Sharing how I got back into wearing makeup after being diagnosed with dry eye, blepharitis, and MGD, and my favorite brands. This is not medical advice; I’m just sharing my experience!
Hi friends! Are you OK? I hope you had a great morning! We are wrapping up the rodeo (wow), the kids are back in school and the place is buzzing with energy again. Hope you have a nice day; hope you have a great day!
For today’s post, I wanted to fulfill a reader request after receiving comments last week. Since I posted about my eye issues I have been inundated with amazing messages and comments but also sad to hear that many of you are finding yourselves in a similar situation with sudden flares, self Immune problems and sore, red and swollen eyes. Last year, when I was in the depths of it all, I felt so depressed and sad. I can never see myself wearing contacts or eye makeup again. (I don’t have any foresight, so it seems to me that what’s happening now means it will happen forever.)
I couldn’t wear makeup for several months and slowly returned to contact lenses and eye makeup. It’s taken a lot of work and healing – I’ll be sharing more about my healing journey and what I’ve done to reduce my histamine response and inflammation in an upcoming post – but *knock on wood* I’m finally able to get through it I can’t get through the day without constantly thinking about my eyes. Just giving hope to my dry eye friends – it can and will get better. This won’t be forever. Hang in there, friends.
Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. At the same time, many conventional ophthalmologists were confused by my situation and didn’t know how to help me. I was determined to find the root cause and improve the problem, and did a lot of research and experimentation on my own along the way. Thanks to my beloved dry eye specialist who gave me some answers and guidance! Also kudos to the beauty of functional testing because I learned so much about how stress affects me, my gut imbalances, toxicities, and deficiencies.
Suffering from blepharitis, dry eye and MGD when wearing makeup
Here are the comments I received:
I was recently diagnosed with dry eye, MGD, and blepharitis and found your posts very helpful! I use the thermal mask twice a day, the wipes and spray you recommended (various different types of wipes), and ordered the disposable masks you use. I also use Optase drops several times a day and before bed. Let me ask you a question─do you wear eye makeup? If so, what does it look like? (I have refrained and try not to put anything else on, around or on my eyelids like powder or bronzer.) My other issue is using under eye cream for wrinkles, circles and puffiness…there are Is there anything I can use for you? Would you recommend? I have also stopped using it at this point to try to put anything on or around my eyes that is not related to the treatment, but my eyes look so tired and I really don’t want to stop using my eye cream, at least on my eyes under. Any suggestions or products you can recommend? Thank you so much!
Can I wear eye makeup if I have blepharitis?
Here’s the deal: You cannot wear makeup when your eyes are wide open or you have active blepharitis. (I learned this the hard and expensive way, haha.) Blepharitis is the result of an overgrowth of bacteria on your eyelids and eyelashes, so if you try to apply makeup during this time, you’re contaminating your brushes, eyeliner, Creams and cosmetics. time. The first step is to clear up your blepharitis and get it under control! I did the ZocuZest cleanse at a dry eye specialist and it made a huge difference. Every day, I also cleanse my eyelids in the morning and before bed to make sure they stay clean and healthy. My go-to eyelid cleansing products are in this post.
Once my blepharitis was under control and I was allowed to wear contacts again, I waited several weeks to make sure I didn’t develop flares. (My eyes are still flashing from the histamine response, which has nothing to do with it. It makes me so confused and miserable! It was a huge lightbulb moment when I lowered my histamine response.) I make sure my eyes are clear , instead of being dry or itchy all day long when I bravely bring makeup back into my life.
Here is my makeup strategy:
– Make sure your eyelids are clean before you begin. (I like Cliradex. It burns a little, especially at first, but works the best.) I wait about 15 minutes for my contacts to pop out (wear contacts before applying makeup).
– Use an eyeshadow primer. Thrive Causmetics is my favorite. You want your eyeshadow to stick to your primer so it’s less likely to fall into your eyes, become trapped, and cause irritation.
– Use mild eyeshadow. Tarte has always been the best choice for my sensitive eyes. (These are two palettes I use every day, and both are $40!) I don’t use a ton of glitter eyeshadow because the glitter gets in your eyes, but the glittery neutrals are all perfect.
– Tarte eyeliner. After years of use, this liquid started making my eyes itch!Since it is a double-sided eyeliner, I only use one side of the pencil
– Tarte Mascara Primer and Mascara, for special occasions, on edges only.
– No more eyelash glue. When I have to do a blog photoshoot, I glue the lash clusters to the outside of the eye using the adhesive I already have on my lashes. They don’t last too long, but it’s better than trying to remove the glue from my lashes later or burning from the ingredients.
– At the end of the night, I use makeup remover wipes, cleanse my face and eyes with Fresh Cleanser, then use Oasis Lid and Lash Clean to remove any remaining makeup. It’s crazy to see how much lid and lash cleanser can remove, especially when you think you’ve got it all. I haven’t properly removed eye makeup in basically 37 years. oops. Disinfect brushes frequently, too.
*Makeup and Contact Break: I no longer wear eye makeup every day. I usually wear sunglasses when picking up and dropping off at school, so I only wear makeup on nights when there are events, filming blog content, or being out in public for long periods of time. During the day, I wear my glasses while working at the computer, and my contacts around noon. I now only wear glasses at least 1-2 days a week.
Skin Care for Blepharitis and Dry Eyes
I simplified my skincare routine because I wanted to make sure it wasn’t causing my allergic reactions. I used Glow Blueberry Bounce Cleanser – a new bottle and my old favorite – and my eyes were so swollen I could barely open them. I contacted the company and they couldn’t tell me what had changed in the formula, so I no longer use Glow products.
Now, the daily routine is as follows:
– Fresh cleansing milk
– NOW Serum (use FITNESSISTA)
– NOW Eye Cream (use FITNESSISTA)
– Beautycounter Supreme Cream
Occasionally:
All Bright C Serum or Overnight Exfoliating Serum
mask:
Excellent Turmeric Mask
AHA Mask or Charcoal Mask
Red light mask (use FITNESSISTA15). There is some promising research on the benefits of red light for dry eye disease, but I still wear goggles when I use this mask.
I think that’s it! Please let me know if you have any questions or if there’s anything I can share in an upcoming post. If you are experiencing this, don’t take “I don’t know, here are your steroid drops” as an answer. Find another doctor, seek an alternative opinion, and find a dry eye specialist in your area that has good reviews. If you adjust your budget wisely, functional testing can also provide amazing insights into your unique physical condition. I’m always happy to help with testing – just email me at gina@fitnessista.com on the subject of testing.
Hope you have a great day and I’ll see you soon!
XOXO
Gina
