The Best Beauty Advice Our Moms Ever Gave Us

Kelsey Dobbs

Senior Marketing Manager

My mother is a minimalist when it comes to her skin-care and beauty routine. As a result, she did not often give me advice when it came to beauty. However, in junior high, when the trend of ultra-skinny eyebrows were at their peak, she advised me to never mess with them. Today, I appreciate that advice more than ever and am thankful for my full, dark brows.

Leya Kaufman

Head of Sales

My mom is my blonde beauty icon—and she’s a true loyalist. She taught me from a young age that beauty is an art and that true artists can be lifelong extensions to the family. She always urged me to turn to the experts for advice before emulating a new trend, too. The only time I didn’t heed that advice, I ended up with a misplaced, sad attempt at a red strip of hair after a bad breakup in college. It looked like a burgundy raccoon strip. I learned my lesson, though. Ever since, mom and I both promised to follow Gion Vincent & Stephen Wang of Studio B Salon NYC anywhere (even right now, if that means we’ll follow them on Instagram, Zoom, and FaceTime).

Halle Lagatta

Associate Creative Producer

My mom always was and always has been the most beautiful girl in the world! I won’t tell you how old she is because she’d kill me, but her biological age does not reflect her chronological age! Whenever people ask her what her secret is, she simply replies, “I drink a lot of water and moisturize!” While I juggle my ice rollers, jade rollers, and expensive creams, this quick, no-fuss tip gives me pause. Maybe it really is as simple as staying hydrated and moisturizing with an inexpensive cold cream…or maybe it’s being blessed with great genes (*plays “I Got It from My Mama”).

Olivia Kenney

Creative Producer

Aside from the golden rule (never pluck your eyebrows), my mom shared a wealth of self-care knowledge over the years. Baked into our foundation of beauty was the important note that makeup was always a small enhancement to a clean, moisturized face. Through every teen breakout and countless temptations to justify a smoky eye, my mom always enforced less was more. I was incredibly frustrated by this as an eighth grader, when green and blue eyeshadow made their way to the main stage—but looking back, I was rarely caught on camera wearing any experimental looks, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Now into my mid-twenties, I barely even leave the house with mascara on. A good highlighter and an even better lip gloss, and you are ready for just about any occasion.

Rachel Pickus

Creative Associate

Although she reluctantly handed me a pair of tweezers in the seventh grade, my mom instilled the importance of holistic health from an early age. To this day, whenever I complain about a stubborn breakout or dry, itchy skin, she immediately runs through her checklist: Am I drinking enough water? Eating too much sugar? When was the last time I got eight hours of sleep? And if that’s not enough, she usually sends me out to buy a cocktail of lotions and potions that almost always do the trick. As I enter my mid-twenties, I’ve found more value than ever in her less-is-more mentality with the hope that I’ll age just as beautifully. Oh, and don’t worry, my eyebrows grew back!

Ashley Combs

Design Director

Growing up, my mom was always up early, showered, and ready for the day before she dragged me out of bed to get ready for school. My 15-year-old self didn’t understand why anyone would get up that early if they didn’t have to, but she told me it made her feel good and ready to have a productive and healthy day. That time in the morning was her own version of “self-care” before it became a hashtag. Her advice stuck with me, but it wasn’t until I had my daughter that I really understood it. I can binge Netflix (or chase a toddler around) in my sweats with the best of them, but it’s the mornings that I wake up, exercise, shower, and put on an outfit I love, even if that’s a great pair of jeans and t-shirt, that have me feeling my best. And as we head into day 572 (or something) of quarantine, Mom’s wise words are feeling more relevant than ever.

Jessica Teves

Head of Content

My mom is not interested in makeup or anything beauty/skin-care related—to this day, I don’t think I have once seen her wear makeup—but she has drilled into my head, from a very early age, the power of sunblock. I used to complain that we could never share makeup and beauty secrets, but as I get older, I can’t help but sing this angel’s praises for giving me the number one skin-care tip of all time at a tender age. Thanks, Mama Bear—my skin is very appreciative!

Leah Faye Cooper

Editorial Director

They never met or swapped secrets about raising daughters, but Kelsey’s mom and my mom were on the exact same page. I was also encouraged to leave my brows be, and bless my mother for that very sound advice. To this day I’ve never touched them, and they’ve remained full (and seemingly groomed)—one less thing to worry about.

Hannah Baxter

Senior Beauty Editor

Although my mom was never much of a beauty girl in terms of hair or makeup, she definitely taught me about taking good care of my skin. She led by example, always washing her face with a gentle cleanser and following up with moisturizer and sunscreen. So by the time I was 12, I had my own skin-care routine, a habit I continue, morning and night, to this day. Even now, in her 60s, her skin glows, and whenever someone demands to know how I get my own skin to look preternaturally dewy, all I need to do is show them her picture. Thanks for the tips, Momma Bear, and the stellar genes, too.

Stephanie Ingber

Senior Digital Media Planner

My mom taught me to always leave the house looking your best, because when you look your best, you feel like the best version of yourself. Additionally, my mom always stressed the importance of taking care of your skin and investing in long-term products.

Abby Miller

Head of Production

The best beauty advice I ever got from my mom was actually more of a self-love lesson. She always told me to let go of the dangerous mindset of “I’ll be happy when...” We all know this trap. “I’ll be happy when… I lose these last five pounds,” or “I’ll be happy when…I get my skin under control.” She warned me that this way of thinking would always leave me unhappy because the truth is, after you achieve that said goal, you will always find something new to obsess about. She encouraged me to find acceptance and self-love in the now, not in the “when…”

Giselle Persak

Campaign Manager

The first thing that comes to mind when posed with this question is “Giselle, do NOT pick at your face.” My mom used to shout this out at me whenever she would notice me in the bathroom, and nine times out of ten, she would catch me with my face an inch away from a magnified mirror. Thankfully, I heeded her advice over time. She taught me to always wash my face and swears that using Albolene to remove mascara has kept wrinkles around her eyes at bay (I get scolded each time I bring makeup wipes on a family vacation). Oh—and she stands by Retin-A as her lifelong secret weapon.



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