We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community for beauty advice they wish they'd known in their younger years. We took their words of wisdom and divided them into five categories: Body, Skin, Hair, Makeup, and Style. Scroll on and learn from their mistakes.
1. Don't you ever avoid bikinis because of stretch marks.
2. Stop trying to hide your teeth with that weird half smile thing.
"Stop trying to hide your teeth with that weird half smile thing. Your smile is actually nice, even with braces. And even a dorky smile is better than a constipated Mona Lisa smile." —lauracorinas
3. Make those years in braces worth it.
"Wear your retainer. Every night. Do not leave it in a hotel room on a class trip and never get another one. Make those years in braces worth it." —ohhowthecamera
4. Don’t, no matter what, pierce your own body.
"Don’t, no matter what, pierce your own body. Even if you watch all the YouTube videos and think you’re a pro and your parents 'just don’t get it.'" —lilliang4b98b4530
5. People can be gigantic twat-waffles and they will try to bring you down.
6. Shower daily.
"Ditch that green eyeshadow pencil. Shower daily (I know…), and learn how to do something with your hair." —brinaabee
7. Your nose is fine.
"Your nose is fine, stop worrying about it. Yeah, it’s big, but it’s part of what makes you you!" —ally2332
8. "Don’t hide your body! That’s the only body you have, and you must treat it with respect!" —m42bfe663e
9. It’s okay to have some zits.
10. Stop being afraid to moisturize because you’re worried it will make you break out.
"Drink water! It will help so much with your acne. And stop being afraid to moisturize because you’re worried it will make you break out. Get moisturizer for your skin type. It will do wonders, I promise." —ohhowthecamera
11. Sunscreen. Love it. Become it. It is your religion now.
"1) Sunscreen. Love it. Become it. It is your religion now. 2) Less is more. No makeup on the weekends is blissful and you look like a fresh baby angel. 3) Have fun. Try out new lipsticks. Dare to have eyebrows. Add a little rose to your cheeks. Live it up girl, you're b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l." —Megan Posner, Facebook
12. Don’t leave your makeup on when you go to sleep.
13. It does not have to be fancy or expensive — just a moisturizer with SPF will suffice.
"Wear sunscreen on your face!!! Like every day. I'm serious. It does not have to be fancy or expensive; just a moisturizer with SPF will suffice." —Maddy Bryant, Facebook
14. "The acne is temporary; you will get through it." —Nancy Vaillancourt, Facebook
15. "DON’T PICK AT YOUR DAMN FACE." —plentyofpapers
16. Stop with the daily cake-face routine and take care of your skin.
"Stop with the daily cake-face routine and take care of your skin. I never once in my high school career went to school without a full face of makeup and it a) was extremely bad for my skin and b) took a really long time for me to be okay with my not perfect skin and appreciate my natural features — and actually accentuate them, not hide them." —zoel46a81407d
17. "GET OUT OF THE TANNING BED!!" —hannahs4cb15a26c
18. "Put down the baby oil. You are Irish — embrace your porcelain." —ssussoo
19. Keep your full brows. They’re coveted.
20. "Stop washing your hair every day; that’s why it’s so frizzy and dry." —anab42aa68f64
21. You are not Dorothy Hamill. You do not need her hair.
"Pick your own haircut and don’t let mum do it because you think she knows better. You are not Dorothy Hamill. You do not need her hair. Your naturally curly hair is wonderful." —prideofturnips
22. "DO NOT SHAVE YOUR ARMS. Just don’t do it. It’s a bad idea." —samanthah484e68b4c
23. You don’t have to relax your hair every month.
24. "Aqua Net. Nope. Just nope." —firefighter27
25. Don't dye your hair auburn and then bleach it the day before graduation.
"Hey! Remember that time you dyed your hair dark auburn in grade 12 and then tried to bleach it back to blonde the day before graduation? Yea, how 'bout we don’t do that." —Bbpossum
26. There will be a time when you’re 17 and you will think that dying your light-brown reddish hair black on your own is a good idea. It’s not.
"There will be a time when you’re 17 and you will think that dying your light-brown reddish hair black on your own is a good idea. It’s not. You will graduate with greenish-black hair, and that green will really get stronger during the first year of college where you will hear the words 'Have you always had green hair?' from every drunk person at every party. It will take until the first semester of your third year of college to grow it out. Just don’t." —cptn
27. You are hella attractive. Don’t wait until college to realize that.
"Grow out your hair. Not because your bf likes long hair, but because you’ll look bomb af with long hair. (Your ex is shitty anyway.) Also, you are hella attractive. Don’t wait until college to realize that. Nothing about you needs to change." —eliseb4f010294e
28. No one is going to remember if you had a bad hair day on a random Tuesday in high school.
"Don’t worry about spending half an hour every morning straightening your hair just to go to school. Your natural hair is fine, and no one is going to remember if you had a bad hair day on a random Tuesday in high school. It’s not important." —soupscissors
29. "Bleach on already bleached hair will make you have to cut it." —sarabri
30. Claim your Asianness!
31. "Dyeing your hair and wearing black eyeliner as a senior in high school is not a good idea! Someday you’ll wish your freshmen photos looked less emo." —kearstenb
32. No one else has to like your face except you!
"Wear makeup that makes you happy and makes you feel pretty. No one else has to like your face except you!" —Amanda Pinkerton, Facebook
33. Just because you’re black doesn’t mean that you are stuck wearing nude colors.
34. Please fill in your brows.
"EYEBROWS ARE IMPORTANT. Especially as a natural blonde dying her hair dark brown... Just please, fill in your brows?" —jordanb433ea3d5f
35. I wish someone had told me it was okay for me to wear makeup if I wanted to.
"Maybe my opinion isn’t important here because I’m a guy, but I wish someone had told me it was okay for me to wear makeup if I wanted to. Now I look FLAWLESS." —wyattsteelman
36. Don’t try to make your own foundation by mixing together self-tanner and moisturizer.
"Black glittery eyeliner does not make a good eyebrow pencil. And don’t try to make your own foundation by mixing together self-tanner and moisturizer." —marisam4f2368f8d
37. "For the love of God, DO NOT use foundation to get the perfect nude lip. Yeeesh!" —katel41ed269e5
38. Copious amounts of eyeliner do not make you look older.
39. Don’t listen to most of your mom’s advice about fashion if she has different taste than you.
"Don’t listen to most of your mom’s advice about fashion if she has different taste than you. My mom never approved of how I dressed because it was too simple and not 'girly.' Best thing I ever did was when I stopped listening to her." —beatrizi462157f81
40. One thing I’ve learned so far is that nobody actually cares whether you dress up or not.
"I’m 16 now, and one thing I’ve learned so far is that nobody actually cares whether you wear makeup or not. Or whether you dress up or not. Once I realized that, getting all dolled up became an enjoyable experience and not a burden I had to endure every day." —shannonc42fc2fd87
41. Don't let anyone tell you "too much" or "not enough."
NOW GO SHOW YOURSELF SOME TLC AND DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY ❤️!
