For most young girls, their first impressions of beauty come from their moms. Whether yours taught you about skincare, how to apply eyeliner, or how to whip up a DIY beauty concoction, we have our mothers — or mother figure in our lives— to thank for a lot of our good beauty habits.
In honor of Mother’s Day, the ladies of YouBeauty share the best beauty advice their mothers ever gave them — and what they still religiously follow today, 20+ years later:
My mom always told me to take care of my chest (décolletage area) and not get sunburned so that I wouldn’t get leathery skin; she said it’s an area that a lot of people neglect. Very good advice!!
— Maggie Miller, President
Good skincare is worth the money. She only used Lancôme, and when I was 13, she brought me to Macy’s to get my own cleanser, toner, moisturizer set. She unfortunately turned me into a skincare snob, but thankfully I found a career path that deems that acceptable.
— Amy Marturana, Senior Editor
READ MORE: How to Change Your Beauty Routine During Pregnancy
My mother bought me my first moisturizer (Olay Original Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid…I still use it!) when I was around 9, and told me to put it on every morning and night after washing my face so I’ll “never grow up”. Since hydration helps ward off premature wrinkles, I’m happy she started me with moisturizer early!
— Julie Ricevuto, Staff Writer
I always remembered by mother using Nivea Cream. It is now my everyday lotion for my body and face. I don’t think I’ll ever use any other brand of lotion. After using it for more than 15 years, it’s the only product my mother and I fight over when one of us runs out of a bottle.
— Shahreen Uddin, Marketing Manager
Let your conditioner in the shower fall down your face to help with moisturizing. I swear it works and I still do it. Also, happiness and confidence is the most beautiful trait any women can have. SO true!
— Gabby Joshpe, Business Development & Sales Manager
My mom is always telling me to brush my hair. Even after I just brushed my hair, she tells me to brush my hair. I try and tell her “This is just what my hair looks like” but I don’t think she believes me.
— Jessica Wakeman, Executive Editor
READ MORE: The 7 Most Iconic Mom Haircuts of All Time
My mom is into fitness and at 51 she still does cycling. On staying fit or losing weight: “Stand up straight, do a bunch of cardio, lift weights and stay off the bread.”
— Itzy Ramirez, Digital Designer
My mom doesn’t wear a ton of makeup, but she is obsessed with moisturizing and constantly lotioning. She really does have the softest skin. Her particular pet peeve is dry, rhinoceros elbows. I basically was taught that the #1 ideal of beauty was having moisturized elbows. Because she wanted me to put lotion on my elbows so badly, I naturally never wanted to do it growing up. She would have to sneak up on me and put lotion on my arms. She will, to this day, call me and say “Are you putting lotion on your elbows?” Spoiler alert: Sometimes the annoying stuff your parents tell you to do is good for you. My elbows are soft as hell.
— Leah Prinzivalli, Staff Writer
The first time I took my Cuban/Italian unibrow to the waxer’s, I left with teeny tiny shreds of eyebrows. Both my mother and grandmother were furious that I had gotten rid of my thick brows. My mom told a (clearly made up) horror story about how her sister once got her eyebrows waxed too thin and they stayed that way. They pulled out photos of Cindy Crawford and Brooke Shields to make me feel better about my natural hairy eyebrows and to prove that they were “trendy.” I let them grow back in and never looked back. Fifteen years later, Cara Delevingne and I are on trend.
— Leah again, because clearly Mrs. Prinzivalli is a treasure trove of beauty advice
Use an avocado hair mask, and on scars, aloe vera gel.
— Precella Pareja, Senior Manager of Business Development
READ MORE: Make Your Mom This Easy, Healthy Brunch For Mother’s Day
