Moustaches top the list of beauty no-nos women dread their partners discovering (but don't worry girls, most men believe our good looks are all natural anyway)

By Katy Winter

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Women’s beauty regimes are often closely guarded secrets ... rituals that many of us rely on to help us face the day and definitely don't want to share with our other halves.

But our beauty habits have been exposed.

The good, bad and ugly parts of our regimes have been revealed in a new survey.

Don't worry though girls, the findings also confirm that most men think our beauty is all natural.

Heinous crime? The beauty secret women dread men finding out about is the fact that they actually have hair on their upper lip

Heinous crime? The beauty secret women dread men finding out about is the fact that they actually have hair on their upper lip

The research found that while 56 per cent of women agree that looking natural takes a lot of effort, with only 30 per cent of women considering themselves to be naturally beautiful, a whopping 90 per cent of men think beauty comes naturally to women.

It is little wonder then that we tend to keep the secrets behind our groomed and glowing bodies hidden from others.

A quarter of women of those polled by home colour hair brand nice'n easy confess to having at least one beauty secret and 23 per cent admit that nobody, least of all their partner, really knows the extent of their beautifying.

And not all beauty sins are equal.

It seems upper lip hair tops the list of hush-hush horrors: over half of women surveyed stated they have at least one beauty no-no they do not like their partner to see and a moustache is the worst thing their partner could discover.

Body hair, in general, is not something women feel comfortable acknowledging..

35 per cent would hate their other half to ever see their under arm hair and 23 per cent hate their stubbly legs being on view.

But keeping the bathroom door firmly closed is not necessarily a bad thing with 87 per cent of the men questioned admitting that they don’t mind if their partner keeps some beauty rituals hidden.

The beautifying secrets women want to keep behind the bathroom door

The beautifying secrets women want to keep behind the bathroom door

This view supported by women, with 70 per cent who keep a beauty secret from their partner believing it is key to a good relationship.

Psychologist and psychotherapist Rachel Shattock Dawson explains why: ‘In an age when very little remains taboo, many women still prefer to keep some things private, believing that there’s a place for a little mystery and mystique, even within their closest relationships.'

 

This is not to say that women don't talk about their beauty regimes, with 51 per cent sharing their favorite tips with their girlfriends and 27 per cent with their daughter.

A quarter of us (27 per cent) gather ideas and tricks from magazines with our friends coming a close second as a source of beauty knowledge (24 per cent).

Unsurprisingly few of us take tips from our menfolk, with only 5 per cent of women citing their partner as a wealth of beauty knowledge.

We might like others to think it is all natural - but we dedicate a lot of time to looking our bestWe might like others to think it is all natural - but we dedicate a lot of time to looking our best

We might like others to think it is all natural - but we dedicate a lot of time to looking our best

The average woman will spend over a year of her life time making herself beautiful.

Hectic lifestyles see us spending just 18 minutes beautifying on a typical day, but this rises considerably to an hour for special occasions such as a wedding, birthday or anniversary.

And women admit to devoting 40 minutes of prep-time for a night out with girlfriends, which is more than we spend getting ready for a date with our partner.

Experts say that women find their habits mentally transformative with 62 per cent of women saying their beauty regime makes them feel like a new person and 73 per cent agreeing they feel more confident once it is completed.

Ms Dawson says: ‘Knowing your hair looks great and you look your natural best, clearly pays great dividends in confidence and self-esteem.’ 

Sharing is caring: How our beauty tips and tricks get passed around

Sharing is caring: How our beauty tips and tricks get passed around

 

The comments below have not been moderated.

Haha, this is so true! I've been with my husband 7 years, and he has seen every single routine, which I don't really mind-- but NOT the mustache, that's just my business, lol!

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Women's beauty regime? Slap on some Nivea and off you go! I'm 22 and still don't see why women have this long morning routine! Men don't and they look great!

Click to rate     Rating   2

After you've been living with your partner at least a year there is nothing than they don't see, and nothing you don't see them do - and they have their own little beauty secrets too!

Click to rate     Rating   1

The woman in the top photo doesn't need to worry about a moustache, but what about the hairy arm and chewed fingernails? Now they are turn-offs.

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I once dated a woman with a hairy chest - yes a hairy chest - that was a big no no for me - Joe Soap , Bedford, 21/11/2012 19:57 >>> Out of interest, sure it didn't go... 'Bahhh Bahh'?

Click to rate     Rating   3

Moustache? -- how about "One more facelift and she's going to be sporting a goatee!" That's got to be near the top.

Click to rate     Rating   6

Women are like the rest of the female animal kingdom - plain and not particularly attractive in their natural state. None of this therefore comes as a surprise.

Click to rate     Rating   17

90% of men think women naturally look like they do when they have make-up on? I really doubt that. Usually it's fairly obvious that nearly all women wear at least SOME make-up.

Click to rate     Rating   17

Red arrow me if you want, but if a woman has more hair above her top lip than I do it's a severe turn off for me. Other than that I can cope with a little hair here and there. I wouldn't expect someone to shave or trim or whatever every day, but there comes a point when it does have to be attented to. And yes, I manscape. I don't expect/ask for anything of a woman that I'm not prepared to do myself.

Click to rate     Rating   33

I spend about 5 minutes on a normal day 'primping and preening', and I shave in front of my husband, and he doesn't care about my stubbly bits. I guess I'm not normal then. Still, I have much more time to do more useful things this way!

Click to rate     Rating   28

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