14 Beauty Lessons From Our Significant Others

This post originally appeared on Allure. 

We've pretty much dedicated our lives to learning new beauty lessons. Whether it's the many ways you can curl your hair with a flatiron or the skinny on which ingredients you need to worry about, we soak up information everywhere we can find it, and the home front is no exception. Our moms are always a go-to source, and our dads also get in on the action, but our significant others play just as much of a role in helping us look and feel like our best selves. With that in mind, we asked Allure editors and some influencers from the beauty, fashion, and all-around-being-too-cool-for-school industries to tell us about the best beauty lesson they've ever picked up from the ones they love.

Hanneli Mustaparta, blogger: "It's the most romantic feeling cleaning your face in the evening, with someone you're head over heels for, telling you how beautiful you are without any makeup on. Boys like us natural and real. One boyfriend thought me that after shaving my armpits, I could use something called Bump Patrol. It stings for two seconds, but it helps avoid red bumps when having to shave often during busy summer months."

Matt Fugate, hairdresser at Serge Normant: "What I learned from [my wife] is: Not every girl likes their hair pulled, so I'm a gentler braider. She also taught me how to organize my hair kit because she is OCD, which means so am I now." And his wife? "Date a hairdresser—don't marry one—if you want your hair done," says Laura Fugate.

Lexi Novak, beauty editor: "My boyfriend gets on me for picking my face. I'm a pore squeezer and pimple popper, and it makes him so mad. He tells me to keep my hands off and that I create redness and scars and pimples out of nothing—he's right. If he notices I've been quiet in the bathroom for a while, he'll even pop his head in to check that I'm not destroying my skin. It bugs me in the moment, but in hindsight, I'm thankful."

Hillary Kerr, cofounder of Clique Media Group: "I'm a Virgo—self-critical is basically my middle name—who spent her life adhering to a very strict beauty maintenance schedule, until I met my fiancé. Don't get me wrong: I'm still pretty intense about my regimen, but the fact that he makes me feel beautiful, even when I haven't shaved my legs in 24 hours (OK, I'm still a little compulsive) is a huge deal for me."

Candice Huffine, model: "The best beauty advice I've ever gotten is from my husband, who encouraged me to go makeup-free more often and love my fresh, natural look."

Claire Knebl, managing editor at Glossier: "My boyfriend doesn't have much of a beauty routine, but he does wear this really nice cologne, Comme de Garçons Wonderoud. I'm always pretty confident in my perfume choices and am mildly obsessed with Elizabeth and James dry shampoo (which has a scent that's hard to miss), so when we go out and he gets complimented for smelling good, rather than me, it reminds me to be humble."

Jeremy Allen, photographer: "I've learned that sometimes the most beautiful thing is the thing that isn't textbook perfect. My boyfriend has a gap in his teeth that was never fixed, despite braces. It's become his trademark."

Jan Ahlgren, founder of Vilhelm Parfumerie: "The best beauty advice I've learned from Polly, my wife, is the importance of a good night's sleep. Polly's skin looks young, and she always says it's because she's been asleep for half her life. I don't know if it's beauty advice or life advice (I do think you become more radiant the happier you are), but Polly taught me the importance of allowing yourself to veg and waste time with your partner. We always have one day of the weekend with absolutely nothing planned, so we can spend hours laying around in bed, ordering food, reading books and watching movies."

Jenna Rosenstein, digital beauty editor, Harper's Bazaar: "I think the biggest beauty lesson I learned from my boyfriend is that when it comes to beauty, change is good. My boyfriend always tells me that he likes when I change things up—bangs, highlights, a pixie cut, a new perfume—he loves and embraces it all. Sometimes it's so easy to get stuck in a rut, but he encourages me by supporting any and all newness when it comes to my look. I love that about him."

Daniella Yacobovsky, cofounder and co-CEO, BaubleBar: "A classic closed-toe, high-heel pump in your skin tone is the most flattering thing you can wear always. It creates a bit of an illusion by really lengthening legs. So in the spirit of Valentine's Day, a love letter. Dear high heels: thanks for the optical illusion (and the back problems)."

Caitlin Heikkila, social media director, DuJour: "My husband has taught me not to be so hard on myself. I'm a perfectionist with high standards when it comes to everything I do, and he's convincing me to let go a little bit. I'm slowly coming around."

Kira Nasrat, makeup artist with Violet Grey: "When my husband and I started dating, he once said to me that less is more. Not just face makeup—body, too. He was referring to body bronzers and self-tanners that get all over clothing, sheets and towels. Instead, opt for a nourishing body oil that'll give a subtle glow and the same tint effect as body bronzers, but without all the messiness my husband—and I'm sure other men!—don't love."

And because sometimes moms are the best valentines, Lais Ribeiro, model and Victoria's Secret Angel: "Since I can remember, my mother would say, 'Nothing is more beautiful to the touch than soft skin,' so I moisturize constantly!"