Time to ‘fess up! What beauty blunder are you guilty of? We gathered the team and got them to confess their bad beauty crimes growing up (and ones they’re doing to this day!).
Not removing makeup before bedtime. Skipping sunscreen. Going overboard with the blush. Haven’t we all been there? It’s time to put a stop to these crimes on your skin and appearance. If you can relate, this guide is for you. We got the team to admit to their baddest beauty days, and how to fix them…
Not moisturising regularly…
“I get bored of the legit skincare routine after awhile and simply go back to just washing my face with a deep cleanser. I also tend to forget to moisturise (I have both dry and oily skin), which can cause peeling.”
– Camelia Khalid, Lifestyle Writer
Do this instead: The keyword with skincare is ‘regular’. If you’re in your mid-twenties like Cam, there’s no better time to kickstart a routine – and that means not skipping moisturiser. If you find yourself forgetting to moisturise, switch to a rich face wash with ingredients like shea butter and glycerin to get your skin’s hydration needs covered for the day.
…and not keeping a consistent skincare routine
“Lazy is the name of my skincare game and my wrinkly 42-year-old face is now paying the price. I wash my face in soap and water, and I started using moisturiser WAY too late in the day. I also keep changing my skincare products (basically for the ones on offer!) so that probably doesn’t help either.”
– Tracy, Lifestyle Writer
Do this instead: Consistency is key when it comes to skincare routines. Approach it the way you would a diet – results will only be visible if you stick to a set routine. The recommended timeline is 30 to 45 days for real results to start showing. More tips for women in their forties: your skincare focus should be on protecting and repairing your skin from past damage. Get yourself a heavy-duty serum with plumping and hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid (to replace the loss of moisture-trapping molecules), as well as wrinkle-fighting retinol. Don’t skimp on the rich moisturisers either and be religious with weekly boosts of masks and exfoliation.
Not using proper anti-acne products
“I was a struggling teenager with plenty of breakouts – probably enough to spread it on a piece of bread if I squeeze them all. I confided in my mom and she suggested that I use Vagisil’s feminine wash as an alternative for face wash. “There’s something in that product that helps with acne,” she said. So I did. For a year! Did it work? Nope. Is it a crime? Yes.”
– Hubab Hood, Video Producer
“When I was a teenager I used to put toothpaste on my pimples to “dry them out”. It was something I read in a crappy magazine to help “get rid of pimples overnight”. Yup, it dried out my pimple and also burned my skin. I’m glad print is dying.”
– Delfina Utomo, Lifestyle Writer
Do this instead: We’ve all done some pretty crazy things when it comes to fighting acne. To deal with breakouts, your best bet is a targeted acne solution, including acne patches, spot treatment creams and tea tree oil. Check out more recommendations in our anti-acne guide.
Popping your pimples
“I was a stressed 16 year old going through ‘O’ Levels and puberty (what’s worse?). I downed a can of red bull every night doing those damned Ten-year series and only had five hours of sleep. My teacher convinced me that sleeping for five hours gives you the same amount of energy as sleeping for nine, so why not spend the extra four hours studying? My grades improved (at least) but my skin suffered. Had many breakouts and my frustration led me to pop them pimples like nobody’s business. So… If anyone knows how to get rid of acne scars hit me up.”
– Darissa Lee, Photographer
Not using hand cream
“I’ve actually amassed a number of hand creams over the years, but it’s the one thing I’m guilty of not using as often as I should, ‘cause I don’t like feeling like there’s ‘stuff’ on my hands. It’s a grave mistake, I know as they’re one of the first places to show signs of ageing.”
– Nafeesa Saini, Beauty Writer
Do this instead: If you don’t like the feeling of residue on your hands, look for ones with a lotion-like texture, or ones which dry matte. Leave it on your desk as a physical reminder to moisturise, or put it by your bedside to incorporate it into your regular bedtime routine.
Overplucking eyebrows
“When thin eyebrows were all the rage in the ‘00s (think: Dirrty, Christina Aguilera), I became a little over-enthusiastic with tweezing and took out half of my eyebrows. Thankfully they grew out, but I had to draw my eyebrows before going to school every morning – a blow to my fragile teenage ego.”
– Chelsia Tan, Creative Services Editor
“I plucked my eyebrows FROM THE TOP and ended up with em dashes on my face.”
– Selina Altomonte, Editor
Do this instead: We give thanks to the beauty Gods everyday for making thicker brows a thing. Only pick up the tweezers if you’re intent on removing stray hairs. Otherwise, leave it to the professionals and get them threaded, waxed or embroidered for fleeky eyebrows at these top spots.
Not removing makeup (and sunscreen!) thoroughly
“My mom gave me my first bottle of BB cream when I was a teen, and I didn’t realise that it’s actually makeup and you have to wash it off every night. Yup, dumb teenage me wore BB cream to sleep EVERYDAY, and that caused eruptions of acne for a few months until I discovered makeup remover.”
– Venessa Thor, Creative Services Writer
“I don’t want to tell you how many crimes I’ve committed. Now? I still sometimes fall asleep with my make-up on. Confessing that to Honeycombers’ resident beauty guru, Nafeesa, made her visibly shudder.”
– Selina Altomonte, Editor
Do this instead: You’d be surprised how often people sleep with their makeup on. We’d rate this as a top beauty crime: sleeping with makeup on means sleeping with the day’s grime, bacteria and pollution, leading to clogged pores, zits and skin irritation. And if you’ve only got sunscreen on for the day, it needs to be removed too. Double cleanse by taking your makeup and sunscreen off with a remover, before cleansing skin.
Not applying sunscreen
“My number one beauty crime of all time was not wearing sunscreen when I was young. Sure, when I was a kid (ie. many decades ago) parents didn’t really know that they should be making their kids wear sunscreen, hats with brims and neck-to-ankle-to-wrist swimsuits in the hot tropical sun. Needless to say, when I was a kid I ran around butt naked and baked to the colour of coffee. When I was a teen, being as tan as possible was also a thing. Think using olive oil to literally ‘roast’ yourself brown! Now I’m suffering the aftereffects of all that sun. We now know that too much sun not only ages your skin, you are also more likely to suffer from skin cancer. I’ve had to laser off sun spots and fine lines well before I should … I’ve learnt my lesson; it’s much harder to repair sun damage than it is to protect from in the first place.”
– Niki Bruce, Editorial Director
Do this instead: Take a leaf out of our Editorial Director’s book. “ I get skin checks annually (my father had so many surface skin cancers cut and frozen out of his head, face and shoulders he looked like he’d been pixellated) and am religious about sunscreen with SPF 50+ with UVB and UVA protection. Now, I wear a hat of some sort if I know I’m going to be out in the sun for any length of time and cover up my arms and shoulders as well as the back of my neck when I can.