Makeup and Contact Lenses: The Do’s, The Don’ts, and the Absolute Hell Nos

Love makeup? Love your contacts? Same. But mixing the two? That’s where things get tricky. Nearly 6 million Brits wear contact lenses, whether for vision correction or to add a little je ne sais quoi to their eye game. But before you go full glam, let’s talk about what not to do, unless you fancy eye infections as the latest beauty trend (spoiler: you don’t).

Makeup Techniques to Avoid

Tight Lining

Aka running eyeliner along your inner lash line – sounds great in theory. Fuller lashes? Brighter eyes? Yes, please. But the reality? That stuff gets all up in your eyes, messing with your tear film and drying them out. Not to mention, setting it with eyeshadow means even more tiny particles chilling on your lenses. If you’re already prone to dry eyes (hello, fellow contact lens wearers), the tight lining is just asking for trouble.

Baking

Baking was the holy grail of makeup hacks, and for those who don’t know it’s a technique where a thick layer of loose, translucent powder. But if you wear contacts, all that excess powder floating around is basically a one-way ticket to irritation city. The loose-setting powder settles under your lenses, and suddenly you’re blinking like you’ve got sandpaper for eyeballs. Hard pass.

Highlighter

Keep It On Your Cheekbones, Not in Your EyesYes, inner corner highlight can make you look fresh and glowy, but it also ups your risk of getting product in your eyes—especially when paired with 2024’s crystal eye trend. Those tiny glitter particles? They’re not contact-friendly. Unless you fancy spending the night fishing out micro-glitter from under your lens, maybe skip it.

How to Keep Your Eye Game Strong

There are ways to nail your makeup while keeping your contacts (and eyes) safe. Here’s how:

• Go for cream and water-based formulas. Brands like Charlotte Tilbury and REFY make killer cream-based products that stay put without shedding rogue particles into your eyes.
• Apply makeup after inserting your contacts.
• Clean hands, clean lenses, and no stray makeup clinging to your fingertips.
• If you’re using rigid gas-permeable contacts, be extra careful. These bad boys need proper cleaning, so always remove them before taking off your makeup.
• Choose contact lenses for dry eyes. If your eyes feel like the Sahara by midday, opt for silicone hydrogel lenses that lock in moisture and keep things breathable.
• Ditch powder-heavy techniques like baking, your contacts (and your under-eyes) will thank you.

Final Thoughts

Your makeup bag and your contacts can coexist, you just need to be smart about it. Avoid dusty, glitter-heavy techniques, stick to cream products, and always clean your lenses properly. Now go forth and slay, just without the eye infections, yeah?

Nonchalant x