To be honest, there are so many things… and it makes me curious about what I might be doing now that I’ll find embarrassing in the future, ha ha ha!
A few have been quite recent, like not shampooing my hair daily. This was during the stage when my hair was long and a rich caramel brown with blonde highlights, and to maintain the color and avoid excessive dryness, I would push to see how long I could last in a week without washing my hair. Some weeks, I’d manage four or five days without a wash.
On one hand, this saved me TONS OF TIME in the mornings because I could style my hair on the first day and then hardly touch it until I washed it again, so my morning hair routine was only about a minute long, which was AMAZING.
Moreover, not spending time in the shower washing and conditioning was a bonus too, but eventually, I just grew weary of coping with an itchy scalp and oily roots, and I gradually reverted to the habit of daily washing. This really intensified when I began exercising regularly. Now even the idea of having one-day-old roots makes me feel gross.
I also went through a phase where I applied full-coverage makeup every day — primer, foundation, color corrector, concealer, powder, the whole shebang. It looked stunning in photos! — but wow, it was a LOT of effort. At that time, I was dedicating at least 45 minutes purely for my makeup application.
Currently, I seldom use full-coverage products because I can’t stand the sensation of having a lot of makeup on my skin, and just the thought of wearing full-coverage continuously makes me go YIKES!
And, naturally, there were numerous questionable beauty choices I made in the ’90s. The one that haunts me the most is completely plucking my eyebrows!
What about you? What’s a beauty-related practice you once did that now fills you with cringe?
Your local devoted beauty enthusiast,
Karen
**Beauty Rituals You Once Followed That Now Cause Cringe**
Beauty trends shift rapidly, but some past habits have left us puzzled, asking ourselves, “What were we thinking?” As beauty standards change, many of the techniques we once swore by now appear outdated, impractical, or even damaging. Whether due to new findings, evolving fashions, or simply the hindsight we gain, some former beauty rituals now provoke discomfort. Let’s embark on a journey back in time to reflect on these dubious beauty practices.
### 1. **Excessive Eyebrow Plucking**
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, ultra-thin eyebrows were the in thing. Many of us spent countless hours in front of mirrors with tweezers, reducing our brows to mere lines. The outcome? Sparse, over-plucked arches that often didn’t regrow properly. Fast-forward to the present, and lush, natural brows are now preferred, thanks to stars like Cara Delevingne and the emergence of the “bushy brow” trend. Many of us are now striving to recover what we once painstakingly removed, aided by brow serums and microblading.
**Cringe Level**: High. Over-plucking can inflict lasting damage to hair follicles, hindering natural brow growth.
### 2. **Foundations That Don’t Match Skin Tone**
There was a time when finding a foundation that actually matched one’s skin tone wasn’t prioritized. Many opted for foundations that were either too light or too dark, resulting in a jarring division between the face and neck. The objective was often to appear “paler” or “tanner” than reality, but the result was a mask-like appearance that didn’t blend seamlessly.
Today, with an expanded range of foundation colors available and an enhanced understanding of undertones, we are all about discovering that ideal match for a flawless, natural finish.
**Cringe Level**: Moderate. The stark difference between the face and neck is a clear indication that your foundation is mismatched.
### 3. **Frosted Lip Colors**
Ah, frosted lipstick – a hallmark of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Shimmery, frosty lips were considered the pinnacle of style, with shades of pale pink, lavender, and even silver dominating the beauty landscape. While it may have seemed fashionable then, frosted lipstick often rendered lips looking dry and chalky, failing to suit most skin tones.
Today, we’ve shifted toward more flattering finishes like satin, matte, and gloss, leaving frosted lips behind where they belong.
**Cringe Level**: Medium. Frosted lipstick can wash out your complexion and leave lips appearing dry and cracked.
### 4. **Neglecting Sunscreen**
For many of us, sunscreen wasn’t always a staple in our daily beauty regimen. In fact, some actively avoided it, preferring tanning oils or soaking up the sun for that desired bronzed look. Unfortunately, we now understand the long-term consequences of sun exposure, including premature aging, sunspots, and a heightened risk of skin cancer.
Today, using sunscreen is an essential part of any skincare routine, and “sun-kissed” appearances are achieved through bronzers and self-tanners rather than harmful UV rays.
**Cringe Level**: Very high. Avoiding sunscreen can lead to irreversible skin damage and serious health issues.
### 5. **Hairspray as a Makeup Setting Spray**
Before setting sprays became ubiquitous in the beauty industry, some of us relied on an unexpected alternative: hairspray. Yes, people would spritz their faces with hairspray to “set” their makeup. While it might have offered some holding power, hairspray is packed with chemicals that can irritate the skin, block pores, and lead to breakouts.
Fortunately, we now enjoy a plethora of setting sprays specifically designed for facial use, created to secure makeup without the harsh consequences.
**Cringe Level**: High. Hairspray is meant for hair, not skin!
### 6. **Heavy Application of Bronzer**
There was a time when bronzer was slathered on thick, often covering the entire face, in an effort to achieve that sun-kissed glow. The outcome? A muddy, orange complexion that appeared anything but natural. Rather than enhancing our features, we often resembled someone who’d overstayed their welcome in a tanning bed.
Today, bronzer is utilized more thoughtfully to contour and introduce warmth to selected areas of the face, yielding a more natural and sculpted effect.
**Cringe Level**: Medium. Over-applying bronzer can make your complexion look unrealistic and patchy.
### 7. **Glitter Overload**
At one point, glitter was a beauty
