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I was talking with a friend a while ago about this and thought this might make a fun conversation: What beauty decisions have you regretted? (Or, what beauty regrets have your friends shared stories of?) Are your beauty regrets based on money, time/permanence, or more?
The topic came up because my friend was talking about wanting to wax her own legs, and I mentioned that I had laser hair removal many moons ago in my late 20s and haven't regretted it a bit (still one of my best splurges!). But I noted that at the same time I got my lower legs and armpits done, one of my good friends was separately getting her lower legs and her bikini area lasered — in fact, getting a permanent Brazilian.
I remember trying to talk her out of the decision by reasoning, how are we to know how we'll feel about hair down there when we're, say, 70 years old — but she was stalwart in her decision. I haven't talked to her in a while, so it might be weird out of the blue to ask, “HEY, do you regret getting a permanent Brazilian?!” — but I've wondered.
Along similar lines, I've seen exactly one instance of “permanent eyeliner” that looked great, and I have definitely been a part of conversations where women have regretted makeup tattoos (eyebrows, etc.). One of my acquaintances has a great story about getting eyelash extensions where they used nail glue because they didn't know better (happily, she didn't suffer any permanent damage), and that has permanently soured me on the thought of getting them.
For my $.02, bangs are ALWAYS a bad idea for me. I look OK in them for about one hour a day for the first three weeks, after which I spend the time cursing that I have to go back for a trim, then finally commit — and then it becomes a months-long project to grow them out. (And still, they are one of those beauty things that I keep trying!)
Another beauty regret for me was the one time I got a curly cut at the fancy curly salon in SoHo, not realizing I couldn't blow out my hair as I wanted. For maybe a year afterwards, my hair was a crazy choppy mess that went through a triangle-head, pyramid phase before finally getting to my shoulders again.
(It was a post-wedding “let's donate 9 inches and try shorter hair!” cut, too. Sigh.)
How about you, ladies — what are your biggest beauty regrets? What have you tried, disliked, yet lived to tell the tale of?
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / perminoffa.
Anon
Not a serious regret, but I hated the process of getting eyelash extensions. Maybe it’s because I have deep set eyes but it took hours and was so uncomfortable. I’m not normally sensitive about my eyes. I had contact lenses for most of my life, plenty of glaucoma tests, and LASIK, none of which phased me.
Anonymous
A friend of mine who got eyelash extensions also said that the process feels very uncomfortable. I was also interested in getting them because hers looked amazing, but she said it that they ended up ripping out a lot of her natural lashes and the extensions would rub against her glasses she wore them. I finally got Latisse, which does require a prescription, but I’ve been using it for a few weeks and love it.
Wig fail
I was dealing with some hair loss several years ago and bought a $2000 custom wig. I wore it exactly zero times. I felt self conscious that people would realize it was a wig and many years later, I donated it to an Orthodox Jewish woman.
For the woman who commented over the weekend on hair loss, this is what is working for me: I use only demi permanent hair dye, I take Nutrafol hair vitamins, I massage my hair every evening with some light argan oil, and I did bloodwork and realized that my iron levels were abnormally low and started taking Vitron C vitamins. My hair is never going to be as thick as it once was but I no longer have bald spots.
annienomous
I’ve had bangs since my junior year of high school (which was, oh, 15 years ago?) I cannot imagine wanting to grow them out any time soon. I wear straight across, fairly heavy bangs with otherwise shoulder-length hair.
Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at trimming them myself (that was not always the case back in the day… see my senior photos featuring choppy, short bangs that are brushed to the side so you can’t see exactly how choppy they turned out. Do NOT cut your own bangs the night before getting important photos taken, no matter how much practice you have.)
I make them work by getting them cut to about half an inch above my eyebrows when I go into the salon. They look good that short and when they’re brushing the bottom of my brows and everywhere in between. When they get below the brows, I trim them once myself not nearly as short as I go when my stylist cuts them. The next time they need trimmed, I make an appointment and get a full cut. In all, I probably have to trim them myself three times a year and I get about three haircuts a year. Not high maintenance in the least.
anon
I loved how my bangs looked but they were definitely too high maintenance since they had to be washed and styled daily. And sadly they were completely incompatible with DC summers. Because my hair is naturally wavy, rainy/humid days resulted in my bangs refusing to stay how I styled them and taking on a very 70s look, which I dislike.
Anon
I had bangs for a few years as an adult. It was annoying to me to have to style them everyday (and wash, but I was already a daily hair washer). They looked good and made my daily ponytail look more intentionally styled. I probably trimmed them myself about once a month and got a full haircut about once a year.
pugsnbourbon
Definitely regret my silver glitter eyeshadow phase, but in my defense I was 14.
More seriously, I regret not going to the dermatologist sooner. I’ve had cystic acne since my teens that got much worse in my late 20s. I also had the irrational idea that dermatologists were only for very rich people. Not the case! Now my acne is under control and someone is keeping an eye on my moles.
Anonymous
Same! I was so stubborn about my acne for way too long, but when I finally went to a dermatologist – a good one – around age 17, she gave me a game-changing treatment routine! Turns out, I also had rosacea, so that’s why all the OTC stuff wasn’t working; my face doesn’t respond well to salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide (one application for, like, a facial is fine, but continued use will really bother my skin). But I have really bad scars on my face now that will likely never go away. I’ve gotten used to them and I’m not self-conscious about it, but then I remember that it’s probably off-putting to others.
FFS
I have zero regrets about my silver glitter eyeshadow phase.
anon
Same! I think mine was a glitter everything phase (glitter eyeshadow, hair glitter, glitter lip gloss, etc.), and I have NO REGRETS. I was eleven years old and obviously wouldn’t wear all. the. glitter. now, but I stand by that phase!
Anonymous
My glitter phase is making a comeback, probably inspired by the Olympic figure skating a couple years ago. Obviously I’m not gonna rock the glitter eyeshadow at work, but, out with friends, I might be in the mood for it. Or some sparkly shoes, or a shimmering top.
Pep
I regret over-tweezing my eyebrows when was younger. I wish I had known then that brow fashions come and go, and my brows would thin out as I aged.
Anon
I wish I’d known about eyebrow razors sooner. Tweezing makes me sneeze!
Shhhhhh
I have zero regrets on laser on my legs and LASIK. Both were 100% life changing, and seriously cut down on time and expenses of things like waxing, razors, contacts, saline, etc.
I got my eyebrows done last year–it is taking a bit of a risk since someone else is determining your shape and thickness, but it came out soooo well. The only downside is that it only lasts for about 2 years :( I’m tempted to do eyeliner, but haven’t pulled the trigger on that one yet.
Anon
Coloring my hair red. It seriously dried out my ends (it was dyed over previous blonde) and when I tried to get the red removed, it still ended up with a slightly pink tinge under the new blonde – I had to cut most of it off.
Senior Attorney
Right now I’m regretting my last Brazilian blowout because I’m kind of over straight hair and the curl isn’t coming back the way I wish it would.
I hope what I’m doing this afternoon doesn’t end up in this category: Getting my upper eyelids nip/tucked. Having local anesthesia and thought it would be good to plug in my earbuds while it’s all going on. Any recommendations for a fun book on tape or podcast to keep my mind off the snipping and stitching?
Lilliet
Good luck! I hear Jessica Simpson’s new (audio) book is amazing.
Anon
My favorite podcast is Keep It, which is a mix of pop culture and news, usually with an interesting interview.
Anon
About six years ago I decided that I wanted a pixie cut (inspired by Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, et al) and chopped off all my beautiful hair. It was down nearly to the middle of my back. It is thick and curly so I did NOT look like one of those cute gamine girls with pixie cuts. I looked awful. I started growing it back out immediately but it took literal YEARS to get my hair back to a length I was happy with. I will never ever ever cut it again.
Drago Cucina
I and the opposite experience. I’ve worn a pixie cut most of my life. I have stick straight, fine hair that does not look good long. I grew it out to shoulder length and it was a confirmation of why I wear my hair short. It was a year of wasted effort. I look back at the photos of myself and cringe.
anon
Same girl, same. I don’t even look like myself with longer hair.
lsw
Same. My hair is curly but fine and it looked terrible at shoulder length.
anon
I somewhat regret coloring my grays because now it’s hard to envision stopping. Having a line of demarcation is worse than just going gray naturally. :(
Every time I get gel manicures I regret it. The process just wrecks my nails. Seems like I have to learn my lesson every 18 months or so.
Anon
I’m with on the gel manicures, but my nails look so good when I get them! And they last so long!
For the Love of Glitter Nails
Those gel manicures, even the shellac just destroys my nails. It takes months for them to grow back to any length or strength. I am still regretting my Christmas manicure. And yet I never learn…
nom
I think it’s possible to have a good stylist help you transition back to natural gray. Short hair / pixie cut may make this easier, but it is possible with longer hair too.
Formerly Lilly
Yes. Here’s what you can do: Quit doing the all over color. Do lowlights of your natural grow in color. Do highlights of whatever pleases you – high contrast, low contrast, lots of them, just a few of them – whatever. Just something to break it up a bit. Not too blond, unless you are a blond. I am doing lowlights of my hair’s natural color, and a “highlights” of the color that my hair has been colored. It’s very low contrast and there is no line of demarcation whatsoever. As the gray comes in more, I’ll ease up on the quantity of low lights and highlights so that the gray comes forward visually. For reference, my former, younger self’s natural color was copper and that’s what it’s been colored. The current lowlights are a deep but warm color and the highlights are copper. There’s enough gray to make maintaining all over color a real pain in the rear, but not so much that the gray itself makes a hard line of demarcation. There’s different ways of doing this and it’s worth looking around for a really good colorist.
Anon
I have a bunch of formerly gel mani addicted friends who now swear by Kiss Nails. They always look awesome. I guess stick-ons have come a long way since the Lee Press Ons of my childhood!
Megan
+1 for Kiss Nails press on’s!! They are life changing.
Gel Nail commiseration
Just FYI, the new press on nails they are making now are actually very sturdy, last a full week for me, and don’t leave any damage once I take them off!
KS IT Chick
Dyeing my hair black. It looked great for a couple weeks, and I got lots of comments about how much I looked like Jeanine Garafolo. Then I got tired of it after a couple months. The grow-out was painful, since I tried to have it stripped first. It took a year or so before everything was back to how I wanted to look.
In house energy lawyer
I regret spending my money on laser hair removal – my natural hair color is too light for the laser to pick up but they told me it would work. That wasn’t true!
Anon
I regret spending money on laser on my chin specifically (the other areas are great!) as without fail the hairs start coming back with a vengeance after a year or so – apparently it’s genetic/hormonal growth. At this point, the laser tech suggests electrolysis which can be more permanent (if more hair follicles don’t develop) but is so time consuming and expensive.
Anon Probate Atty
I did electrolysis on my chin. It is painful, but not much more time-consuming or expensive than laser treatments, if memory serves me correctly. That was about 3-4 years ago, and I haven’t had much regrowth – a few hairs here and there occasionally.
Chicago In House
I am in my early 50s and my eyebrows are thinning and the color is fading. I had my eyebrows tattooed and love them. I am considering having my lips done, as they are fading too. My hair is also thinning. I have tried Rogaine, special vitamins, Biotin, Aveda’s program for thinning hair, Nioxin’s program for thinning hair, and nothing has worked for me so far. I had liposuction on my chin a few months ago and loved it so much I am going to have my upper arms and stomach done, too.
Anonymous
Do you mind sharing your surgeon?
Anonymous
I don’t have many regrets, but I do wish I’d not spent thousands on cosmetic facial fillers. Voluma worked well to give a slight boost to my cheeks, but Belotero was a complete waste of money, disappearing in about a month. Botox was also am overall costly investment, and while my forehead was smooth as a baby’s bum, I swear it gave me a slightly cockeyed look — and my MD who performed the procedures is one of the best in my state. I just think of the wonderful experiences or trips that money could have provided me and wish I’d chosen differently. The fillers were not as life enhancing as I’d hoped.
Anon Probate Atty
Keratin treatments were a waste of time and money for me. My hair was sort of frizzy due to the humidity down here plus damage from highlights and heat – but it did not warrant keratin – it was more that I needed to stop damaging my hair. After a couple of keratin treatments that weighed down my hair and emptied my wallet, I stopped. Since then, I only do a few face-framing highlights every other hair appointment, and I only blow-dry on warm, not hot, limit my flat ironing to once a week or so on warm only, and take collagen supplements. My hair has never looked so good.
Airplane Pose
Totally opposite for me! I get keratin 2x a year when it’s on sale at my salon and I can air dry my hair now so it’s rarely never damaged by heat. Never going back!
KatieWolf
I don’t really regret it but I would NEVER do it again – relaxing my naturally curly hair. I went in for a touch up with an inexperienced person and left with a bald spot she didn’t tell me about – discovered it months later! The growing out process was painful – curly at the roots, straightish on the bottom. Now I just embrace the curly, even though I want blowout hair. I don’t regret bc it was a good lesson, I got to try it and see if it worked for me, and no lasting damage besides the grow out phase. But lesson learned, for sure.
Anonymous
Botox. Turns out I need my micro expressions to not look like a B.
Lori
I regret getting picosure laser treatment on three age spots on my lower legs. I’m very fair (supposedly the best skin color for picosure). The age spots were barely visible, but with self-tanner they were pronounced. After laser my spots are darker than ever. So glad I did not laser my face or chest.
Anonymous
Not really beauty related, but I regret not using sunscreen on my face earlier in life, and waiting to use anti-aging products.
Also, I wish I would’ve understood much earlier that you usually get what you pay for when it comes to any beauty/spa services. If you’re thinking about getting a facial or highlights somewhere for a price way lower than other businesses, think twice and make sure you do your research. I’ve ended up with damaged hair and broken out skin from being an idiot this way.
Finally, I wish that I would’ve started doing better hand care earlier, like either getting manicures regularly or taking the time to do them well myself. I’m a lawyer and I am constantly using my hands (showing people documents, shaking people’s hands, flipping off my co-workers, etc.) and am self-conscious when my hands are not manicured. I
SGG
Keratin hair treatments were a total waste on my hair (fine, wavy/frizzy living in the south east); Botox is wonderful (small doses, well done so I can maintain very expressive natural tendencies); NexGen “dipping” acrylic has replaced traditional acrylic overlays and my nails are much happier (I’ve had overlays for 27 years & will never give them up b/c my own nails are lousy). Doing my own hair color never goes well for me (or my floors); bangs have come and gone numerous times and I think I like them best long & side-swept for ease of styling.
I also don’t regret spending on fabulous mascara and foundation and I swear by latisse & prescription RetinA. Spending lots of money on facial cleansers, astringents, products that go “on and off” quickly seems like a waste for me.
Vanlawyer
I regret getting lip injections. They looked nice but now I have a permanent bump on my upper lip (scar tissue).