Make-up & cycling

I'd say do whatever makes you comfortable. If you're wearing your makeup correctly, no one is supposed to notice anyway, right?

I don't think people really care. It depends on the ride and other things. If you're going to be sweating a lot, you might want to avoid using make-up in case it runs. Me personally, i might use concealer if i've got a large pimple or other blemish that i'd like to hide, and maybe a lip balm to prevent chapped lips. That's normally it.

Some companies do tinted sunscreens so that you get a little bit of coverage on your face as well as sun protection - dual purpose! That might be something for you to look into.

niaps627 said:

Hello ladies,

Just wondering what you think about wearing make-up & cycling. Is it a no-no, or a little bit is ok? I'm talking a light foundation, lip gloss, mascara, nothing heavy. I do wear a bit but only because I have imperfect, uneven skin tone which looks even worse after a sweaty ride if I don't cover up a bit. Does wearing make-up make you look like a "non-serious" cyclist, or hopefully, no one really cares?
Thanks for any input!

niaps627 said:

Hello ladies,

Just wondering what you think about wearing make-up & cycling. Is it a no-no, or a little bit is ok? I'm talking a light foundation, lip gloss, mascara, nothing heavy. I do wear a bit but only because I have imperfect, uneven skin tone which looks even worse after a sweaty ride if I don't cover up a bit. Does wearing make-up make you look like a "non-serious" cyclist, or hopefully, no one really cares?
Thanks for any input!

if you sniff well then it not a problem to you. I think when you do want you like it's the most beautiful thing.

i have worn foundation on rides mostly if i am made up to go out in the morning and want to go for a ride in the afternoon.I thought that it would melt but i had no problemseven with queenslands heat.

LOL, can the women's forum get any more pathetic questions. Honestly I am tired of all these stupid questions about what deodorant to use, what leg shaving product to use etc. And now a question about make-up! Hello.....how many athletes do you see training/competing in make-up? You need to let your skin breath and by caking yourself with all of that gunk is preventing it from happening.

I really have to wonder why some of you girls bother cycling in the first place. It seems as though you are more concerned about what you look like on the bike rather than other important aspects of the sport 😠 .

Mellic said:

LOL, can the women's forum get any more pathetic questions. Honestly I am tired of all these stupid questions about what deodorant to use, what leg shaving product to use etc. And now a question about make-up! Hello.....how many athletes do you see training/competing in make-up? You need to let your skin breath and by caking yourself with all of that gunk is preventing it from happening.

I really have to wonder why some of you girls bother cycling in the first place. It seems as though you are more concerned about what you look like on the bike rather than other important aspects of the sport 😠 .

Perhaps some us are also cycling for the fun it. Not all of us are competing or training for anything in particular. Besides, why are you still lurking in the Women's forum if this is all too frivolous for you????

niaps627 said:

Hello ladies,

Just wondering what you think about wearing make-up & cycling. Is it a no-no, or a little bit is ok? I'm talking a light foundation, lip gloss, mascara, nothing heavy. I do wear a bit but only because I have imperfect, uneven skin tone which looks even worse after a sweaty ride if I don't cover up a bit. Does wearing make-up make you look like a "non-serious" cyclist, or hopefully, no one really cares?
Thanks for any input!

I don't know if or how much anyone cares. I would advise eyecream, and a good sunscreen/moisturizer (not the kind you wear to the beach, you'll break out) and sunglasses that wrap around the sides of your eyes so you see when you look back and don't get blasted with wind in that area. The wind, cold,sun, heat, etc will do a job on your skin. I wouldn't be too worried about makeup, but if it makes you feel good go for it.

niaps627 said:

Perhaps some us are also cycling for the fun it. Not all of us are competing or training for anything in particular. Besides, why are you still lurking in the Women's forum if this is all too frivolous for you????

Well excuse me. And the reason I lurk on this forum is because I am a female cyclist hoping to learn and give advice to other female cyclists. Sometimes there are some interesting posts on here, but half the time they are just plain stupid. The purpose of this forum is to talk "cycling" and I don't think make-up has any contribution to the sport. If we want people to take us seriously in this sport whether you do it for fun or competition then I don't think the issue of make-up is one that belongs.

niaps627 said:

Perhaps some us are also cycling for the fun it. Not all of us are competing or training for anything in particular. Besides, why are you still lurking in the Women's forum if this is all too frivolous for you????

You did ask in your original post if wearing makeup would make people take you less seriously and Mellic gave you an honest answer. Just because you did not like the answer was no reason to attack her. So happens that I agree with her more than not, but then again the most I ever put on my face is sunscreen and lip balm so I am already biased.

Eden said:

You did ask in your original post if wearing makeup would make people take you less seriously and Mellic gave you an honest answer. Just because you did not like the answer was no reason to attack her. So happens that I agree with her more than not, but then again the most I ever put on my face is sunscreen and lip balm so I am already biased.

I'm on you side 🙂

Mellic said:

Well excuse me. And the reason I lurk on this forum is because I am a female cyclist hoping to learn and give advice to other female cyclists. Sometimes there are some interesting posts on here, but half the time they are just plain stupid. The purpose of this forum is to talk "cycling" and I don't think make-up has any contribution to the sport. If we want people to take us seriously in this sport whether you do it for fun or competition then I don't think the issue of make-up is one that belongs.

I have to disagree a bit here. We all cycle to feel and/or look good, right? A little moisturizing sunscreen will keep us from premature aging and lower the risk of skin cancer. Where's the harm in that?

wackydeirdre said:

I have to disagree a bit here. We all cycle to feel and/or look good, right? A little moisturizing sunscreen will keep us from premature aging and lower the risk of skin cancer. Where's the harm in that?

I don't think sunscreen really can be classified as make-up unless it is the variety that has foundation in it. I do wear sunscreen when I ride, but I put it on at least 45 minutes before so it has some time to absorb. I don't use the very thick creams (even though they are more protective) as they just don't absorb quick enough and they tend to act like a barrier keeping body heat in.

Mellic said:

I don't think sunscreen really can be classified as make-up unless it is the variety that has foundation in it. I do wear sunscreen when I ride, but I put it on at least 45 minutes before so it has some time to absorb. I don't use the very thick creams (even though they are more protective) as they just don't absorb quick enough and they tend to act like a barrier keeping body heat in.

Thick sunscreens definetly do not allow your skin to breath which is why they make you break out. They really clog your pores. As far as foundation goes, most people like it from what I hear. I'd rather put pancake batter on my face. I don't think there is a huge difference in texture, color, etc.

stick with 30+ sunscreen specially designed for your face, tinted lip gloss and wrap around sunnies with brown or yellow lenses (softer to look out of). Also start wrapping a buff around your head underneath your helmet - keeps your head cool and stops the sweat.

Chicken legs said:

stick with 30+ sunscreen specially designed for your face, tinted lip gloss and wrap around sunnies with brown or yellow lenses (softer to look out of). Also start wrapping a buff around your head underneath your helmet - keeps your head cool and stops the sweat.

Where can you find sunblock for the face stronger than 15 that won't make you break out? My skin is very sensitive and breaks out even from stress. I use sunblock#30 lip balm. Is tinted lip gloss better? I wear wrap around sunglasses with a light blue tint. They are nice to look out of even on overcast days. Approved by the american cancer association for blocking harmful rays. I used to wear very dark ones and got the blue ones for overcast days so I could see but started wearing the blue ones all of the time.

wackydeirdre said:

Where can you find sunblock for the face stronger than 15 that won't make you break out? My skin is very sensitive and breaks out even from stress. I use sunblock#30 lip balm. Is tinted lip gloss better? I wear wrap around sunglasses with a light blue tint. They are nice to look out of even on overcast days. Approved by the american cancer association for blocking harmful rays. I used to wear very dark ones and got the blue ones for overcast days so I could see but started wearing the blue ones all of the time.

I'm from Australia so I get my sunblock from the supermarket or chemist and my skin has never broken out. I only suggested tinted lip gloss because you like to wear make up when on your bike and I thought that would be a better alternative than lipstick but really, if you want to cycle with a head full of make up on and you're happy with it....fine, go right ahead...it really matters not.

Chicken legs said:

I'm from Australia so I get my sunblock from the supermarket or chemist and my skin has never broken out. I only suggested tinted lip gloss because you like to wear make up when on your bike and I thought that would be a better alternative than lipstick but really, if you want to cycle with a head full of make up on and you're happy with it....fine, go right ahead...it really matters not.

I think you may be confusing me with another person who posted about the makeup. I never wear anything but sunscreen on my face and lip balm with sunscreen while cycling and rarely more than that when I'm not cycling. I'm not really a make up kind of gal. I do have to get sunscreen made especially for the face though or I break out. Generally the makeup companies make it and it's pretty pricy.
It must be getting to be nice weather for cycling where you are right now. It's getting cold and dark early here and were all getting on our indoor trainers now.🙁 Enjoy!

wackydeirdre said:

I think you may be confusing me with another person who posted about the makeup. I never wear anything but sunscreen on my face and lip balm with sunscreen while cycling and rarely more than that when I'm not cycling. I'm not really a make up kind of gal. I do have to get sunscreen made especially for the face though or I break out. Generally the makeup companies make it and it's pretty pricy.
It must be getting to be nice weather for cycling where you are right now. It's getting cold and dark early here and were all getting on our indoor trainers now.🙁 Enjoy!

You're right - I am confusing you with someone else from this forum - I apologise.
Yes the weather is hotting up - sometimes 37 degree days but closer to 30 degrees most other days - but still OK to cycle in. And I guess we're lucky here too because our winters aren't so cold - probably the worst thing we have to contend with is a sudden rain burst but that's about it. Heading off to New Zealand next year for a cycling holiday so I imagine I'll have to rug up a bit then.

Mellic said:

...The purpose of this forum is to talk "cycling" and I don't think make-up has any contribution to the sport. If we want people to take us seriously in this sport whether you do it for fun or competition then I don't think the issue of make-up is one that belongs.

A-ha, we have a purist here. Cycling is about the movement of the legs on a machine and nothing else? I disagree.

I disagree with your opinion that a discussion of make-up does not belong on this forum. Are we not all cyclists? Are we not all women? Aren't we a little bit different from men? Why are we not supposed to talk about it?

I would say to the original poster, wear what you feel comfortable with, and wear what agrees with your skin the most when doing physical activity. I like the fact that you posted the make-up question.

Personally, I don't like to go out in public where I'll be seen by lots of people without at least a little bit of lipstick on and perhaps a dash of eyeshadow. So why would I go out riding without the same thing on? I'm not trying to catch a date when I ride. I ride to ride. And I ride to represent my sport--to hopefully get other women interested in my sport.

Riding is my main hobby. It is what I love. When I take riding breaks, I chat with people. I'll talk with anybody who wants to talk about biking, especially downhill mountain biking. I am an ambassador of my sport. I wouldn't feel as comfortable if I went out biking if I didn't go out dressed as me... if I was pale, if I didn't cover up some of my blemishes a tiny bit, and so forth. If riding is "my thing" why wouldn't I want to go out riding looking like my usual self? Does that make me shallow? Am I shallow for wanting to look my best when I am doing the very thing I enjoy the most?