Definite Do Not - The 10 Worst Beauty Tips Ever

We don’t know who started circulating this bad beauty advice, but now’s the perfect time to retire all of it.

Myth No. 1. Brush your lips with a damp, old toothbrush to rid them of flakes: Can we just say “Ouch”? A soft towel or washcloth is equally effective and completely nonirritating.

Myth No. 2. Apply moisturizer to damp skin: This absolutely never works. The moisturizer just slides off your face and so does any makeup you apply on top of it.

Myth No. 3. Wear only matte and muted tones once you’re out of your twenties: Women seem to be afraid that shimmer and bright colors are aging. But nothing sucks the life out of you more than drying matte textures and washed-out neutrals. Just keep the shimmer subtle and the color soft and fresh rather than overly bright or dark.

Myth No. 4. Lipstick and lip gloss can double as eye shadow or blush: the textures are too greasy for your cheeks and even more so for your eyelids. “It’s such a mess!”

Myth No. 5. You can mend split ends: No matter how luxe the product or extravagant its claims, the only way to get rid of splits is by snipping them off.

Myth No. 6. For incredible shine and softness, brush your hair 100 strokes a day: Over brushing stresses and weakens hair follicles, which leads to breakage. “It also causes split ends and frizz.”

Myth No. 7. Preparation H is a miracle under eye de-puffer: While this cream does contain anti-inflammatory ingredients, puffy eyes can be caused by other factors, such as fluid retention and allergies. Plus, other ingredients in the cream dry the skin and could really sting if they migrate into your eye. Bottom line? There’s just one place this cream was meant to go, and that’s south of the border.

Myth No. 8. Your nails need to breathe: Your nail is alive only at the part that is below the skin, so there is no living and breathing going on where you can see it. In fact, removing polish in the hopes of giving your tips oxygen will only hasten their demise, since they will be left unprotected.

Myth No. 9. Apply Rogaine to help regrow overplucked brows: I’ve seen women show up with very weird-looking brows, with random bits of fuzz here and there. The thing about Rogaine is that it doesn’t grow hair back uniformly, and I don’t ever want to think about how much it could burn if I got into your eyes.

Myth No. 10. Pop an ibuprofen or two before waxing or having hair removed with a laser: I really wish women would stop doing this. It caused little hickeys all over the skin. Because it thins the blood, ibuprofen can increase your chances of bruising and redness. If you are already taking a blood thinner, tell your aesthetician prior to any treatment so that she can be extra gentle.