There are some beauty mistakes that are often overlooked. I'm not talking about excessive contouring (although I may or may not wish someone could contour me to look 20 lbs thinner), or that you shouldn't wear white eye liner on your lower lid (flesh colored is better.) I'm talking about the really simple ones that we forget are important and can lead to acne, infections, damage, etc. Are you making any of these beauty mistakes? Not Adhering to Expiration Dates on Your Beauty Products For the most part, beauty products now have expiration dates listed on them. Additionally, if your beauty product has a batch code listed on it, you can always reach out to the brand's customer service to ask the expiration date. (For our natural bath and body products, we have both the expiration date and batch code tagged to the bottom of each product.) An expiration date is not a "suggested" date for maybe tossing a product, it's a pretty firm ingredients will be less effective or go sour (if they are natural/organic) by this date. Of course, some products can go bad sooner, such as natural ingredients being subject to sunlight/heat/cold or if you get pink eye, that eyeliner and mascara should be tossed immediately. Not Cleaning Your Makeup Tools Bacteria builds up on that Beauty Blender, those makeup brushes, heated lash curlers, etc. Make sure you are cleaning them regularly. All the dirt and crime of your face combined with skin and makeup build up can lead to blemishes when you re-swipe that makeup brush across your face. Yuck. I just got a heated lash curler and it is amazing how quickly the mascara can clog it up! Makeup brushes and your beauty sponges simply need soap and water for cleaning, but for your other tools, be sure to follow directions for each product on how to clean it properly. Setting Your Styling Tools Temperature Too High Remember that YouTube video where the girl was curling her hair and a huge lock simply burned right off? Don't let that be you. The best temperature for curling and flat ironing your hair is 350 degrees. While most styling tools go much higher, you are taking the chance of really damaging your hair if you go above 350. Obviously adjustments in temp can be made if you have much finer hair or thicker hair. But the general rule of thumb is 350. (And always use a thermal protectant styling aid!) Not Applying Moisturizer at Night A very long time ago I used to think this was simply a marketing ploy. However, it is a fact that we lose the most amount of moisture in our skin at night. You don't need a special nighttime facial moisturizer and can always just apply what you use for daytime use. However, some people prefer to use something without SPF for their night beauty routine. Please don't believe the hype that your skin "needs to breathe" as that is more applicable to giving your skin a break from pore-clogging makeup than hydrating lotion. Sharing Makeup It's not 1987 and we know better now that sharing makeup, especially eye makeup like eye pencils and mascara, can transfer bacteria and cause problems. When my sister tells me that my niece steals her makeup daily, I cringe. Are there other beauty mistakes that should be on this list? Leave a comment and let me know!

5 Beauty Mistakes You May Be Making http://t.co/CDfdEH7pDh #beauty

— A Girl's Gotta Spa! (@agirlsgottaspa) January 11, 2015

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