Beauty Tips We Learned From Our Moms

As another Mother’s Day rolls around, we find ourselves thinking about the ways that our mothers influenced us—especially when it comes to beauty and self-care. Whether your mom puts on a full face of makeup every morning or opts for a more minimalist approach to her beauty routine, you probably picked up a thing or two from her. Here, the Beautylish editorial team shares the beauty tips and teachings they got from their mamas.

“My mom has always lived by (and taught me) the less-is-more philosophy, especially when it comes to beauty. She sticks to the basics—cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF—and goes makeup-free on most days. Any treatments or rituals she adopted into her routine were usually all-natural and passed down through the generations in my family. Her laissez-faire approach taught me to embrace my skin—even now when I play with makeup and skincare on the daily.” — Nurain A.

“On hot summer days, when my mom would slice up some refreshing watermelon for my sister and me to eat, she’d also do a little bit of DIY beauty with us. After we’d eaten the watermelon, she’d help us rub the rinds all over our faces. She claimed that the vitamins in the rind are good for your skin, and it helps give you a radiant, glowy complexion. I don’t remember if it gave me a glow—I was too young to care about that. I just remember it was silly, fun, and a little bit messy, and I loved the cool feeling of the watermelon rind on my skin.”— Christina F. [Editor’s note: Turns out, Christina’s mom was onto something—watermelon is full of skin-nourishing ingredients, like antioxidants lycopene and citrulline and vitamins A, B6, and C.]

“I have the fondest memories of my mom styling my hair everyday before elementary school. She also grew up with curly hair and had mastered the art of transforming a giant bed head into cute braids, buns, and ponytails. She taught me how to detangle, deep condition, and embrace my natural ‘do. Aside from her helpful hair advice, she always stressed the importance of developing myself from the inside out. She really instilled in me the importance of inner beauty.” — Victoria V.

“I’m not sure how I got so interested in beauty, because my mom has been a no-makeup, low-maintenance kind of person for as long as I can remember. The only makeup I remember her having was a few barely-used Clinique products stashed away for special occasions. She has extremely sensitive skin and can’t tolerate a lot of harsh, heavily scented products, so I learned from an early age to read labels, pay attention to ingredients, and avoid fragrance wherever possible. She’s also always been a devoted SPF user, so I’m grateful that she ingrained the importance of sun protection in me early on. Thanks, Mom!” — Kathryn F.