Our Guide to Avoiding 6 Common Beauty Mistakes [Updated 2021]

Look, none of us are perfect – even beauty professionals! All of us make mistakes from time to time when it comes to taking care of our skin, nails, and hair, or even in the way we apply our makeup. But consistent mistakes can have long-term consequences.

Here at Vogue College of Cosmetology, we encourage all of our students in the cosmetology and esthetics programs to learn the why behind beauty. During their education, students dive deep into the science and even the psychology behind beauty treatments. Then, they perfect their skills when it comes to providing services like hair styling, makeup application, and skin treatments to others!

So, let’s dive into some of the biggest beauty mistakes that we see people making all of the time – and the reason why you need to avoid them!

Falling Asleep with Makeup On

We all know that washing off our makeup at the end of the day is crucial for taking good care of our skin. Come on though, let’s be real — there are some late nights when you just don’t have the energy to walk to the sink and wash your face.

We can relate. But the fact of the matter is, it’s just not good for your skin. Here are just a few things that can happen to your skin if you sleep in your makeup consistently:

• Breakouts and clogged pores
• Premature aging
• Collagen breakdown
• Dry skin
• Eye and skin irritation

During esthetician school, our students learn the importance of utilizing various products and ingredients to clean the skin thoroughly. But what about those late nights when you just don’t have the time or energy to complete a full skin routine?

One quick tip here is to use micellar water to wipe away your makeup. This is a mild surfactant, which means that the molecules attract both water and oil. When you wipe this across your skin, it sucks up both the oil-based and water-based products – like foundation, mascara, and eye shadow!

While it’s certainly not a replacement for a deep clean with a good facial cleanser, it works in a pinch.

Popping Pimples

It’s very tempting to pop those pesky whiteheads or blackheads that pop up. But popping a pimple can lead to more breakouts, making your acne way worse! When you pop a pimple, the infected pus is released. If you don’t clean it up thoroughly, bacteria can spread into other pores. Plus, it can lead to scarring or hyperpigmentation on the skin!

Now, there is a right way to pop pimples, which is called an extraction. Estheticians learn how to use sanitized tools so that they can extract clogged pores on their clients without damaging the skin.

Instead of treating the aftermath of popped pimples, the best approach is to take care of your skin daily. This includes washing your face, using acne-treating skincare products, and avoiding touching your face with dirty hands. You can also look into getting facials and other treatments through our student salon!

Biting Your Nails

Biting your nails is typically a nervous habit that can be hard to break. But why is it so bad for you? Well, it can create small cuts around your nail beds and cuticles, leaving this area vulnerable to infections. There’s even scientific evidence that nail-biting can cause long-term damage to your fingers!

The key tip here is to keep your hands as clean as possible. The students in our nail technology program learn the importance of disease and infection prevention, especially when dealing with damaged nails.

Another tip is to paint your nails, especially with hard polish. This will make it more difficult for you to bite your nails – plus, you won’t want to ruin your beautiful manicure!

Abusing Your Cuticles

The cuticle is a small strip of skin at the base of your fingernails and toenails. It essentially seals the space between your nail and the skin to prevent bacteria from getting in.

Cutting or shaving down your cuticles on your own is a really bad idea. Cutting them too close to the skin can cause some seriously painful infections. If you’re not a licensed nail technician, it’s easy to get carried away.

The best approach is to only have your cuticles cut by a professional in a sterile environment, like a nail salon. If you need to do them on your own, then simply use a cleaned cuticle tool to push them back rather than cut. Then, coat the base of your nails with some Vitamin E to keep them soft and clean.

Using and Sharing Old Expired Makeup

Most of us are pretty good at keeping track of the expiration date on the food in our fridge, but we ignore it when it comes to makeup. Most of the products used in makeup expire 6 months to one year after they are opened. Not only will your makeup not perform as well after this length of time, but it can also be teeming with bacteria!

Bacteria in old makeup can cause skin issues, such as acne, dryness, or irritation. A scientific study even linked using expired products to serious eye infections.

On that same note, sharing makeup can also cause bacteria to grow. Sharing an eye pencil is the perfect way to spread around infections like conjunctivitis, a.k.a. “pink eye.” This is why professional makeup artists always carry disposable applicators and thoroughly clean their brushes in-between clients.

Make sure that you note the expiration dates on all of the makeup and skincare products you use. They are usually labeled on the bottom of the bottle. You can also add a little sticker with the date you opened it to remind you!

Heat-Styling Your Hair Too Often

There’s no doubt that heat-styled hair is always fashionable, whether it’s a bouncy blowout, pin straightened, or tightly curled. Using heated tools like your hair dryer or straightener from time to time is perfectly fine. But using them every single day can cause your hair to dry out and break.

You really should give your hair a rest and go au natural at least two days a week. But if you can’t break the bad habit of blow-drying daily, make sure that you’re protecting it as much as you can.

Start by adding a heat protectant to your locks, and make sure that you are using the lowest heat setting possible. You may also want to use a deep conditioning treatment once a week to revive your hair with those essential nutrients. And finally, keep up with routine trims to make sure your hair is growing nice and strong!

Ready To Learn Healthy Beauty Habits?

Do you have a keen interest in all things beauty? Do you want to learn the how and why behind these beauty mistakes? Are you interested in helping others look and feel their best?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, a career in the beauty industry could be a perfect fit for you! Discover more about the esthetics and cosmetology programs at Vogue College of Cosmetology today by contacting our team. We’d love to help you find which program is the best fit and help you schedule a tour of one of our campuses in Texas or New Mexico!