It’s that time of the year—fall colors, hot chocolate and spooky stories. And what’s spookier than skincare blunders?

As we prepare for a festive Halloween, let’s revisit our skincare horror stories with this – dare I say it – even spookier and even more gruesome edition.

WARNING: These are real people, sharing their real skincare horror stories. Continue reading at your own risk.

Dawn of the dread

I was so proud of my costume last year—a zombie. It took me 4 hours to do my makeup and I couldn’t really move my face for the night – but it was worth it. Everyone who saw me wanted to take pictures, they were so impressed! And I had such a good time at the party. A bit too much of a good time, tbh. I got home at 6AM and was way too tired to spend an hour washing all that makeup off. So I went straight to bed. Can you imagine what my skin looked like once I finally washed my face? Poor thing—blemishes, redness, irritation, clogged pores and of course, breakouts. My skin took weeks to recover! – Andrea S.

Uh oh, that does sound dreadful. The lesson here is: please wash your face before hitting the sack. With LUNA mini 3’s glow boost mode it only takes 30 seconds and it’s going to save you weeks of nurturing your skin back to life.

28 seconds later

I was supposed to be Harley Quinn. I had a whole outfit planned and everything. But that morning I read somewhere online that cinnamon is great for getting rid of cellulite. So that evening when I stepped out of the shower I smeared my cinnamon essential oil all over my body. Within seconds, huge red patches started appearing on my skin. It was like in an actual horror movie. I ended up going to the Halloween party as a mummy because I had to cover every inch of my bright-red skin. – Maya G.

Believe it or not, pouring essential oils directly onto the skin is a very common skincare mistake. And it’s also a huge NO NO. Any dermatologist, facialist or esthetician will warn you about the aggressiveness of these oils – most of them will just cause irritation or even allergic reactions. 

Invasion of the nasty breakouts

I don’t really wear makeup. As a matter of fact, I haven’t worn any in months before that dreadful evening. I came across a Youtube tutorial for Halloween-themed makeup look and I gave it a shot. It didn’t turn out bad at all! However, I didn’t realize I haven’t washed my makeup brushes in ages. I started breaking out that same night. Needless to say, I won’t let something like that happen ever again. – Luciana N.

Dirty makeup brushes? A common cause of mysterious breakouts. Don’t stress about breakouts, run to your bathroom and start cleaning your makeup brushes instead!

The cabin in the sun

Last October, me and my friends dressed up and went to a pumpkin patch and barbecued at my parents’ cabin afterward. It was an amazing day – sunny and beautiful and we had loads of fun. Unfortunately, my skin didn’t have a great time because I completely forgot to put any SPF on. The next day, I could feel some serious consequences. My back was burning, my legs were red and I even had a small fever. The sunburn was so bad – my face started peeling! That Halloween I stayed in bed with my fever and my sunburn, looking like an actual zombie. – Joanna J.

I got some serious goosebumps just from reading this. For the love of skincare, never ever ever forget to put sunscreen on. Especially if you’re spending an entire day outside in the sun. 

The shining

My horror story begins the day after Halloween. I was wearing a lot of makeup the night before and that morning my skin looked so dull. Since I’m used to shiny, dewy skin I decided to treat myself to a spa day at home and get that shine back. I did an exfoliating scrub, a chemical peel, even a clarifying face mask. Turns out, there is such a thing as over-exfoliating your face. My skin was so irritated and I felt so stupid. – Mindy K.

Over-exfoliating happens to all of us, especially those with oily skin. But drying out your skin to get rid of oiliness is a really bad idea. Always remember, your skin needs love and attention, not aggression.

What will you dress up as this Halloween? Share with us in the comments and remember to take care of your skin! To make your life easier, check out our exclusive Halloween deals!