This is not a moralistic post..honestly no! I am just going to talk about some stuff that I have done or seen people do w.r.t makeup, beauty & health in general, that really should be avoided. If you feel I am wrong on any count, do let me know & I'll be happy to correct :)
1. Skin so soft that it feels like Silk - I must keep touching it!
Its nice when models keep touching their face and start comparing it to silk & what-nots & its awesome if you have petal soft skin, but thats no excuse to keep pawing the delicate skin of your visage. In fact, HANDS OFF, lady :) You never know where your hands had been & how many gazillion bacteria may be on it, so do you really wanna transfer all that bacteria etc onto your face?
Also rubbing your face is basically causing some friction between the harder surface of your hands and the softer skin of your face - guess who would suffer more through the wear and tear caused?
If you have to touch your face, 1st clean your hands and then get on with your beauty routine. Also, as much as possible, avoid harsh rubbing - try to do more patting and tapping etc while applying a product.
2. Oh, let me keep washing my face till it feels squeaky clean -cos that's how you clean dishes right?
Sound principles, but your face ain't a dish - so treat it gently.As much as possible, avoid any chemical based cleansers, scrubs, exfoliants on your face - you never know how much damage it causes! These are alternate ways of cleaning your face without hurting them:
- Natural cleansers: Rice powder, tomate juice, lemon-honey mix, green grams powder, milk, yoghurt, rosewater, brewed tea water - all these are excellent cleansers, just choose one that suits your skin & is easily available for you
- For deeper cleanser [makeup removal etc]: As much as possible use oils for cleansing your face. This prevents loss of natural skin moisture. Also, if its still not gone, use a baby wipe.
- If its still not gone - Well, in that case, go for a cleanser suitable for babies. That should be the mildest one in the market and anything good for a baby should be good for you too :)
3. Ooh, a windy day, let my beautiful hair swish around me - I must look like that model in the Ad
This is something that I still do, but I so wish I didn't. If its a windy day, as much as possible try to contain your hair and not let it loose. This is especially important if you have medium to long hair. Reason? All that waving and swishing that can cause your hair to
- get split ends and other damages
- all the dirt & dust flying around - do you really need that in your hair?
- loose some important moisture, cos what does flowing air do? It dries things- Your hair is no exception!
You can still look pretty and casual if you wear a loose chignon, or leave some tendrils loose - so check Youtube to get some style you'd love.
Here's one that I tried recently:
4. I washed my face , now let me dry it by rubbing it like I scrub the floor..
I used to rub my face with a soft cotton towel till a friend pointed out patting my face softly with the same towel gets the same result while avoiding causing a friction between the cloth & skin. I have tried my best to avoid rubbing my face since!
5. Aw, how can I say No, when she is asking so nicely to try that lipstick?
This may be hard, but you've got to say No. Really you should. As a thumb rule, do not lend your makeup or skin care stuff where there is a chance of the product being touched by human skin. However, sometimes you just can't avoid sharing stuff, so here are my suggestions:
- Get a coffee stirrer and scoop some stuff out for your friend
- If you don't have a coffee stirrer and your friend still needs that lipstick or mascara:
-> if its a lipstick, or gloss or an eyeliner: use a paper napkin to wipe off the surface area of the lipstick bullet or gloss. You may lose some tiny bit of the product, but its sanitary
-> if its a mascara: Keep the wand under warm/hot tap water and wash away the surface ink. Dry it and then dip it back.
Another alternative is to keep a use-and-throw mascara wand for just these kinda cases.
- For face products: Use a paper napkin to get the powder or cream on it and then use it
Another option is to carry a small spray bottle of a makeup cleanser like rubbing alcohol or the Beauty So Clean cleansing spray. - use it once you're done sharing!
6. Am in the mall restroom, so now leme show off my new lipstick to the ladies
We all do this but we shouldn't. Just think about - for a second. Restroom-where people pee and poop ... You really wanna open something you put on your lips in there? Really?
I try my best to avoid this by carrying a pocket mirror with me [or even a mobile phone screen would do! :)] and reapplying my lipstick in a quite spot outside. At least, any spot ought to be better than near the poop-center right?
Same applies to your own bathroom too. Avoid using skincare or makeup etc in your wash room. Think of all the Fungus just waiting to latch on to it!
7. Oh, I don't need a makeup bag -Let me just throw everything in my hand bag
I learned this lesson a bit sharply when the kajal pencil I'd in my handbag stung my eyes as I applied it. After running around and washing my eyes, I checked to see why my eye pencil acted like a Jalapeno pepper. The culprit was a small sachet of pepper powder you get from restaurants. I had accidentally put both the items in the side pocket of my purse. :(
The lesson is - carry your makeup in a separate makeup bag. Always. Don't mix it with all the stuff in your hand bag - think of all the dust and dirt that could get inside!
8. Yay, got it from Blog sale , now let me apply it right away
This might not be something you like. We all love blog sales. I am not against it, I do it myself. But how sure are you on how sanitary the product is or was before you got it? Also, was it lying around for a long time in someone's cupboard before they sold it off? Did they use it when they had a fever or cold?
You never know. So here are some things to be aware of when you buy stuff off blog sales:
- Always always sanitize the product before you use. Use a rubbing alcohol or the Beauty So Clean spray to clean it.
- Avoid buying mascara, eyeliners, eye pencils - basically anything that touches on your waterline or lash line. These things have very low shelf life once they are opened. So unless the nice blog lady remembered to put it on sale immediately after she used and didn't like it,it is not safe.
- Ask explicitly for expiry dates or if not, ask for batch codes engraved on the sides of the product to find expiry dates. Checkcosmetics is a website you can use. If that also doesn't work, ask when the blogger started using the product and use the below thumb rule to calculate possible expiry:
- Eyeshadows - 6months to 1 year
- Lip products - 1year
- Face products - 1-2 years
- Preferably buy or sell only stuff that have a squeeze tube or a nozzle or a pump to dispense products.
Hope this will help you - let me know if you have your own Don't Do's. :)
All images in this post are Courtesy of Pixabay.com
