AH, THE GYM. A place where women can exercise, sweat and look like ripe tomatoes without fear of being judged or, worse, tagged in a Facebook photo.

For years, women scoffed at the notion of wearing makeup to the gym. “Sure, what would you be doing that for? Who’s going to be looking at you?”

Plus wearing heavy makeup while you sweat it out is notoriously bad for your skin. It blocks your pores and congests your skin.

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But now cosmetics companies are desperately trying to make “athleisure makeup” a thing.

What is athleisure makeup, you ask? It’s minimalist makeup specifically formulated to be worn to the gym.

Eager to capitalise on the athleisure trend — stylish, inordinately expensive pairs of leggings and the like — cosmetics companies like Birchbox, Tarte, Sweat Cosmetics and First Aid Beauty have launched athleisure makeup products over the past few months.

For instance, Birchbox launched a cosmetics line called Arrow last year, which describes itself as “specialising in lightweight, long-wearing makeup and refreshing skincare” for gals living that “on-the-go, active life”.

The line includes products like waterproof eyeliner, cheek tints, skin tints and water-resistant mascara. In other words, it’s not so much a full of face of slap as it is a glowy, barely there look.

As you can see, the packaging includes fitness buzzwords like “boost,” “protect” and “revive”.

Tarte Cosmetics also hopped on the athleisure bandwagon by releasing a mini-bag of “athleisure essentials” that includes sweatproof mascara, moisturiser, eye makeup remover wipes and lip balm.

Meanwhile, Sweat Cosmetics is a line dedicated to “active women”. It has dozens of products including a $150 full face kit that promises to take you from “workout to work week”. The kit includes foundation, powder, illuminator, bronzer and towelettes.

The line, which was founded by a group of former female athletes including two-time Olympic gold medallist Lindsay Tarplay, counts a number of elite female athletes among its ambassadors.

Closer to home, Penneys have launched a sweat-proof makeup line called, appropriately enough, No Sweat. Products include a mattifying pressed powder, waterproof mascara and liquid lipstick.

Side-note: imagine what your Dad would say if he heard you were buying makeup for the gym. Lots of tutting and “Well, I’ve heard it all now.”
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‘Sweatproof’ makeup is the logical next step for beauty brands. After all, we live in an age in which no visit to the gym is complete without taking a mirror selfie. It stands to reason that some people will happily invest in such products.

But is there really anything different or innovative about athleisure makeup? Or is it just regular old makeup repackaged to appeal to the #fitfam?

Fast Company notes that makeup has always existed for those seeking to wear something to the gym. Brands just didn’t market them that way.

This isn’t to say that prior to the athleisure craze, products best suited for workouts weren’t available. They were. They just didn’t have the cute sporty logos or market themselves as such. Instead they called themselves “oil-free” or “mineral-based,” or “best for sensitive skin.”

Racked, meanwhile, points out that there are tons of existing products that are suitable for workouts and goes so far as to call the trend “total bullshit”.

So do we need these collections? No way. Will more brands offer them? Yes, of course, because gym culture is huge. But if you’re looking for gym options, you don’t need athleisure-specific marketing that whacks you in the face.

In short? Nobody should feel pressured into wearing makeup to the gym at all. In fact, it’s probably best for your skin that you don’t.

But if you don’t fancy going completely barefaced, you probably don’t need buy gym-specific bronzer emblazoned with words like ‘GLOW,’ ‘SWEAT’ and ‘REJUVENATE’.

Chances are there’s some lightweight makeup out there that’ll do the job just fine.

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