What Wearing Makeup to the Gym Can Do to Your Skin

If I had to put on makeup before heading to the gym, I don't think I'd go. In the eternal struggle between working out and sitting on the couch, that extra effort would sway me from the former to the latter. After all, there's no pressure to put on makeup to watch 13 straight hours of Jessica Jones. (Although if there were, I'd probably cave, because priorities.) So when I saw a string of new beauty products intended to be worn before, during, and after working out, I couldn't help but think, *Oh, hell no.*To be totally fair, it's not like this trend is completely out-of-left field. "It reminds me of what Lululemon did for workout clothes," says my friend Alex, a publicist in NYC. And she has a point, since the sportswear company was the first of many to give sweat sessions (once the last remaining place to wear your old sorority tees) a stylish makeover. And it's worth mentioning that there is some built-in motivation to heading to the gym when you know you look cute over schlubby.

These new makeup formulas aim to do the same for your face, bringing the athleisure craze to your beauty routine. Birchbox's new Arrow line (consisting of tinted lip balm, cheek color, and a soon-to-come tinted serum) is designed to endure Spin class, while Eyeko's Sport Mascara and Sport Eyeliner could supposedly stay put through a triathlon (swimming included).

But for me, I consider the gym to be a safe space when it comes to makeup, because (a.) I'm fortunate enough never to run into anyone I know, and (b.) most people don't judge the girl wheezing on the treadmill for being sweaty and gross. And if they do, um, screw them. Most mornings, I wander in bare-faced, wearing only my oversize glasses and, sometimes, a breakout in all of its ruddy glory. (Hey, zits happen.) I just blend in, which is exactly what I want when I'm working out. Exercising is the great equalizer: We all, at some point, end up dripping in sweat. It's actually kind of nice, and partly the reason the idea of gym-ready makeup makes me cringe. It effectively ruins the last holdout where I can show up and not care or worry that I look like the Crypt Keeper. And sure, one could argue, "Well, just because some people wear makeup doesn't mean you have to," but even so, it raises the standard for what we should look like when we exercise.

If wearing makeup while you work out is your jam though (no judgment), just proceed with caution. "Exercise creates this perfect condition for increased skin absorption," says Elizabeth Hale, M.D., a dermatologist in NYC. "You get the trifecta: Increased blood flow to the surface of the skin, heat, and moisture." This means anything hanging out on the surface of your skin, like dirt, grime, and, of course, makeup, sinks into skin way faster than it normally does, clogging pores and potentially causing irritation.

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