The New Beauty Trend That's Got Us All Sweaty!

By BR Tabatha

Recently I saw an article talking about a new trend – athleisure beauty, and boy did I roll my eyes. Before I even bothered to read the article I imagined it was all about how to get that glowy just-did-a-workout-and-don’t-I-look-great look without putting in the hard yards. And that it would be the makeup equivalent of wearing athleisure-wear even if you’re not working out (Pet peeve alert! Yeah, I get that it’s comfortable but seriously? If you’re going to the supermarket and then doing a spot of shopping do you really need to be wearing gym gear?). Well colour me red-faced when I actually read the article and discovered I should’ve held my judgement... well, mostly.

So what is athleisure beauty? Quite simply it’s makeup you can wear while working out that won’t slip off your face leaving you looking like a bedraggled horror movie extra who’s just run through a forest teeming with rain while being chased by a bunch of hyped-up-on-‘roids zombies. 

Much like athleisure-wear, athleisure beauty is becoming big business, with cosmetic companies like Tarte creating lines especially aimed at those who want to keep their makeup on whilst working out.

Now here’s where I weigh in on this and get a little judgy – because what good is Tabby if she’s not being opinionated? I get that we want to look nice at all times. I rarely leave the house without at least some makeup on. Or a full face. More than likely a full face. But we all know that wearing makeup while working out is one easy way to clog your pores, which can result in breakouts – and to quote the First Lady – ‘ain’t nobody got time for that’.

My rule of thumb is that if I’m working out the makeup comes off first, and then post-workout I go about a simplified skincare regime of cleanse, tone, moisturise, and then reapply makeup. Sure, it’s going to be a bit of a time-suck, but frankly I’d rather go au naturel while working out than suffer a red and raging breakout if I don’t.

Of course, if you like the idea of wearing makeup while working out, you do you. Heck you may even be one of those lucky folk who can do anything to their skin and get away with it – if that’s the case check out this article Kellie put together on water-resistant makeup, which is kind of like Athleisure makeup but without the fancy advertising spin.

One tip? If you insist on wearing makeup to pilates or to a bootcamp or while out on your morning jog and you want to get in on this athleisure beauty trend (which while a thing overseas I couldn't find any companies doing it here in NZ) look for products that are oil-free or mineral based, as they’ll help your skin breathe that little bit more, resulting in less clogging. Or skip the full face and keep things simple with a dash of waterproof mascara and a little lip gloss. 

So do tell, are you hot for the athleisure beauty trend? What are your tips, tricks and fav products to use? Or is it all a bit beyond you and you're happy to go bare faced while working out? Chat away!