According to People magazine, the average woman spends approximately $43 on beauty products during each shopping trip. That might not sound like much, but if you do the math, this quickly adds up to over $2,000 in a year! That’s assuming that you only go out shopping once a week, and you don’t go after those premium beauty brands that cost a fortune.

It's true. We spend a lot of money on beauty products to keep our skin looking youthful, glowing, and flawless. Yet, whether we'd like to admit it or not, there are things we do that actually cause a lot of damage to our skin. No matter how much you spend on beauty products and treatments, unless you break these habits, you're just wasting a lot of hard-earned money.

However, there are many habits that you may not even be aware you have that are actually ruining your beautiful skin. Additionally, you might be looking for some tips on how you can break these habits, so you can get your money’s worth for all those beauty products you’re buying. And thats' where I come in with this list of the 5 nasty habits that are ruining your beautiful skin — and how to conquer them.

Ready? Let’s get started.

1. Not washing your pillowcases often enough

Your pillowcases and bedding may look clean, but these are actually riddled with lots of dirt and dust coming from the air and flowing through your room. On top of that, dead skin cells, oils and residue from your favorite moisturizer transfer onto them when you sleep. All of these eventually transfer onto your skin, clog your pores and cause acne and blemishes to form.

I'd recommend washing out and replacing your pillowcases and sheets once a week to help you get rid of all that dirt, and prevent it from transferring onto your face and body.

Also, make sure that you air out your pillows and mattress at least once a month. This will help kill those bed mites and other microscopic bugs that make their way here, which can cause you to develop allergies and different kinds of skin irritations.

2. Not washing your makeup brushes and sponges

Another nasty habit to kick is not washing out your brushes and sponges frequently.

Along with causing a buildup of makeup products, not washing your brushes and sponges frequently can cause dead skin cells and oil to transfer to your skin. These can clog your pores and cause whiteheads, blackheads and acne to form.

Leaving makeup to build up on your brushes and sponges can also stain them and even damage them.

I recommend washing your brushes and sponges every other day. I use Cinema Secrets brush cleaner because it really does an excellent job of getting rid of all the makeup residue from my brushes and sponges without drying them out.

After cleaning them, I’d spritz some alcohol on them. This will help disinfect your brushes and keep bacteria from building up on them.

3. Sleeping without removing your makeup

I admit this is one of those nasty habits I still struggle with, especially after a long day at work or after coming home from a night out on the weekend.

You need to take the time to take off all your makeup before heading to bed. Not only will leaving makeup on your face clog your pores, but it can also stain and ruin your pillowcases and sheets (speaking from experience).

If you’re afraid that washing your face will wake you up and make it harder to sleep afterwards, makeup removal wipes will do the trick. Don’t use alcohol to get your makeup off. Yes, it can remove your makeup much faster, but it will also dry out your skin, which can cause the oil glands inside your pores to go into overdrive.

4. Forgetting to put on sunblock

Since lots of makeup products already have sunblock, many think that they can just do away with putting this on before applying makeup.

The truth is that your skin needs all the coverage it can get from the sun’s harmful rays, which can cause all sorts of skin problems. Sunburn is the least of your problems because studies show that prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays can cause skin discoloration, premature aging, and even skin cancer. Those should be good enough reasons for you to kick this habit, and spend a few seconds to apply a layer of sunblock right before you put on your makeup.

5. Not drinking enough water

This is another thing that I’m still working on, along with battling dry skin. You need to be drinking at least eight glasses of water each day. Not only does this refresh your body, but it also helps flush out toxins and free radicals that can cause premature skin aging.

So there you have it: five nasty habits to kick in 2018. As you can see, it doesn’t take a lot to get rid of them. You just need to be consistent and aware so you don’t go do them again. And if you find yourself slipping, don’t worry. Just go back and start over. Your skin will thank you for it.

Now over to you. Are there any other nasty habits we have that damage our skin that I haven't included here? What tips do you have to break them? Share them in the comments below.

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