If you are taking the time to do get ready, it’s worth it for you to make sure you are doing the steps correctly. It’s so easy to mess up steps in your routine that you might not even realize. Here are some common missteps in beauty routines.
You aren’t taking the time to clean your brushes/blenders/tools. It is so so so so important (I honestly can’t emphasize this enough) to clean your beauty tools. For years I was one of those people who would just occasionally think about it but it was maybe twice a year that I thought about it. Cleaning your brushes has two main benefits. The first is riding any excess makeup from your brushes or tools. Makeup build up can effect the performance of the brush as well as possibly change the color you are trying the apply. The second is it is simply cleaning the bacteria from the tools. My skin has dramatically improved since I started cleaning my brushes regularly. We all know that bacteria is not the greatest thing when you have problem skin, yet we use the same tools to apply makeup every day. That means we pick up that bacteria on those brushes daily. While the true answer on how often you should wash your brushes is every day, most people don’t have time for that. I know I sure don’t. So what is recommended is using a spray daily if you can, and deep clean once a week. Elf makes a great daily spray as does Sephora (I’m a big fan of this one simply for the citrus scent). To deep clean there are a few approaches. The easiest is simply using a face bar to clean. Another popular method is baby shampoo. I like using Cinema Secrets simply because it’s quick drying and it’s 99.99% antimicrobial disinfectant.
While we are on the subject of bacteria just chilling on your face, let’s talk about not washing your pillow case often enough. In general your sheets need to be washed often, especially your pillow case. Unless you are sleeping, um, let’s just say au natural, your pillowcase gets the most one-on-one time with your skin. You want to be washing those sheets to keep any bacteria build up off of your face. Keep in mind, you are also transferring bacteria, hairspray, or any other hair product to your pillow case at night. I know it’s nasty, so I’ll pause a minute while you run to start a whole new load of laundry.
Speaking of sleeping, how often do you fall asleep in your makeup? I get it, sometimes you can’t help it. I’m guilty of this as well, but it should always be a priority to take off your makeup at the end of the day. This one should just make sense (and I don’t want to talk about bacteria anymore because, well, ew). Just remember that your skin wants a breather, your pores want a breather, and it’s getting rid of any nasty build up from the day. ** Disclaimer, no one should ever wash their face like this girl in the picture, or in commercials. It leads to one wet, messy bathroom. **
If you brush your hair while it’s wet, I’m begging you to stop. Hair is extremely fragile, and it’s worse when it’s wet. If you brush instead of comb while it’s still wet, you are actually pulling and stretching out your hair. This will lead to weakened hair, and no one ever wants that. Instead of brushing, use a wide tooth comb or pick. Your hair will thank you.
Not washing your hair because you slept in? That was me today so no judgement ever. Dry shampoo was probably the best thing that has ever come around for us, but there’s a good chance you’re not using it correctly. Most people spray dry shampoo too close to their head. If you hold the bottle 6-8 inches from your head when you spray, you are allowing the shampoo to “mist” as opposed to spraying directly to your hair. This helps get rid of the over powdered look, but you end up getting better distribution and a cleaner look.
When was the last time you check the expiration date on your makeup? If you are using expired products, you are yet again opening the door to the dreaded bacteria. So periodically check those expiration dates. Sometimes that is on the packaging so write it on the product if you have to. The number in that little container is how many months your products are good for once they are opened.
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