7 Beauty Mistakes We All Made As A Teenager

Ah, the early years of makeup. There were botched winged liners, bad blush colors, and plenty of things you learned about beauty in your teens that were totally wrong. The beginning stages of learning how to wear makeup is a time of exploration, self-discovery, and the occasional complete disaster.

I started my makeup journey at about 12 or 13, wearing tinted moisturizer and clear mascara. So, basically, there was no real "makeup" in my makeup routine. However, as I grew older and started experimenting with different beauty products, I definitely made a mistake or two (or a million). Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. However, I think the blunders are what make me the makeup pro that I am today!

Let's take a quick trip down memory lane, back to when you started playing around with eyeshadows and lipsticks. Chances are, you used whatever products and techniques your mom/cousin/older sister/babysitter were already using. It's a nice way to get started, but you could have inherited some techniques and products that just don't work for you...or anybody, for that matter. I'm talking acne-causing, wrinkle-accelerating beauty "tips" that are totally wrong. The worst part? You could still be using them today.

Below are some of the top beauty blunders most likely picked up in your teen years (and hopefully left in yesteryear forever and ever, amen).

1. Setting your makeup with hairspray

Holy moly. I remember being 16 and watching a flock of senior girls in the locker room. They completed their post-workout touchups and then proceeded to spray their face with hairspray. When I inquired what in God's name they thought they were doing, they explained to me that hairspray "set" their makeup and made it last longer. By the power of technology and Urban Decay, we no longer have to spray pore-clogging chemicals onto our face to make foundation stay put. Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray, $30, ulta.com

2. Not blending

A big blunder from middle school included a complete disregard for the subtle art of blending your makeup. Two toned jawlines and unsightly eyeshadow permeated the hallways of my junior high, all because we never took the time to blend. Can you blame us, really? The #blendthatshit hashtag didn't even exist. Who knew!? By now, you know that blending in literally every stage of your routine makes makeup look more natural and beautiful.

3. Wearing harsh eyeliner

Easily my biggest makeup pet peeve and yet the rallying cry of all '90s kids everywhere. Harsh, jet-black eyeliner dominated our younger years, because it was cool and goth and sexy, man. Kohl pencils littered the bottom of our knockoff purses because we loved to line our eyes with black eyeliner and leave it at that.

Today, we know that blending out harsh lines with a little eyeshadow goes a long way in making us look fresher and even more mysterious without being so scary. Take a moment of silence to acknowledge and appreciate the perfection that is a smoked out eyeliner, as demonstrated by our queen, Jaclyn Hill.

4. Trying desperately to cover acne

Back in the day, my acne was in full force and I did everything in my power to combat it with high powered concealer. I would pack the stuff on top of any flaws, hoping the more I packed the better it would look. I was so, so wrong.

Now, I conceal blemishes by dabbing a tiny bit of my foundation to the area, and letting it sit there for a few seconds before gently dabbing it into the skin. I learned this trick from a makeup artist, and it works like a charm. Allowing the foundation to sit on top of the blemish gives the formula time to oxidize, resulting in a more perfect color match and a tackier formulation that sticks to the area without being so heavy it looks caked on.

5. Wearing too much lipliner

As we all know now, lip liner can transform your lips into whatever you want them to be: perfectly symmetrical, endearingly pouty, puckered, plump...The list is endless. In middle school, however, we believed that lining our lips with mega dark, off color liner was in fashion. Woof. Hard times, everyone. Thankfully, we now live in a Kylie Jenner era where lining your lip is less literal than it once was.

6. Sporting wild blush

Somehow, blush made it into my middle school beauty routine while bronzer, highlight, and blending in general were unknown concepts. And since blush was all I had, boy did I go heavy-handed. These days, I opt for a more natural, softer shade of blush or a peachy highlighter. BECCA Cosmetics Mineral Blush in Peachy Nude, $32.00, beccacosmetics.com

7. Putting on layers and layers of mascara

This trend is making a comeback, but still: the days of packing on 14 different mascaras until my lashes were so heavy they might fall off are long gone. Fluffy, light, and lifted is more like it these days. Thank goodness. (Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara, $24, sephora.com)

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