As women, most of us live our lives following beauty rituals without giving a second thought to how to care for the products we use to achieve a certain look. But if you’re not careful with the items you use or even with the individuals who treat you for certain relaxing services, you could be putting yourself at risk for injuries and infections. Here are 12 tried and true beauty warnings every woman should take to heart.
12 Beauty Warnings Every Woman Should Heed
- Always wear sunscreen – Regardless of the season, apply sunscreen under or within your makeup (many foundations offer SPF 15 already built in) to avoid skin damage, fine lines and wrinkles earlier than they need to appear, and to reduce the potential of causing skin cancer.
- Moisturize – Whether you have dry, normal, or oily skin, moisturizer should still be a part of your skincare essentials. Choose the right formula based on your skin type and use it twice a day, whether you wear makeup or go with a bare face for healthy, supple, younger-looking skin.
- Never go to bed with makeup on – Whether you choose to wash your face or take off the day’s makeup with a wipe, be sure to get it all off before going to bed to avoid clogging your pores and causing breakouts.
- Replace your mascara often – In the best case scenario, avoid clumpy lashes. In the worst case scenario, avoid an eye infection. Replace your mascara as soon as you notice clumping or flaking of the product, usually within 2 to 4 months.
- Never share lipstick – Sharing lipstick or lip gloss may seem harmless, but an open sore, cut or broken skin on or near your lips can run the risk of transferring infections you may not have known were there.
- Never share eyeliner – Eyeliner is a very personal thing, considering it goes so near your tear ducts and waterline. Avoid spreading or contracting an eye infection by using only your own personal liner.
- Never share compacts – Sharing powder, bronzer, or blush compacts and brushes can easily spread bacteria that can cause blemishes because the oils from your face can easily get trapped in the sponge and be transferred from one to the other.
- Clean your makeup brushes regularly – Change out your sponges and clean your makeup brushes regularly to avoid contaminating and clogging your pores. Warm water and gentle soap usually works with most brushes.
- Manicure safety – Trusting the delicate skin around your nails to a professional also means making sure they are licensed and that their tools are disinfected before and after your appointment. Watch to make sure their instruments are pristine – any bacteria can easily cause an infection if a cut occurs. To be completely safe, bring along your own set of personal manicure and pedicure tools.
- Always go to an officially licensed esthetician – Be careful who you trust your face and skin to. Whether it’s for hair removal, facials, manicures, or treatments, make sure the individual working on you has been properly trained and knows the healthiest way to treat you by viewing their certification, which is usually framed and hung in an easily visible location near their work station.
- Never trust your brows to just anyone – Regularly tweezing and waxing weaken the hair follicle and eventually deplete it, making it difficult to re-grow over-plucked brows. Before you go have your brows shaped, make sure you know who your professional is and that you like the way they work. Once you’ve found an expert, stick with them. Otherwise, you may end up shading in holes and arches very often. (If you’ve already found yourself in this predicament, check out this brow shading kit from Motives Cosmetics or try promoting faster hair growth with Fixx Lash Extend, which works on brows, too.)
- Always eat well & hydrate – Good skin starts from the inside, with what you put into your body. Healthy eating habits are key to radiant, beautiful skin. And on a very basic level, hydration is essential. If your skin isn’t well hydrated, your makeup will not stay on because your skin will seek hydration wherever it can get it, meaning it will take moisture from the products on your face, making you look washed out. Drink plenty of water, particularly before putting on your favorite blush, foundation, or concealer.
What are some beauty rules you live by? What are some of your no-no’s?
