Make-up removal technique that is damaging your skin and making you look older
We're inundated with tips and tricks on how to perfect our make-up, with everyone from beauty bosses to celebs and influencers regularly offering their expert advice.
But what about when it comes to taking it off at the end of a long day?
While most of us will spend time (and cash) picking the perfect product, how much thought do you really give to the technique you use?
According to Dr Elizabeth Hawkes, Consultant Ophthalmic and Oculoplastic Surgeon and aesthetic practitioner at the award winning Cadogan Clinic, many of us are making a simple mistake that could be damaging the extremely thin skin under our eyes - and it could be making us look older.
Speaking to The Mirror to mark the launch of the new PCA Skin Vitamin B3 Eye Cream, she explained that it's vital not to scrub the area or apply too much pressure. Instead, we should simply be pressing the product-soaked pads on our eyes.
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Don't do this! (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)She explains: "For the upper lids, close your eyes with one cotton pad in one hand, and just press, press, press, press - and then gently wipe. You may have to do it again.
"It's the mascara that's hard to take off. The product will soak onto the pad.
"For the lower lids look up and do the same. It usually comes off easily.
"Choose your mascara wisely as well. I don't like waterproof mascaras, it's really hard to get off. For special occasions it's fine but not for every day."
Dr Hawkes also makes sure she has two mascara-free days a week to limit the amount of time she has to spend removing it and therefore touching the area.
Explaining why it's so important to be extra careful with the skin under your eyes, she explains: "Eyelid skin is unique, it's different to the rest our face and we know that from clinical studies. It lacks the underlining layer of fat, so it needs special care.
"Also, the muscle that lies under it is a very active muscle, it's the muscle that's responsible for blinking - it's contracting approximately 15,000 times a day. It's subject to a lot of stress.
"Then if you go deeper you have a paper-thin structure that holds back all the fat that the eyeball has cushioned in, and over time that can start to bulge forward.
"So the skin is your first layer and it's really important to take special care of it."
And it's not just removing make-up that needs a bit of extra thought, and it turns out we need to be extra careful when applying eye cream before we go to bed.
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Using the new Vitamin B3 Eye Cream as an example, she shares a tip to make sure you never apply to use too much pressure - using your fourth finger.
"Use your ring finger as you can't get too much strength to it. Your eyeball is in a boney socket so you can actually work out the orbit that goes all around your eyeball. Just tap generally both upper and lower, all the way around."
Dr Hawkes has also explained the best things to look out for when you going shopping for a new product, appreciating that it can be hard to pick if you don't know what you're looking for.
"It's really overwhelming in shops. I've seen it myself, you don't know what's good and it's what not. They key thing is to always use an SPF on the eyelids - upper and lower lids. Not only will it slow down aging it will also protect from skin cancer, and always wear sunglasses. Prevention is better than cure. At least 30 plus.
"The second thing to look for to add into a night time routine is a retinol eye cream. I do recommend a dedicated eye cream, sometimes the ones for your face can be a little bit too strong."
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