Makeup stain gets harder to shift the longer it sits. Dissolve the oil base first — cleansing oil or dishwashing liquid.
Foundation and lipstick are oil-based, so water alone does nothing. Treat them the way you would on skin: dissolve the oil with cleansing oil or dish soap, then wash the residue out with detergent. On a collar, dab rather than rub — rubbing pushes the pigment between the fibres.
Method by fabric
Cotton and blends
What you need
- Cleansing oil or dishwashing liquid
- Cotton swab
- Laundry detergent
Steps
- 1Dab cleansing oil onto the stain with a cotton swab.
- 2Leave five minutes to dissolve the base.
- 3Apply dishwashing liquid to wash the oil away.
- 4Rinse lukewarm and machine wash.
- 5Repeat before drying if anything remains.
White cotton
What you need
- Cleansing oil
- Dishwashing liquid
- Oxygen bleach
Steps
- 1Dissolve the oil with cleansing oil.
- 2Wash it away with dishwashing liquid.
- 3Soak an hour in lukewarm oxygen bleach solution.
- 4Wash, check, then dry.
Silk and wool
What you need
- Dry cloth
- Cornstarch
Steps
- 1Lift what sits on the surface with a dry cloth.
- 2Cover with cornstarch for an hour to draw the oil out.
- 3Brush off, and take anything remaining to a cleaner.
Caution
Cleansing oil can spread into a wider mark on silk.
Never do this
- Rubbing — it forces pigment into the weave
- Starting with water — the oil sets and gets harder to shift
- Tumble drying before it is gone