Monday, August 15, 2011

Skin Care and Make Up advice for young teens(school appropriate)

Hey all

Before I start I just want to make it clear that I am not endorsing young girls to wear makeup but am more providing them a guide that may be helpful for those who do want to start but want some tips.
I want every girl out there to look into the mirror everyday and say to yourself "I AM FABULOUS AND I AM BEAUTIFUL" and truly feel it xox


Its been so long since I've done a blog post I thought long and hard about what to blog about next. I had so many ideas and wanted to start each one right away but then stopped and thought to myself, stuff reviews and do something a little different. Now I've done the tips for going blonde and at home manicures and facials(links at the bottom of this post if you are interested) but I wanted to do something that would really help someone who is young and may be interested in make up or wearing it but doesnt know where to start! This is a combination of my own experience, what I know,what I wish I had known and hopefully at the end in the comments section maybe you could add your own advice and experiences, maybe link this topic to a younger sister or cousin or friend or someone who maybe has some more useful advice that I may have missed or simply have not thought about. 

Ok so enough of my babble lets get to it!

Skin Care
OK, so you want to start wearing make up, this is when you should really start taking care of your skin. I started wearing make up at the age of 12 and this when I started using skin care products. What you should be using to keep your skin in good condition is a make up remover,cleanser and moisturiser. I don't see toner as an absolute must but it helps if you have acne or blackheads or large pores.
You need to be vigilant in washing your make up off otherwise it is going to cause skin concerns which as a teenager you don't need that on top of everything else going on in your life! After removing your make up follow with cleanser and make sure you really work it into the skin and rinse off thoroughly(I do this in the shower while I'm letting my conditioner work its magic). Follow with toner if you desire and moisturizer. Be careful not to overdo the moisturizer,I know I often slathered as much on as possible but really you don't need all that much. Also smooth moisturizer down your neck and chest, for this you can use a regular moisturizer or a body moisturizer if you have it.

Also use products for younger skin, alot of brands are coming out with "young" ranges and these generally will be best for you(I'm talking age range 11-17/18). If you have problematic skin like acne, brands like Neutrogena have some pretty good products to help.  Use sunscreen daily to protect against UV and UB rays or at least use a moisturizer with a good SPF

Another important tip I'd like to add which I wish I had been told is DON'T use anti aging or anti wrinkle products. You may think you are getting in early and beating wrinkles but your young skin does not need it! If you are using moisturizer,looking after your skin and wearing sunscreen you are already getting in early. Trust me on this.
Older teens may want to use an eye cream. Get something very light(eg no heavy creams).

Time to talk make up!

Now we get to the fun stuff, MAKEUP!
If your reading this blog you probably know a bit about make up or maybe just have an interest in it. First I want to discuss choosing make up

Right now you have a choice when it comes to the basics but first off I want to butt in here and put across something from my personal experience

Apart from the occasional pimple I had pretty lovely skin in my teen, skin that didnt need much if any coverage but yet I caked on the makeup which I now regret. The world we live in today has programmed us to look at ourselves with an overly critical eye, we are trained to find flaws that are only noticeable to us because we search for them. We are bombarded with what we are supposed to look like and they are often standards we cannot live up to. Please please please try not to critisize yourself and your peers too harshly, because you are beautiful and while I wear make up and talk about make up and hiding flaws, make up only enhances your natural beauty

So when it comes to the basics,start with tinted moisturizer or a light to medium coverage foundation. Have a good look at your skin and what sort of condition its in,ignore the pimple that will be gone next week and think,Do I need a tinted moisturiser or foundation that will give me a little extra coverage?
When you make that decision then you can start looking at product reviews and brands.
I'm not too clued up with tinted moisturisers as I havent used many and dont particularly like them.
So if you choose foundation the best tip I have for you is,when you go to buy one,take your MOTHER! YES YOUR MOTHER! Your mother sees you as you are,beautiful and she will be more helpful than your friends and she has your best interests at heart. She wants you to look and feel beautiful so she will be the best judge when picking out a brand and shade with the right amount of coverage. If you dont want to take your mother or she isnt in your life maybe you have an older sister or cousin who could take you. Either way take someone who is a little bit more experienced with make up who cares for you.
Another thing,if you and your mother are similar in coloring she may have a foundation you could swatch which may match and will help in selecting a shade.

I think at this age concealer is unnecessary 

A light pink blush applied with a light hand can look pretty and add color to your face but make sure your applying it correctly here is a link to one of my favourite YouTube guru's MakeupGeekTV's tutorial on how to apply blush CLICK ME.
If you're an avid YouTube tutorial watcher you probably know about bronzer and contouring,I think at this age don't bother with contouring, a young girl with a sculpted face is a bit OTT


When it comes to eyeshadow,this is a personal choice,if your going to school your not going to get away with teal eyeshadow or peacock inspired eyes so netural colors,fawn,beige,brown etc are your best bet. YouTube gurus have so many tutorials for school make up that you may want to check them out before purchasing eyeshadow. If you want to try color and you have the money go for it,but remember you don't have to do it all in one go, YouTube guru's often have large makeup collections but these were built up over time, and your will grow too Brushes are really pushed on YouTube,and being young you may not be able to afford brushes, and thats ok,with a bit of practice eyeshadow sponge applicators can work just fine as long as you are not going for anything too elaborate.You may find that you dont even want to use eyeshadow and you dont have to either. To see a simple back to basic video on eyeshadow(not a schoolday thing but maybe for the weekend) check out one of my favourite beauty guru's videos, emilynoel83 CLICK ME

Eyeliners,now these I think,so many young girls overuse eyeliner,the thick ring around your eyes,girls please please DON'T. Eyeliner can look good but you don't need the black raccoon look to do it. If you're going to school,you may not get away with eyeliner(I know lots of NZ schools would not let you) so you may want to skip it. If you do get eyeliner, brown is more forgiving color wise and pencil is a bit easier to master than gel or liquid liner. Again,there are tutorials all over YouTube for applying eyeliner and things. But remember, you are young so take time,you dont need to wear a million products and try and look 22 when you are 12!

Mascara is something I am never without, dark lashes look great! If your colouring is dark(dark hair and eyelashes) black mascara will be fine but fairer girls(remember Im thinking more for school) may only be able to get away with brown or clear mascara,which will look great especially with curled lashes. Application of mascara in my eyes is important because if you do it wrong,it looks silly. I start from the base of my lashes and wiggle it while moving upwards and do it again,making sure I get the inner and outer lashes coated. Alternatively you can watch this tutorial also by MakeupGeekTV.  

For your lips for a school look go for a gloss(or creamy lipstick) as close to a natural lip colour,you want colour to bring out your lips but you want it to look as natural as possible(no hot pink or vibrant reds girls,leave that for the weekend!)

And eyebrows,get them shaped or groomed professionally if you can,they will give you the best shape for your face and you can maintain them with daily maintenance plucking. 

Well thats it for me(its 5.05am right now!). I will be doing a follow up blog on this with more info

Please share your tips and tricks in the comments below or visit the simplystunninglygorgeous facebook page and comment and keep updated on new blog posts. I hope you enjoyed this and found this useful and till next time
Stay SimplyStunninglyGorgeous xx

Links
Give yourself an at home facial