Quitting My Bad Beauty Habits for Good

Bad Habit #1: Biting My Nails

Ive been gnawing at my nails for over two decades nowand it shows. Not only does nail-biting give me hangnails, it also means Im ingesting all sorts of unpleasant bacteria (blech). To kick the habit, Ive been applying a nail or cuticle treatment (I love Deborah Lippmann Cuticle Oil and FIG+YARROW Nail and Cuticle Balm)) every morning. The taste reminds me not to mindlessly chew, and the formulas strengthen my much-abused nails.

Bad Habit #2: Going to Bed with Makeup On

After a long day, its all I can do to put on some PJs and brush my teeth before collapsing into bed. But sleeping in makeup can irritate my eyes and clog my poresand has, more than once. So I stocked up on gentle, nongreasy removers like Marcelles Cleansing Cloths and Gentle Make-Up Remover for Sensitive Eyes. It only takes a couple minutesand saves me time the next morning, since Im no longer frantically scrubbing off day-old mascara.

Bad Habit #3: Not Cleaning My Brushes

Makeup brush gunk falls in the out of sight, out of mind category. However, after learning that brushes collect all sorts of blemish-causing bacteria, I grabbed a cleanserbeautyblender blendercleanser is popular around the officeand got to work. The worst offender was, no question, my blush brush (which I cant remember the last time I cleaned). I was so horrified by the seemingly endless stream of bright-pink build-up that washed out that Ill never wait so long to clean out my brushes again.

Bad Habit #4: Waiting Way Too Long to Moisturize

When it comes to skincare, a little bit of prevention beats slathering on a whole lot of cure. Yet, I always convince myself that I dont have time to put on lotion, and my skin becomes irreversibly scaly, itchy, or visibly dry. Im now leaving a bottle of body lotion on my dresser, where it will remind me to quickly put some on between hopping out of the shower and getting dressed. Im a big fan of Balance Me Rose Otto Body Cream, a rich, all-natural, lightly scented formula that absorbs quickly, so my skin doesnt feel sticky.

Bad Habit #5: Blowdrying (and Blowdrying and Blowdrying) My Hair

My thick, somewhat wavy hair requires substantial blowdry time (translation: its crazy dry). Ive finally resolved to take my stylists advice add some products into my routine to cut it down: Ive been spritzing on a generous amount of Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle followed by Number 4 Blow Dry Lotion to protect my hair and speed up the process. And hey, less time blowdrying means more time moisturize.