it. Of them all, conjunctivitis - or pink eye - can be the most irritating and hard to diagnose. It’s also one of the most common infectious diseases in school-age children. To make it easier on you this school year, here are a few tips to teach your kids to keep this itchy infection out of your home:

Stay Clean

The first rule of preventing sickness is to teach your children the importance of staying clean – especially their hands and eyes. Teach them to cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough and to avoid touching their eyes afterward. Another thing to help with the prevention of pink eye is changing pillowcases. Pillowcases can carry infectious germs that have easy access to your children’s eyes as they sleep. Keeping a clean and sanitary environment not only helps health overall but also is a big attribute to preventing pink eye.

Be Selfish

It may be hard to hush your inner Minnesota nice, but it’s a necessity when preventing pink eye. Sharing things such as wash clothes, linens, eye makeup, and tissues can cause pink eye and other infections in the eyes. Encourage your children to keep these types of items to themselves and not to accept them from other children.

The number one thing to never share on any occasion is contact lenses or the accessories that go with them. They can carry contagious infections and cause irritating symptoms.

Be a Homebody

This tip is only necessary if you, your child, or someone close to you has pink eye. A crucial thing in preventing it from spreading to others is to stay home during the contagious stage. Pink eye is easily contracted with close contact, which is why it’s so prevalent in teachers and students who are consistently in close contact with others. One should wait until the discharge and redness is gone from the eye before going back to work/school/daily life routine.


Pink eye can be irritating, disgusting, and even unbearable for some. Hopefully, these tips will provide you and your family with the necessary knowledge you need to prevent pink eye – or if you already have contracted it, the knowledge to not spread it. If you think you have pink eye, the most important step to take is to visit the eye doctor and get diagnosed. Catching pink eye soon after you are infected and starting the medicine you will need to get rid of it will drastically lessen your symptoms and shorten your recovery time. Infinite Eye Care offers an urgent care and pink eye service just for that reason.

Visit our website to learn more.

Eye Health: It’s Important in the Winter, Too!

Though you may not realize it, the Minnesota cold can damage your eyes. If you are brave enough to head out in the cold this winter, make sure you know the effects it can have on your health. Here are some common health issues and ways you can handle these eye problems.

The Cold’s Effect on Eyes

Winter weather can leave your eyes red, swollen and in pain. To put is scientifically, the extreme cold can constrict the blood vessels in the eye or even freeze your corneas. These conditions can lead to blurred vision, double vision, or even a loss of vision. If you experience any of these symptoms, see your optometrist immediately; you may need medical care to fix your vision.

Sunburn

Yup, sunburn; it’s not just a problem for the summer. You might not think about it in the winter, but it shouldn’t be ignored. Protecting your eyes is necessary. Your eyes can suffer from something called Photokeratitis (aka snow blindness) and may actually be more dangerous in the winter, as the snow can reflect up to 80% of the sun’s light. To prevent UV light from injuring your eyes, be sure to wear UV-blocking sunglasses or goggles.

Discomfort From the Cold

The frigid, cold winter wind can also cause dry eyes, which will lead to some major discomfort. This discomfort could get worse when you are out and about enjoying the snow by skiing, snowboarding, or sledding. Be sure to protect your eyes when you are out enjoying the winter weather. If your eyes are consistently dry, make sure to carry lubricating eye drops with you. For more info, check out our blog about Dry Winter Eyes from 2013.

Indoor Issues

Sadly enough, the indoors may not be completely safe for your eyes either. During the winter, there are lower humidity levels indoors (and outdoors), which may cause dry eyes. If you notice this in your home, look into purchasing a humidifier. It’s also helpful to stay well hydrated.

The winter can be hard on your eyes, but thankfully, winter eye issues are easily managed. If you experience pain in your eyes after being in an extremely cold setting, immediately get into a warm spot and seek medical attention. If you experience consistent discomfort from cold winds blowing in your eyes, cover them or bring eye drops with you. And even though you won’t be spending your weekends on the lake (unless it’s in a fish house), sunglasses aren’t a bad idea.

No matter the conditions, always remember to protect your eyes. From your friends at Infinite Eye Care, have a happy and healthy new year!