After a long day, the last thing you want to deal with is removing lipstick from your sleeve or foundation from your collar. These stains can be tough to tackle, and often require an internet search for makeup stain removal directions. Instead of scrolling for solutions, be prepared with these easy steps to removing makeup stains with items you have on hand.

Fighting Foundation Stains

Liquid foundation stains cling to clothes like it does skin. On those mornings when you wake and realize your makeup remover didn’t do its full duty, follow these steps to free your fabrics of foundation.

  • Take a damp cloth and wipe to remove excess makeup. 
  • Apply shaving gel to the stain and massage into the fabric. 
  • After the gel is thoroughly worked in, rinse with warm water until all shaving gel is gone. 
  • If the stain is still visible after rinsing, repeat until it is removed.

See this process in our step by step video tutorial.

Loosening Lipstick Stains

Oil-based lipsticks can be one of the toughest stains to remove. To start: Do not rub the stain! This will only deepen it in the fabric. Instead, try these steps to kiss that stain goodbye.

  • Put the stained fabric on a folded paper towel; stain facing down. 
  • Generously apply dish soap to the back of the stain and let sit for 10 minutes. 
  • With another folded paper towel, apply pressure to the dish soap so excess lipstick is forced from the shirt. 
  • Repeat this step, replacing paper towels each time until the stain stops transferring to the bottom paper towel.
  • Rinse the stain until it is gone and wash your clothing as usual.

View our step by step video tutorial for more detail.

Masking Mascara Stains

Mornings are hectic and dropping your mascara brush on your shirt doesn’t make things any easier. Like lipstick, mascara has a waxy component that can make these stains difficult to remove. Luckily, all you need to remove this stain is some dish soap and a little elbow grease. 

  • First, cover the stain in dish soap and let sit for 10 minutes. 
  • Under warm water, rub the dish soap into the stain to remove as much as possible. 
  • Treat the stain with a spot treatment, then wash as usual. 
  • Before putting the clothing in the dryer, check to be sure the stain is gone. If the stain is still visible, repeat the previous steps and avoid drying until the stain is removed, as drying will cause the stain to set.

There’s never a convenient time to deal with a stain but gone are the days of searching how to remove makeup stains from clothes. With these tips in your back pocket, you’ll be able to face them before they set in.