Teenage dream
So how do young girls get their teenage kicks these days when it comes to experimenting with looks and trends?
Back in the day when they started experimenting with make up, they probably looked to their older sisters or spent hours poring over magazines looking at the latest look paraded by their favourite pop stars.
In more modern times it’s Instagram, but for me that can be a problem. Instagram can give a false image to which young girls aspire.
There is no such thing as perfection yet these images promote that.
There are filters to smooth skin, brighten eyes, slim down the face, even lift the cheekbones – young girls are even using Skinny filters on posts!
I think this is a huge problem as young girls are under enough pressure to look good – or perfect.
However, perfection can be dull when it comes to appearance – there’s nothing exciting about everyone looking the same – and youngsters should embrace quirks and individuality.
It seems we have an attack of the clones and character is getting lost in the mix. Individuality is wonderful and youngsters can look great while still staying true to themselves and experimenting – if you can’t do that in your teens when can you?.
So how do you steer your teenage daughter or niece away from the obsession with perfection?
With great difficulty I’m afraid but here is my teenage look which hopefully will make them feel great.
Laying the foundations
Use a light foundation, not a full coverage. Full coverage looks harsh, ageing and mask-like. Night time being an exception when you’re getting ready for a big night out.
We all want flawless skin so if you have blemishes, fine point conceal them. Use a fine lip brush to work around each blemish, covering it with a concealer the same colour as your foundation. Once you have done this, set it with some powder.
My favourite is Mac Mineralise skin finish. It comes in a range of tones from Light to dark.
Don’t load your under eye area with pale concealer. Half a shade lighter and lightly applied is enough.
Forget the contour
Especially in daytime. Instead, use a cooler tone of bronzer, e.g. Hoola by Benefit, and sweep it under the cheekbones.
This will sculpt your cheeks naturally without looking like crazy stripes. Run a little along your hairline too to give your face extra dimension.
Apply a peachy blush to the apples of your cheeks using a round fluffy brush. Your skin be glowing.
Brow down to greatness
If you want to define your eyebrows, follow their natural shape with an angled brush and a gel or powder.
If your hair is dark, try to go slightly lighter with your gel. If you are very fair then slightly darker, but choose a blonde shade as brown will be too red.
Eye, eye
Go all out on the eyes if you want to, just don’t team it up with heavy foundation. Keep a focus rather than OTT with everything. Keep it funky.
Kat Von D and Makeup Forever do amazing liquid liners and Ardell have the best lashes.
Take a look at your eye shape before trying to copy a look. It can be adapted to suit but you have to work with what you have. There are loads of great tutorials on Youtube to help.
Lip service
For lips – go funky. Bright, black, green or purple ... but be mindful of what suits you more than follow trend.
Make up should enhance you, not mask you. The style and colours that should be your favourites are the ones that look great on you.