5 Things I Wish I Knew About Beauty And Self Love In High School

In one short year, I'll be graduating from college.

I've learned a lot since I occupied the hallowed halls of high school—as I should've since I'm forking out a pretty penny for college tuition, but I've also learned a lot more about beauty. And I've realized 5 of the MAJOR beauty mistakes I made in high school. Can you relate? Here they are:

1. I didn't experiment enough.
I NEVER wore bright colors on my lips in high school. I remember purchasing my first bright pink lip gloss during my freshman year of college, and I was terrified to wear it out and about. From the moment I was brave enough to swipe it across my lips and step into my dorm's common room, I knew I was in love. That product was NYX's Dolly Pink. Never forget.

2. I didn't have a skin care routine. (Yikes!)
Since my cashier job at the local grocery store didn't pay THAT great, I didn't invest in (or thoroughly research) a skincare routine. Mistake! I would buy the harshest drugstore salicylic acid acne cleanser—even though I didn't have acne!—and on the rare occasion I did use it, I wondered why it stung so badly. My tip? Figure out what kind of skin you have before splurging (and wash your face every night before bed!). I realized later that I have sensitive, combination skin that is not prone to acne. Lesson learned. I now use First Aid Beauty and Ole Henriksen products on my face—SO good.

3. I constantly tugged at my eyes when doing my makeup.
In all fairness, I was given a lot of warning about this one. But I never took it to heart. I kind of still don't. When I apply my signature winged eye, I tug pretty hard at my eyes. BIG MISTAKE. HUGE. Now I'm noticing a loss of elasticity around my eye area (and that freaks me out). Will my must-have cateye make me look like a wrinkly mess within the next few years? PASS ME THE EYE CREAM. 911.

4. I didn't save the smokey eye makeup for a night out ... I wore it to SCHOOL.
I know what you're thinking, smokey eye but afraid of lip color? That's a little weird. Yes, I used to rock smokey eyes at school. I don't know what I was trying to prove with that. 8 AM and BLACK eyeshadow? So. Much. Shame. I used a MAC eyeshadow quad, which made me feel like the coolest b*tch alive. Nope.

5. I used makeup as a mask. (And CAKED it on.)
I caked my foundation on to the point where a friend told me that he could probably scoop off my foundation with a spatula. When I hugged people, I got foundation on their clothes. When I was in class, I copiously reapplied my Clinique powder. I really, really packed it on. What I didn't realize then was that I was using the foundation (and makeup in general) as a literal mask—painted on to act as a barrier and hide my "true self." I was deeply insecure about my appearance and clung to these products for dear life.

Don't worry though: I've since switched to lighter BB cream and—gasp!—I even go out with NO makeup on at all. It has been a very gradual process, but I'm proud of this feat.

What were some of your biggest high school beauty mistakes? Let us know in the comments below!