Before there were beauty bloggers, like Jaclyn Hill, Jackie Aina, and James Charles, many of people experimenting with makeup for the first were on their own. Applying makeup is a journey that is not the same for everyone but I am sure that most people who wear makeup have looked back at their old pictures and thought, "Wow, my makeup did not look as good as I thought it did!"

I started wearing makeup when I was 13-years-old. My mother and aunt took me to the bareMinerals counter to have one of the artists help me pick out some makeup and give me tips on how to apply the different products. When I left the store with my eyeshadows and mascara, I thought applying makeup would be easy, but I soon realized that I had no idea what I was doing.

There were many times when I tried to do my makeup in the morning and messed it up so badly that I would have to use a makeup wipe to take all of it off before going to school. It took me years to figure out what products I liked, to feel completely comfortable applying makeup, and to figure out what looks good on my face. The products and how I apply makeup have changed completely from when I started.

When I started using makeup, it was a trial-and-error process for me. Looking back at old photos I realized that I have made quite a few relatable makeup mistakes that I would not make today.

1. Making myself look like a raccoon

As cute and cuddly as the raccoon in the photo above looks, the raccoon look was not a good look for me. Eyeliner is something we all love until it goes wrong. I used to wear black eyeliner every day and sometimes it would get a little out of control.

Anyone who has used eyeliner has had the experience where they mess and then try to fix your mistake, but it only gets worse. Some days I would leave my house in the morning with a large, thick black line outlining my eyes. Ultimately, practice makes perfect and I eventually got better at eyeliner!

2. Not blending

While making sure you blend all of your makeup into your skin may seem easy, I still managed to mess it up. It is extremely important to smooth out any harsh lines that make it obvious that you are wearing foundation. Unfortunately, rushing out the door to get to school at 7:30 in morning did not leave me a lot of time to make sure my foundation blended seamlessly at all times.

3. Not using an eyeshadow primer

When I first started wearing makeup I did not know what an eyeshadow primer was and I simply applied eyeshadow directly to my lid. Now, this may not be a big deal to some people but it is to me! Before I started using an eyeshadow primer my eyeshadow would immediately slide off my lid after I applied it or end up looking patchy. Now with the help of eyeshadow primers, my eyeshadow lasts all day!

4. Not filling in my eyebrows

I cannot believe there was a time where I did not fill in and shape my brows. Even on days where I don't want to wear makeup, I will sometimes use my brow pencil to fill in my brows. Using an eyebrow pencil is so easy and can take less than a minute.

5. Not washing my face properly

Cleaning your face properly and taking care of your skin is very important when you wear makeup! When I was younger, I would wash my face but not use products that completely remove all of the makeup off the surface of my skin. I would've saved myself from many breakouts and blemishes if I made sure that all of my makeup was getting off my face and not clogging my pores.