From sleeping in mascara to skipping skincare, our editors confess their 5 worst beauty habits

Despite knowing that we shouldn't, there are some beauty sins even the woman&home beauty team are guilty of committing, and we've finally been brave enough to admit to them.

Just like Claudia Winkleman does not take makeup off before bed, one member of our beauty team has also been known to snooze in a full face, one of us has incredibly bad nail habits, and another of us can't keep up a skincare routine to save her life. So, despite teaching woman&home readers our insider team beauty lessons on the daily, we sometimes can't take our own advice.

They say the first step is recognising you have a problem, and we're here to warn you against all of our skincare mistakes, in the hope you can do better than us.

1. Beauty Director, Sarah: I sleep in my makeup

The bad habit: As someone who's been writing about beauty for over 20 years, I know that one of the worst things you can do for your skin is not cleansing it properly - you need to lift off the day's dirt and makeup to stop pores from getting blocked and the skin from looking dull. But sometimes I have to admit that after a long day, or a few too many wines, I do fall headfirst into my bed without cleansing my face.

The fix: Sometimes a girl is just too tired to do a routine. I'm not always an advocate of double cleansing, as I find it far too much for my skin to double cleanse daily, but on those mornings after the night before, I do. First with a balm cleanser, giving my skin a little buff while removing with a flannel and then I'll hop in the shower and use a gel face cleanser or I might use an exfoliating pad to lift any flakes. Then I'll use a vitamin C serum and a peptide day cream, and my skin is right as rain.

2. Senior Beauty Editor, Rhiannon: I don't regularly wash my hair

The bad habit: The thing that really gets me in trouble with hair experts is that I don't wash my hair often enough. Because I have curly hair, it's naturally quite dry; it doesn't really get greasy. I tend to wash it once a week, and whenever I've been forced to admit this to a trichologist, they're always disgusted. Their view is that a clean scalp is essential for healthy hair - my view is that it takes ages for me to do my whole wash-day routine, and I can't face doing it any more often than I already do.

The fix: A lot of Trichologists I've spoken to say you should wash your hair every day for optimum scalp health, whereas a lot of hairdressers say this can dry the hair out. I definitely couldn't do it every day (I have a life), but I am experimenting with a second pre-weekend wash day where I use a clarifying shampoo for curls, and I'm hoping it will keep me out of trichologist jail.

3. Beauty Editor, Jess: I use mascara for months

The bad habit: I have written countless features waxing lyrical about how often you you should replace your mascara, while merrily applying the same tube I’ve had on the go for at least the last five months. I know there is a risk of bacteria brewing inside the tube, but it just feels so wasteful to throw it in the bin when there’s still so much product in the tube. Plus, working from home means I don’t get through anywhere near as much mascara as I did pre-pandemic – my Zoom beauty routine is much less labour-intensive.

Controversially, I do think that most mascara formulas hold my stubbornly straight lashes in a curl better when the formula has dried out a little – another reason why I’m inclined not to replace them. I’ve not had conjunctivitis yet, and I do at least draw the line at sharing a mascara, no matter how desperate my friend might be.

4. Beauty Editor, Steph: I pick my gels off

The bad habit: Wondering what things people with healthy nails always do? It's definitely not this... I have been known to pop off my gels. I know - it's shameful! Even worse, I do it in the bath, when my nails are already at their weak point. I shouldn't do it, and I can see the trail of destruction its left - weak, papery-thin nails that just won't grow and break easily.

The fix: I don't really have an excuse except I feel like I just don't have the time to book in for a standalone removal appointment. I am, however, making a concerted effort to stop, and I actually haven't had gels for months to let my nails recover. If I do have gels, my 2027 resolution is to get an at-home removal kit and soak them off at home - finally mastering how to remove gel nails at home, once and for all.

5. Beauty writer, Annie: I neglect my skin

The bad habit: Being a lazy human doesn't always chime well with being a beauty writer, as there are plenty of days I can't be bothered with a 1-step skincare routine, let alone the 12-step skincare routine I've just told you to practise. I tend to be a very all-or-nothing beauty lover. There are plenty of days I smugly double cleanse, apply my vitamin C followed by my SPF, and my skin looks fabulous. Then I can easily go a couple of days without even adding a drop of moisture.

My poor skin never knows which 'me' it will get. The one that drenches it in all the right ingredients at the right times or the one that neglects it for days on end. The irony is that I write daily about the importance of being consistent with your skin, and how, over any product, ingredient or brand, consistency is the only thing that truly makes a difference. I am a beauty fraud.