How To Get Makeup Out Of Your Clothes

If you’ve ever spilled nail polish on your jeans mid-manicure, or smudged your foundation on your shirt while getting ready, you know how frustrating it can be to stain your clothes with makeup. Don’t panic—we’ve all been there—and whatever you do, don’t rub. Instead, follow our tips on how to get makeup out of your clothes. While you can’t always prevent makeup mistakes from happening, your clothes don’t have to suffer the consequences. Here, we’re covering how to remove makeup from clothes, including some inventive beauty hacks you might not have heard of before.

How To Get Nail Polish Out Of Clothes 

Perhaps the trickiest beauty-related stain of all is nail polish. Since it’s formulated to dry quickly and last for as long as possible, getting a nail polish spill out of your clothes requires that you act immediately after the spill. Follow these steps to salvage your favorite ‘fits.

1. First, remove the excess wet polish from the stain. Do this with a paper towel, then place the stained fabric face down on top of another paper towel. 

2. Saturate a cotton ball or paper towel with some nail polish remover—preferably one that contains acetone. Keeping the fabric face down on the paper towel, blot the backside of the nail polish stain with your saturated cotton pad. This action should hopefully transfer the stain onto the paper towel and off of your clothing. 

3. Rinse out the stained area thoroughly with water and repeat the process again until the stain is gone. Then, toss it into the wash cycle on its own and it should be ready to wear after the washing and drying cycle is complete.

How To Get Foundation Out Of Clothes 

Face makeup stains are probably the most common, so good thing there’s an effective way to remove them. Next time you spill or smudge foundation on your favorite top, try spraying shaving cream directly onto the stain. Yes, shaving cream! Here are the easy steps. 

1. Spray any type of colorless foam shaving cream directly onto the stain and let it sit there for two to three minutes. 

2. After time is up, use your fingers to rub the shaving cream onto the stain, really working it in. 

3. Finally, simply rinse it out thoroughly and toss it in the wash as usual. 

How To Get Lipstick Out Of Clothes 

You’ve just spent time perfecting your makeup look, including swiping on your favorite lip color before it’s time to get dressed. As carefully as you attempt to put your shirt on, it ends up smudged with lipstick or lip gloss. Sound familiar? Make a mental note to apply your lipstick after getting dressed next time, but just in case you’ve found yourself with lipstick on your clothes, you can follow these tips to remove it ASAP.

1. First, remove any excess lipstick with a dull knife—this will help keep the stain from spreading and also make the following step more likely to be successful. 

2. Saturate a cotton round or a clean washcloth with some rubbing alcohol, and gently dab it onto the stain. Take caution not to rub it in, just blot gently up and down. 

3. After a bit of blotting, rinse the fabric thoroughly with cold water. If that doesn’t do the trick, your next move is to apply a fabric stain remover directly onto the stain, following the directions of whichever stain-removing product you choose. This usually means letting it sit on the fabric for at least five minutes, then rinsing it out thoroughly. If the stain still won’t budge, try the same method using diluted dish soap.

How To Get Mascara Out Of Clothes 

If you drop your mascara mid application causing it to smear on your clothing, all hope is not lost. Just like when you get mascara on your face, the best tactic to remove it from your clothes is to let it dry completely and then scrape it off with your finger or a spoolie. If this doesn’t work, follow the same list of steps that you would if you were trying to remove a lipstick stain. 

Next:  How To Fix Broken Eyeshadow And Other Makeup

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