Eye drops before or after makeup?

Put eye drops in before makeup. Start with clean hands and a bare face, use the drop as the label directs, then wait a few minutes so extra moisture can settle and any blur can clear before you apply eye makeup. If you need a drop later in the day, keep the bottle tip away from your lashes and makeup, and dab away any overflow gently rather than rubbing.

Eye drops before makeup

Doing drops first has a few practical advantages. A drop can make the eye water slightly or spill onto the lid and lashes, and on a bare face that just gets dabbed away. Applied over fresh liner or mascara, the same overflow can smudge, run or carry flecks of makeup into the eye. Drops can also blur your vision briefly, which is the last thing you want while drawing a line on your lid.

• Wash your hands with soap and water.
• Put in your drop following the label: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.
• Close your eyes gently for a moment; don’t squeeze.
• Blot any overflow from the lid with a clean tissue.
• Wait a few minutes, until vision is clear and the lid feels dry, then start with eye makeup.

Eye drops after makeup

Sometimes you need a drop at 3 p.m. with a full face on. That’s fine with some care:

• Wash your hands first; makeup sponges and brushes leave residue on fingers too.
• Tilt your head back and look up, so the drop lands on the eye rather than the lashes.
• Hold the bottle far enough away that the tip can’t brush mascara or liner.
• Dab the outer corner with the tip of a clean tissue if any drop runs; don’t wipe across the lid.

Keep the bottle tip away from makeup

The most important rule on Quell’s label for this situation is Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. Mascara wands, eyeliner pencils, makeup brushes and the inside of a cosmetic bag all count as surfaces. A tip that brushes a lash coated in mascara picks up product and whatever’s on it, then carries that back into the bottle and onto your eye next time. Why you should never touch the bottle tip explains more.

Store the bottle with its cap on, and keep it in a clean pocket of your bag rather than loose among compacts and pencils. If makeup ever gets on the tip, don’t wipe it with a tissue or your finger, which can make it worse. Ask a pharmacist whether that bottle is still okay to use.

What the label says, and what it doesn’t

Quell’s Drug Facts give its Uses as For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye and its directions as Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. The label says nothing about makeup: not about timing, not about specific products, not about removing it. Anything in this guide beyond the directions and the tip warning is general, practical sense rather than label instruction. If you have questions about a specific cosmetic and your eyes, an eye doctor or pharmacist is the person to ask. The full Drug Facts also carry a caution about egg or bird allergies, worth reading before you start.

What to apply before eye makeup

People often ask about the order of products around the eyes. A simple routine keeps the eye area clean: drops first on a bare face, then any eye cream or primer you use, kept on the lid and away from the lash line, then shadow, liner and mascara. Products applied right at the inner rim of the lid, the waterline, sit where tears flow, and flakes from them can end up in the eye. If your eyes feel dry or gritty, that’s a spot to keep clear.

Removing makeup before bed

Taking makeup off every night matters for eyes that feel dry. Mascara and liner left on through the night can flake into the eye while you sleep, and residue along the lash line is uncomfortable by morning.

• Use a gentle remover meant for the eye area and a soft pad.
• Hold the pad on closed lids for a few seconds to loosen mascara, then wipe down and outward.
• Rinse with lukewarm water afterward.
• Wash your hands again before any evening drop.

If your eyes feel dry at night, can you use eye drops before bed? covers timing.

Don’t share makeup or drops

Eye makeup and eye drops are both personal items. A mascara wand or liner pencil passed between friends, or a tester at a store counter, carries whatever was on the last person’s lashes. The same goes for a bottle of drops. Keep your own, replace mascara regularly, and stop using any eye product that’s been dropped on the floor or left open.

When irritation isn’t just dryness

If your eyes sting, swell or itch right after you try a new product, take it off, rinse your face, and stop using that product. Lubricating drops aren’t a fix for a reaction to cosmetics. If symptoms continue, see an eye doctor. The label says: Stop use and ask a doctor if you feel eye pain or changes in your vision, if irritation or redness continues, or if the condition worsens or persists for 72 hours.