What are the common misunderstandings about touching up make-up during the day?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
In Japan, touching up make-up in the lunch break is a widespread habit, and stations and offices have well-equipped powder rooms. In many other countries "the same make-up all day" is the norm, and visitors ask "why touch up at all?" and "doesn't it end up caked on?".
The steps
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Press away sebum and sweat with a tissue or blotting paper (あぶらとり紙, aburatori-gami) — do not rub | Layering over sebum gives patchiness and creasing |
| 2 | Where make-up has creased, smooth it lightly with a cotton bud or sponge carrying a little milky lotion (乳液, nyūeki) | The lotion dissolves the old foundation and blends it in |
| 3 | A moisturising mist on dry areas, or a thin film of milky lotion with a fingertip | Against afternoon dryness |
| 4 | A thin layer of powder foundation or face powder only where it has broken down | Do not layer over the whole face |
| 5 | Add colour back to eyes and lips | The areas that fade fastest |
| Time | About 5 minutes | Lunch break |
- Midday touch-ups took root in Japan because of an environment that breaks make-up down: hot, humid summers and mask-wearing.
- Hygiene of the sponges and puffs used for touch-ups (see the article on make-up brushes): left damp inside a pouch is the condition bacteria need to multiply. Many people carry disposable sponges and individually wrapped cotton buds.
- If you want the touch-up to double as re-applying SPF, one method is to use a face powder or spray with SPF over your make-up (see the article on SPF in foundation).
[Verify] The steps are based on the general guidance of cosmetics makers and the beauty industry.
Misunderstanding 1｜When it breaks down, put more foundation on top
Layering over sebum gives patchiness and a caked look. First remove the sebum, then smooth the creased areas, and finally add only in patches.
Misunderstanding 2｜Blotting paper should take off every trace of oil
Removing too much causes dryness, and the sebum comes back in the afternoon. Press the T-zone lightly and leave it there.
Misunderstanding 3｜Touching up takes a long time
It is a 5-minute routine. The point is not to redo the whole face, only the parts that have broken down.
Misunderstanding 4｜For a mist, just decant your toner into a spray bottle
Ordinary toner moved into a spray bottle grows bacteria easily, and the spray droplets are coarse, so over make-up it causes breakdown. Use a mist labelled as usable over make-up.
Misunderstanding 5｜Not touching up is better for the skin
Rather than whether you touch up or not, what matters for the skin is not leaving sebum sitting on it for hours. Just pressing it away is a form of care in itself.
---
Sources
- Japan Cosmetic Industry Association (JCIA), "Using cosmetics correctly" [化粧品の正しい使い方]
https://www.jcia.org/user/public/
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), "Revision of the scope of efficacy claims for cosmetics" [化粧品の効能の範囲の改正について] (Yakushoku-hatsu 0721 No. 1)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou-11120000-Iyakushokuhinkyoku/kesyouhin_hanni_20111.pdf
- Ministry of the Environment, "UV Environmental Health Manual 2020" [紫外線環境保健マニュアル2020] (re-application)
https://www.env.go.jp/chemi/uv/uv_manual.html
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Cosmetics are not medicines and are not meant to diagnose, heal or prevent any condition. If your skin reacts, stop using the product and see a dermatologist.
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