7 Beauty Sins

We all have our bad habits when it comes to our beauty regimes. This is true of everybody I can think of, including myself. However, we now find ourselves in 2013; it’s a brand spanking new year, and let’s face it, you owe it to yourself to exorcise some of the demons lurking at the bottom of your makeup bag. To give you a head start, here are my personal seven deadly beauty sins:

1)      Not washing your make-up brushes

This can seem like the very last thing on a long list of priorities you have, but a LOT of bacteria can build up and fester on a brush.  This can cause spots and blocked pores, and also ruin brushes you may have spent a lot of money on. It’s so easy to clean them once a week, just run a bowl of warm-ish water with shampoo in, swirl ‘em around and dry them overnight on loo roll. Done.

2)      Not knowing your skin type

Get to know your skin type. Whether you have oily, combination, dry or mature skin, get to know your skin’s needs and wants, and get to know what ingredients you like on your skin. This can make all the difference when you get round to choosing your skincare, trust me. No more wondering aimlessly round Boots looking desperately for a moisturiser, you will save time and money if you already have some idea what you need. It will also give you a better chance of getting the perfect product – nobody knows what your skin likes and needs skin better than you do.

3)      Not reading the ingredients

Most people think about what they put in their body, but who really pays attention to what goes on their face? By reading the actual ingredients of your product you can wise up about the content. Does it contain mineral oils or parabens? Does it contain alcohol or perfume? If the product advertises the benefits of plant or fruit oils, how much do they actually feature in the formula? By comparing the ingredients you can tell more about the quality of the product, especially if you can’t test it then and there in the shop.

4)      Using Vaseline (and any other petroleum or paraffin based products)

Sorry, this one is personal. Vaseline is made of petroleum. This is bad for the environment and has no beneficial effects for your skin. It may act as an emollient and stop your skin feeling dry but it does not moisturise at all, it just sits there. That’s why you have to reapply it a million times a day.

5)      Not taking your makeup off

Seems obvious, but you’d be surprised. This is the quickest way to blemishes and blocked pores. Use a cleanser, use oil, if you absolutely must use a face wipe, even use soap and water if that’s your bag, just take it off.

6)      Not wearing an SPF

Even in the winter, your skin is exposed to the rays of the sun, and harmful UVA rays can travel through walls and glass at anytime of year. 90% of environmental aging is caused by the sun. Luckily now, it’s fairly easy to get your hands on a moisturiser, foundation, BB cream etc with SPF and UVA/UVB protection, or even use a cheap sunblock over your day moisturiser. There, you have no excuse.

7)      Not using an eye cream

‘Pffffft, eye cream! Who cares!’ I hear you say. Fact is that the skin on and around your eyes is super thin and very delicate, therefore your eyes are more prone to showing signs of aging as the skin is easier to damage. Applying and removing eye makeup, putting in your lenses, rubbing, itching, and scratching your eyes is something we all do on a daily basis; and all of the above contribute to damaging the skin. Give your peepers a little extra help at night, no matter what age you are (I’ve used it since I was 19) and slow down signs of aging, prevent puffiness and banish dark circles