Beauty isn’t just skin-deep: the way you feel about your appearance impacts your self-esteem, and it also determines how you’re seen by others. A dewy complexion, sparkling white teeth, and carefully applied makeup can turn you into a bombshell that others are drawn to, allowing them to see all the wonderful qualities that are only amplified by your fresh skin and bright smile.
On your own beauty journey, you’ve likely learned about some of the mortal sins of beauty, such as sleeping in your makeup and constantly touching your face with your hands, but there are numerous other ways you may be sabotaging your gorgeous visage without even realizing it. Avoid these major facial faux pas to ensure you have stunning skin all year round.
Constantly Drinking From a Straw
Many people can’t live without their morning iced latte picked up from a local cafe, but you might not realize that sipping on a straw all day long can only accentuate the frown lines you’re trying so hard to avoid. Repeated pursing of the lips deepens wrinkles around the side of the mouth, and it can contribute to signs of early aging. You may think an anti-wrinkle straw will help, but most dermatologists agree that they’re not really worth the trouble; instead, use straws when drinking very acidic liquids to avoid damage to your teeth, but drink water from a glass instead.
Switching Products Frequently
Even people with very resilient skin should avoid switching products constantly, as it won’t give you time to see the full benefit of the treatment. Worse, repeatedly changing up your products can lead to irritation because your skin will need time to adjust to the varying levels of ingredients in the product; for example, if you suddenly use a product that dries your skin out, it may overproduce sebum, leading to oily skin.
You might also accidentally mix products, like glycolic acid and retinol, that don’t work well together, leading to peeling or breakouts. Don’t change your main skincare routine for at least three to four months, only switching if you feel you’re not getting any further benefit from the current regimen.
Overcorrecting Acne
When you see a spot, it’s natural to want it to go away immediately, but you mustn’t bomb your skin with a million different products. Most acne treatments have salicylic acid and astringents meant to kill bacteria and dry out your skin’s natural oils, which are the acne-causing microorganism’s food source. Using too much of this will dehydrate and inflame the skin; your skin will then produce more sebum to remoisturize, which will then lead to further breakouts.
Even though acne is annoying and unsightly, be careful with how much product you use, and never use more than one treatment that has salicylic acid. If you’re past puberty but are constantly having breakouts, particularly ones that are very deep or painful, they may be hormonal; speak to a trusted dermatologist about oral medications that can balance your hormones and reduce breakouts.
Applying Makeup With Dirty Tools
Your makeup applicators, like your brushes and sponges, need to be cleared regularly, as they breed bacteria that you’re then applying to your face. This is true even of makeup brushes that are only used to apply powder: your face has a variety of different bacteria on it, and this will easily transfer over to your tools, where it will feast on the small nutrients in the powder and any moisture from the air. This can lead to breakouts and even eye infections if you’re not careful, so make it a habit to thoroughly clean your brushes at least once a week, if not more often.
Using Too Much Moisturizer
It’s very tempting to simply drench your face in moisturizer, especially during the cold winter months when everything feels so dry. However, this can do more harm than good: heavy use of moisturizer clogs your pores and leads to breakouts. Your skin will absorb as much of the moisturizer as necessary, while the rest will simply sit on top of the skin’s surface; this can attract bacteria, which can easily infiltrate the skin and inflame the sebaceous glands.
Use a pea-sized amount of a light moisturizer and thoroughly rub it into the skin. Let it absorb, and if you still feel you need more, add another pea-sized amount to your face. As with most beauty products, less is more with moisturizer.
Not Using Facial Oil
Face oil is an unsung hero amongst beauty products, and many women don’t even realize the many benefits of a good facial oil. It moisturizes the skin, and it can also reduce the visible appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, helping you look fresh-faced and gorgeous all day. Its light ingredients can deeply penetrate the skin to keep you feeling radiant, all the while providing much-needed hydration to help maintain your natural beauty.
You only need a tiny amount of face oil to get the maximum benefit, which makes it incredibly cost-effective. Use a few drops after washing your face in the morning, then apply a thin layer of moisturizer atop in order to ensure perfectly soft skin.
These habits are quite easy to break once you know what to do, so take a conscious assessment of your everyday beauty habits and work to banish all these errors. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself with a flawless facial routine that will keep you fresh and gorgeous no matter what!
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