I Got Sunburned On Purpose (And 6 More Embarrassing Skincare Confessions)

We all want to take good care of our skin, but figuring out how can feel surprisingly overwhelming. For years, I stumbled through skincare with more mistakes than wins!

I’ve paid way too much for tiny bottles that didn’t deliver, used scrubs that could have doubled as sandpaper, and (I cringe to admit it) spent entire summers trying to maximize my sunburns in pursuit of the perfect tan.

I started taking skincare seriously in my 40s, but it’s been a long road of learning, experimenting, and figuring out what works for my skin. It took years of trial and error, research, and plenty of “well, that didn’t work” moments before I found a simple, effective approach to caring for my sensitive, changing skin.

So today, I thought we’d take a little trip down memory lane. I’m sharing seven of my most embarrassing skincare confessions — things I wish I’d known sooner and mistakes you might recognize, too!

7 Embarrassing Skincare Confessions

CONFESSION #1: I Slept In My Makeup

It’s one thing to collapse into bed with your makeup on after a particularly long day, but this wasn’t just a teenage mistake for me. For years, I figured that once my teen acne days were behind me, the occasional night of falling asleep with my makeup on surely wouldn’t hurt. What was the worst that could happen — mascara on my pillowcase?

But what I didn’t realize was how much that habit was working against my skin, especially as I got older. Leftover makeup, oil, and bacteria can clog pores, irritate skin, and contribute to dullness and aging (not to mention making your pillowcase a breeding ground for bacteria!)

And now that I use things like a retinol night serum, I have to start with clean skin — those products can’t do their job if they’re layered over yesterday’s makeup. Now, double cleansing is my nightly non-negotiable.

I use my Nourishing Oil Cleanser to melt away makeup and sunscreen, followed by the Purifying Daily Cleanser to leave my skin fresh and ready for my nighttime treatments. And on those nights when I’m just too tired, my microfiber makeup remover cloths are the best backup plan I’ve found. It’s a habit I wish I’d built sooner—but I’m grateful I finally have now!

CONFESSION #2: I Got Sunburned On Purpose

Sunscreen? We barely knew what it was in the ’70s and ’80s, let alone used it — not at the beach, not at the pool, not during long summer days outside. We were trying to do the exact opposite of protecting our skin. We wanted to get a little burned because we thought it would “turn into a tan.”

To speed things along, we’d slather ourselves in baby oil and lie out like rotisserie chickens. And those DIY reflectors—remember those? We’d cover cardboard with aluminum foil and hold it under our chins to bounce even more sun onto our faces, as if direct sunlight wasn’t enough! It makes me laugh (and cringe) to think about it now, but that was just what we did back then.

Of course, we know better now. All that sun didn’t just give us tans — it contributed to fine lines, dark spots, and sagging skin that’s a lot harder to fix than it would have been to prevent. While I can’t change the past, I do take much better care of my skin today.

I never skip SPF, even on cloudy days, and I use my Vitamin C Serum and Wrinkle Reducing Night Serum to help brighten discoloration and support my skin’s natural repair process. If you’re working to undo a little of the sun damage from our “baby oil and foil” days, trust me — you’re not alone, and it’s never too late to start.

CONFESSION #3: I Believed The “Beauty Is Pain” Myth

I used to think the burn was the whole point of skincare. I practically soaked my face in Sea Breeze Astringent and Bonne Belle’s Ten-O-Six “Lotion” (which was really just alcohol in a bottle with a friendlier label). The more it tingled—and honestly, burned—the more convinced I was that it was zapping away every trace of acne.

Of course, what I didn’t know back then was that all that stinging wasn’t helping my skin at all. It was stripping away my skin’s protective barrier and leaving it irritated and vulnerable.

It took me a long time to unlearn the “beauty is pain” mindset, but now I use products with ingredients that actually nourish and support my skin! My Ideal Daily Moisturizer is packed with them: glycerin to draw in hydration, squalene and hyaluronic acid to help lock it in, niacinamide to smooth and refine, and soothing plant extracts like chamomile and aloe to calm and protect.

It turns out, good skincare isn’t about punishing your skin. It’s about taking care of it, and now that I am, my skin is much happier for it!

CONFESSION #4: I Exfoliated With Sandpaper

Or I might as well have, at least according to this very real 1985 ad for Aapari Facial Scrub:

“If you want to keep your skin looking young, stop babying it. It’s time you got tough. With Aapri facial scrub. It’s brown. It’s rough. Its coarse granules of crushed apricot seeds are more concentrated, more abrasive than any other scrub. So it works harder than any other scrub to remove the dull, dead skin layer that keeps your fresher, younger, baby-soft skin from seeing the light of day. Don’t keep your youth under cover. Get a little tougher with Aapri. And keep bringing out that baby face of yours. Aapri. Because staying young is a tough job.”

I used this and other apricot scrubs religiously, convinced that the rougher they felt, the better they worked. Of course, I now know that sanding your face like an old piece of wood is not the secret to smooth, glowing skin.

I’ve traded those coarse granules for something much smarter: my Wrinkle Reducing Night Serum. It helps bring out fresher, smoother skin while I sleep — no scratching required. It’s amazing what a little skincare wisdom (and a few decades of experience) will teach you.

CONFESSION #5: I Spent $195 On A Tiny Bottle of Serum

Back when I was raising four young kids, drugstore skincare products were all I could afford, and even those sometimes felt like a splurge! But later, once I had a little more breathing room in my budget, I immediately assumed that expensive products would work better than the drugstore stuff.

After a skin treatment, I walked out of the clinic having forked over $195 for a tiny, one-ounce bottle of serum that I was convinced was going to be life-changing. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.) But expensive doesn’t always equal effective, and using the right products consistently will do a lot more for you than chasing miracle creams with eye-popping price tags.

I’m so grateful to have found a routine that works — and that I can actually afford! My 5-step skincare system costs about $70 less than that one little bottle I bought, especially during my current skincare sale, and it’s done more for my skin than any luxury serum ever did.

Whether you’ve splurged in the past or never felt comfortable spending that kind of money, I hope you’ll take heart — quality skincare can be simple, effective, and affordable.

CONFESSION #6: I Judged A Book By Its Cover

I can’t tell you how many creams, serums, and toners I’ve bought over the years just because they were pretty. If the bottle looked expensive or came in soft pink with gold lettering, I was sold.

Of course, more often than not, those beautifully packaged products didn’t actually do much, including one drugstore moisturizer I tried because it had gorgeous packaging and a “made in France” label.

Thankfully, I’ve learned my lesson, and now I pay attention to what really matters about a product: what’s actually in it! I look for formulas that are well-made, well-balanced, and gentle enough for my sensitive skin, no matter how plain the bottle may be.

Skincare doesn’t need to be a status symbol; it just needs to work. That’s why my Timeless by Jillee products focus on what matters: caring for aging skin so it feels healthier and looks its best.

CONFESSION #7: I Didn’t Know What I Was Doing

For years, I knew very little about skincare, and when I tried to figure out what I should be doing in that department, I’d get overwhelmed by options, advice, and conflicting information. I’d try something for a while, get discouraged, and give up.

Then one day, right around age 40, I looked in the mirror and thought, “Jillee, you’ve got to get your act together.” That was my turning point. I finally understood that taking care of my skin wasn’t about vanity — it was about taking care of me. I also realized it didn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I just needed a routine that made sense and worked for my skin.

Since then, I’ve tried to be more intentional — I aim for consistency, not perfection, and I stick to gentle and effective ingredients in products that support my skin’s needs. If you’ve ever felt behind or embarrassed about not having a “real” skincare routine, you’re not alone!

So many of us had to figure it out later in life — and it’s never too late to start. That’s exactly why I created the Timeless by Jillee Skincare System: to offer women a simple, trustworthy routine that takes the guesswork out of caring for their skin.

Conclusion

Looking back on these mistakes and errors in judgment, I find that I’m strangely grateful for them. Every wrong turn was a lesson that got me another step closer to the simple, effective routine I have now.

If you can relate to any of my confessions, know this: it’s never too late to start caring for your skin in a way that feels good and works for you! You don’t need a drawer full of fancy products or a complicated regimen. A few well-chosen products, used consistently, can make all the difference.

That’s exactly why I created the Timeless by Jillee Skincare System — to take the guesswork out of skincare and help you feel confident and supported, no matter where you’re starting from.

Right now, all of the products in the Timeless by Jillee line are 30% off, but when you buy the complete system, you’ll save 40%. That takes the cost down to just $126.57 (regularly $210.95). That’s a savings of more than $80!

While each product in the Timeless line works beautifully on its own, they’re formulated to work even better together as a complete system. Many customers tell me they see dramatically better results when using all five products together rather than just one or two, and the complete kit is the most economical way to experience the full benefits.

Plus, it’s backed by my 90-day satisfaction guarantee. If you don’t love it for any reason, I’ll give you a full refund, no questions asked.

So here’s to giving our skin the kindness it deserves (and retiring those old aluminum foil reflectors for good!) 

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Have a skincare confession of your own? Share it in the comments!