I thought this would be the perfect time for this post on dealing with sensitive eyes as hay fever will be in full-force soon.
Sensitive, watery eyes are the bane of my makeup life. Almost every day I have to repair my makeup because it got ruined by my eye leaks. Between hay fever, a fur allergy (I have 2 cats) and sensitivity to air-conditioning, face creams, wind, dust, cold and heat, I don't really stand much of a chance.
As well as ruining my makeup, I also have to put up with crazily itchy eyes and very puffy eyelids. Also, I find that oil-based cleansers react very badly with my eyes and can distort my vision for up to an hour after use.
Though it is all still very annoying, I've learnt how to deal with it, so I'll give you my tips for prevention and fixing.
I have had a bit of a spiral recently where I would have itchy eyes at night, partially from my cats and in part the oil-based cleansers (I wear so much make up that a heavy-duty cleanser is essential).
**Squeamish warning!**
I was having a lot of eye goop (does it even have a proper name?) and my eye lids were red, swollen and the skin felt extremely tight. I was waking up to find that my eyelids were pretty much stuck together and still a bit sore. Unfortunately trying to unstick my eyelids started off the watering again.
**Gross bit over**
I had about a week of this, and very poor makeup, so came up with my current plan of action.
Eye Drops
I've found eye drops to be immensely helpful. When my eyes get itchy through out the day I use a drop or two to each eye to make it go away. If my eyes are feeling sensitive already when I wake up then I use the drops then as well.
I've been using the Optrex Soothing Eye Drops for Itchy Eyes, £3.10 from Tesco.
Anti-histamines
What wonderful things they are! I've always taken them during the warmer months for my hay fever and on the occasion I had a bad fur allergy attack. Now I'm taking one every day to prevent the cat-caused calamities. I'm taking mine upon waking although I have heard that they can work better taken just before going to bed; I'll have to look into that a bit more. I get mine from Tesco, a pack of 14 for about £1.50.
Between these two prevention methods I have lessened the itchiness. It is also advisable that if you have a fur allergy then you shouldn't hug cats all day long...but that is incredibly difficult to not do so I'll let you off if you can't help yourself.
Even with the two steps above I still experience watery eyes unfortunately, although not as often. I walk to work every day, often in the cold and the wind. I'm not brave enough to wear sunglasses all day, every day, which is probably the only thing that would help in that regard. Here's how I deal with the inevitable consequences.
Backup Makeup
When my eyes water is it usually from the outer corner, ruining any winged liner I may have and removing the shadow/liner just below the outer corner. When I remember, I like to take an eye pencil with me that is of a similar colour to the shadow. Don't bother trying to apply this until the area is completely dry again or it won't stick to your skin properly and will go all blotchy. I like to use a long-wearing pencil that is easy to blend out with your fingers, like those by Stila or Urban Decay.
If I have been silly enough to wing my liner then I take Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper with me to fix any missing parts.
Occasionally my eyes leak from the inner corner instead. This usually ruins the eyeshadow in my crease and destroys my concealer beneath my eye. There's not much I can do to fix the shadow in a pinch, and luckily it's hidden when your eyes are open. I like to fix my concealer with a cream one like the Nars one above as it blends out better with fingers than it does with a brush (unlike liquid ones).
Sometimes my eyes water so bad that it looks like I've been watching Braveheart. In those circumstances there's really not a lot I can do apart from count the minutes until I can wash my face.
Do you have to put up with sensitive eyes? Have any additional recommendations for coping with it?
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