I used to be really bad about gnawing on my nails (maybe 8-10 years ago), and I know it took awhile to stop. I still catch myself here and there when I’m stressed, but luckily once I catch myself, I stop and it’s not hard.
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Blowing on my brushes to remove excess powder.
It was a habit that took a very long time for me to break, but now, it’s a no-brainer. I tap my brushes all the time. The tapping is such a programmed habit that I even tap my toothbrush. Hahaha!
Hahaha!
I do the same thing!
Tap my toothbrush against the edge of the sink before sticking it in my mouth!
I thought I was the only crazy one that did that!
Oh, I have a few! If I have peely skin or a zit or two, I have a truly BAD habit of, how can I say it so it doesn’t sound gross, picking, peeling, popping. Yeah, I know. At 57, I should know *much* better! And I also have a nervous habit of chewing off the calloused skin on each side of my nail. Just lots of nervous habits that I wish I could quit doing, mainly because it just looks all kinds of wrong!
(Been known to tweeze white eyebrow hairs out, too, then heard that’s a really bad idea!)
seriously? I have a really ugly looooong white sucker in the middle of my left brow and I pull it out and think ‘take dat biotch’ while yanking it out. teehee
It’s weird how it’s mostly my left brow that has several that literally spring up like daisies, I swear! And having really dark eyebrow hairs makes it impossible to ignore, so I do just like you put it!
I’m the exact same way. At 41, I still regularly get zits, and I just can’t stop myself!!! But honestly, if I don’t , um take care of them, I swear they do not go away!! I also gnaw and pick at my nails & skin, and I have callouses on my knuckles from chewing on them as a substitute (which does help, but I don’t think it’s really any better of a habit).
I haven’t gotten white eyebrow hairs yet, but I’m sure they’re on their way, since I’ve got a major skunk stripe & grey temples, but I do pluck out the crazy grandpa hairs I get, which I swear are like an inch long!! Ugh. I know it so bad. And I hate the callouses and scars, but most of the time, I don’t even realize I’m doing it.
Yep, I feel like they take forever to go away “unaided”, so I give them a little push out of my face! LoL! But then I also cannot stand how irregular skin feels or looks, so I subconsciously will go at it, although I try to never do so in public, because in AZ….people may mistake me for a tweaker! ?
Touching. My. Face. It’s the worst… why spend a fortune on skincare if you are just going to spread bacteria all over your face? It’s so hard to break, I catch myself touching my face all of the time.
Ugh, this is a big one for me, too! I know I should not do it because it’s bad for bacteria spreading, and also just wears my makeup off really fast (I’m a bad eye-toucher, too), but it’s practically subconscious so it’s a hard habit for me to break.
Same here!!!!! I tend to rest my head on my left hand so I’m touching mi chin and left cheek constantly. My skin is seriously worst in that area. But I can’t avoid it because half of the time i don’t realise I’m doing it.
Buying too much makeup! Although for 2016, I’ve been pretty good at restraining myself, mostly buying only colors unique to my stash or HG LE items
Same here. I’ve slowed down on my spending and have been much more selective this year.
Katherine T. and Pearl I feel the same way too. I don’t know what overcomes me when I am shopping online or in stores. I reach for makeup and can’t restrain myself from buying it. Then I go on a guilt trip, that is until I wear the makeup I just bought. LOL. Maybe they will have a makeup rehab we could all join??? But really in all honesty, I LOVE makeup.
Same here, I used to bite my nails, badly! But that was more than ten years ago. Now I’m pretty good at leaving them alone 🙂 I also used to sleep in my make-up as a teenager… Glad I finally broke that bad habit. Now I quite enjoy my nightly cleansing routine.
I have a severe general anxiety disorder and an OCD nail-biting habit to go with it. I keep acrylic nails on; problem solved. My natural nails have never been in better shape.
My worst habit was failing asleep in my makeup, but I rarely do that any more. Some days it’s hard, because I’ll be so tired some days. The longer I make sure I do it, the easier it gets to remember, though.
Ugh. I tried the acrylic nail thing, hoping it would help, but instead, I just obsessively picked them off. After I took my pinky nail off once with one, I decided that wasn’t gonna work for me, haha!! But I’ve also gotten better about washing my face at night!! So progress, I guess? I do have to seriously yell at myself some nights, though (not out loud, at least).
Apart from biting my nails and cuticles now and then, I still find difficult to clean my brushes more often!
Falling asleep with my makeup on. I have a “window” of time before bed that I have to do it, otherwise I’m too lazy or sleepy. For that reason I tend to go pretty light on foundation if I’m going out at night. More than two drinks and I’m asleep before I even get home.
This is embarrassing as almost 60, but I still have trouble getting my makeup off my face on evenings when I’m dead tired. If I use a wipe, I have to wash off the wipe residue, because my skin’s so sensitive, so that doesn’t really help. While I’m in school, I’m going to try a routine of jumping in the shower as soon as I get home, before I relax, and getting my makeup off that way. I like to go for walks on summer evenings, though, and that would mean putting sunscreen back on my face — it’s tough! I try not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good — even if I don’t use all my nighttime serums and boosters, if I just get the makeup off and a basic moisturizer on, that’s good enough! It helps if I skip tightlining and use blinc mascara on minimal makeup days, since that washes off with water and I don’t have to bother with waterproof makeup remover. All mascaras (even waterproof mascaras) that aren’t tubing mascaras smudge on me, I need a really strong waterproof topcoat to prevent it, and that makes my eye makeup really tough to remove.
Yay in school. Must be pure learning. We don’t always profit from obtaining advanced degrees as we age: often, it’s enough to keep our jobs, when they want to save money and gain billable hours by replacing us with three new grads! I don’t always get m/u off either, as I have to work 4 nights, get home @ 11P, and sometimes have to do day job on the following day….and my birth president was Truman! Not that I recall him….Ike and Hail to the Chief. Have you found any tubing that beats Blinc? I think they’ve gone downhill over the past, what is it, 15?
KJH, I’m going to a 10-week program in skin care, to sit for the exam for a Pennsylvania esthetician’s license; then I plan to take a short course in makeup, and pursue a second career in skin care and makeup artistry 🙂 I’m a disabled RN who’s been doing private-duty eldercare part-time for the past few years. I would like to do something more cheerful and where my creativity will be more visible — spending all day with people with dementia and depression, keeping their minds occupied and their spirits up, is quite draining!
Bless you for doing this difficult work. You are an angel. I wish you success and happiness with your new talent and congratulate you on continuing to develop and grow.
Aw, thank you, Meredith!
Not washing my brushes frequently. I know it breaks me out, but it was very hard to establish a routine, and whenever I am stressed it is the first thing I drop.
Bad makeup purchasing habits aside (lol), I tend to always go too light on my undereye concealer because I am trying so hard to disguise them. I also keep a lot of products way past their prime, because I think I might use them “someday” and I feel guilty throwing them out knowing how much I spent.
I can relate to keeping makeup. I recently “found” some 15yr old lipsticks that were way back in my cabinet. I tested it them to see if they had turned. And one was still perfect, so sure enough, I kept it. Lol, what’s wrong with me??
I have a horrible habit of picking mascara off my eyelashes just as I’m sitting at my desk throughout the day. It’s not the same as people with trichotillomania who pluck out their eyelashes, because I only do it when I’m wearing mascara and the intention is to pull the mascara clumps off, not the eyelashes themselves…. But I end up losing five or six lashes a day because they come out while I’m picking. Horrible habit.
I used to get rather OCD and fixated on the hairs below my brow line and pluck at the smallest lightest totally not perfectible to most people hairz; enough to draw blood with my super pointy tweezers. Middle age is serving me well in this regard and I’m so freaking far sighted I can’t see the suckers even under 5x magnification so I don’t bother getting in a twist about them.
Love your hair. You’re channeling Louise Brooks with more of it. Has this affected your blush placement?
Aww thanks darling. Nope, I’ve been doing the Wayne Goss high on cheekbone blush for awhile now. Since I used to wear blush more on my apples a number of years ago, I found it looked weird placed high, but kept working at it and now actually prefer since it works well with the steeper angle of my cheekbones. I’ve lost a few pounds lately so my cheekbones are even more prominent and the new hair with the bangs really emphasizes my face shape.
Great profile picture – love your hair!
Thankey Pearl. That’s sweet of you to say! 😀
I’m fellow former nail biter. It’s a habit I had to broken of twice, as I inexplicably started doing it again in the 7th grade after having spent the previous six years “cured” of nail biting. I bit and picked at my nails for years after that until I finally broke myself of the habit again in my early 20s. It wasn’t difficult it once I figured out how to make myself stop (I learned that I’m not at all inclined to bite when my nails are painted, so I started keeping polish on 24/7), but I still spent years of wanting to break myself of that habit without successfully doing so. Almost a decade later, I still keep my nails painted at all times, as I do something me times feel the urge to pick at them return when they are bare and I can see the spots where they’re splitting or peeling.
I’m trying to stop biting the skin off my lips. It’s hard because my lips peel no matter what. I use a sugar scrub and keep them covered in Vaseline but still they peel. I also have some skin allergies so I can’t use a lot of the most popular lip remedies like jack black or the bite masks.
No more Vaseline! That is probably the culprit for your dry lips as it’s petroleum based.
I’ve done my research on both sides of the petroleum jelly debate and personally I think it is pretty harmless, unless you are allergic to it, which I’m not.
Same here, peeling dry lips and sensitive skin. I actually can’t use sugar scrubs–makes my lips bleed. I personally like Dr Bronner’s Magic Lip Balm in Naked–free of essential oils and fragrances. Badger lip balm spf (none of the flavored kind) is my spf lip balm–sun can damage lips too. Cerave also makes a lip balm that I have somewhere but have not tried
The trick for me to avoid peeling lips is to apply Lip Balm on damp lips (like after sipping some water) to trap moisture. In a pinch, I would use fragrance free lotion on my lips.
I’ll look into these, thanks. I’ve also thought about trying pure Shea butter or coconut oil.
Me too! Lmk if that works for you
Try aquaphor instead of Vaseline. It’s so much better for your skin. I wear long lasting matte liquid lipsticks almost every day and aquaphor when I’m not and my lips are nice and smooth. Plus it’s the only thing I was able to use for a few years when I was having allergic reactions to lip products
Aquaphor’s various products contain either beeswax or lanolin, both allergens. The lanolin is probably what makes it work but sadly I’ll never know! The classic formula also contains petroleum jelly and mineral oil.
Oh me too. I just can’t stop! I’ve been a lip chewer for all my life. Even when they are soooo ragged and nasty, I still can’t stop. When I’m really stressed they get really bad. But even if they’re in decent shape, every morning, peel city. Idk what it is. The ONLY thing that seems to help me is if I put on a heavy lip gloss. Usually it’s an expensive brand and I love how it looks so I’m less likely to chew it off. But of course throughout the day I will just unconsciously chew it off. Just awful. My teeth are even worn on the edges because of my chewing. I’m chewing because I’m talking about it. I just can’t stop!!!!
Yes, I used to bite my nails for years! I haven’t done it in a couple of years now, instead they just break off 😛 Now I pick at my skin and eyelashes… It’s not too bad but you know it’d be better if I didn’t!
Going to bed without washing off all of my makeup! Some nights I get too sleepy and I just do wipes out removers and an eye cream but not my whole routine.
-Resting my face on my hands. It doesn’t make me break out, but it does cause my makeup fade more quickly.
-Rubbing my eyes. I really try not to do that one as it messes up my eyeshadow and can make my mascara flake off, but I usually don’t realize I’ve done it until just after.
-Leaving chipped nail polish on my nails. It’s just because I hate removing nail polish so much, but I think I found the solution. I bought that Sephora five finger nail polish remover-I took red nail polish off of all my fingernails the other day in under a minute and a half. I will never use anything else again.
Back when I hardy ever wore makeup I didn’t wash my face at night even if I’d worn makeup that day. It was hard to start forcing myself to take off my makeup and wash my face every night.
My makeup buying habits. I buy things, forget I have them, then repurchase or buy something similar later. It is quite irritating actually. And my cleaning and tidying habits.
Spending too much on make up – if I don’t get my regular ‘fix’ I get withdrawals, lol 🙂
I have a tendency to over pluck my eyebrows. So, when the urge strikes, I get involved in something else. I really want my brows to grow back. The only way that’s going to happen is if I stop plucking and give them a chance.
1. I still fall asleep with makeup.
2. Overspending and hoarding makeup (esp samples and limited edition colors)
3. Cracking the powder while depotting because I try to force the glue too soon.
Touching my face and rubbing my eyes. For the longest time I would forget I was wearing makeup (I only started wearing makeup regularly after the age of 25) and rub my eyes furiously, only to look at my fingers and see them covered in mascara… Panda eyes guaranteed. I have pollen allergies that mostly affect my eyes so it’s still VERY hard in season to not scratch and rub.
I am a chronic cuticle biter/picker. Especially when nerves kick in.
Yes, occasionally I find myself biting my nails. I have to stop myself and repair the damage. Like you Christine, it is when I am tired and stressed. Apart from that, I don’t have any other bad beauty habits.
I take the “fun” out of makeup.
* I research a product to DEATH before I buy anything.
* I have VERY high expectations.
* I want to MASTER every application technique… like NOW!
* My makeup must be FLAWLESS or else!
* I have to find the PERFECT image to Pin on my Pinterest boards.
* My makeup, and all of my makeup-related stuff MUST be organized in a specific way.
Jeez… this list was far too easy to make. Now I’m going to obsess over my obsessions.
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Since I don’t wear foundation everyday, I cheat and only use a wipe to remove mascara and lipstick. I should throughly cleanse and apply night skincare treatments.
Tanning. I know, I know….
My bad habit is keep buying too many foundations then worry that they are going to expire before I even finish each of them. Anyone got the same problem? As foundations are normally last for 12 months. Do you use expired ones? Or sale them before they get old? Good to hear what you guys do. Thanks
I remove my makeup religiously every night , but I’m terribly lazy with my night skincare rutine. I skip it most of the nights.
For the last 5 or 6 years I have been bad about taking my makeup off before bed. Work and home life left me stressed and super tired and I would just crash. Well my skin and my pillow cases paid the price. I am back to taking 5-10 minutes to wash and moisturize my face. I am still stressed but at least my skin looks FAB!
I’m really bad at picking at my cuticles. I also used to be really bad about washing my face properly. Now I usually get home from work, take the dog for a walk, then take off my makeup. Sometimes I’m not as eager to wash my face because my makeup may look really good that day. But I usually wash it all off right after work. That way I can lounge on the couch and not get makeup on my pillows and if I’m super tired at the end of the day I can just go straight to bed. I just found out my sister barely bothers to wash her makeup off everyday! I will admit that I freaked out on her just a little… I’ve been helping her overhaul her makeup and skincare routines. I also never used sunscreen growing up but now it’s a must everyday. And I stress that to my sister too.
I dont know if it is bad or not; but i had to apply lipstick every day and change nail colors everyday. I have really cut down with changing nail colors everyday( i do it once a week now and sometimes i keep my nails bare giving them some rest). Lipsticks however get a rest only on days when i m at home all day.
I used to be terrible about falling asleep with my makeup on, that’s a habit that I actually have fixed. Focusing on finding good skincare actually encouraged me to break the habit.
I am still terrible at touching and picking at my face. It’s just a reflex for me to touch my face pretty much any moment that my hands have nothing to do, it’s so bad. I’m not really sure how to fix that habit.
I also have a shopping addiction that I’m working on…so I’m just a mess lol.
Biting my nails! I used to be a huge nail biter when I was kid. I got stopped in my tracks by one comment from a male family friend who I thought was a very cool guy. I stopped right then and there and had hella long nails forever. As an adult, I now have slightly long-ish nails. The reason I was a biter was I hate broken nails. We only had one pair of clipper growing up so if I couldn’t find them I was biting like a fiend. I still have this pet peeve so I have like one pair in every room of the house. it will take an act of will to live with a broken, cracked, or chipped nail for me. I honestly can’t go more than a few hours at most without tending it. I have no idea why, but it totally physiologically/psychologically unhinges me.