Color Me Bad

I know I've mentioned before that I love to wear color on my face, my eyes especially. The right color can really make your eyes pop, and complement or enhance your natural eye color. I have brown eyes, so I love to wear purples and greens on my lids, but there is a fine line between getting color right during the day and getting it very very wrong. First of all, make sure that you are applying your makeup in a well-lit space. Obviously if your bathroom or bedroom is on the darker side, you'll tend to go heavier on the makeup because you can't really see it. And then you go outside and people stare because you look like you have clown makeup on. And we don't want that to happen to you. So, always be sure that you can clearly see what you are doing. Back to wearing color during the day, I left the house today wearing a bright blue shadow with charcoal gray in the outer corners of my lids. Consider toning down how much color you're wearing when you are going out in the day time - I lightly applied the blue and the gray was just a touch of color to set off my eyes. I also skipped the eyeliner on my top lid because I didn't want my look to be overly dramatic for the day time. Instead, take a gray or black pencil and just line the bottom lash line, to emphasize the shape of your eye, without adding too much weight to your look. Finish it off with a great black mascara and you're all set. If I step out tonight, I might do a black liquid liner to dress up the look, but it's really a bit much for middle of the day, summer time makeup on top of the color I'm already wearing. So remember to keep it simple - but fun - during the day and kick it up when the sun goes down.

Making It Your Own

How you wear your makeup is ultimately an expression of how you see yourself and how you want other people to see you. Your face is the first thing people see when they meet you, and makeup can actually make a pretty lasting impression. Your teenage years are no exception to this, but what makes it especially hard is the desire to stand out while at the same time, fitting in. You want to blend in, you want to be like everyone else and do the same things your friends are doing - and yet, you want to be noticed, you want to be different and special. I see groups of girls all the time who are dressed in different variations of the exact same outfit - from head to toe, same, same, same. Maybe the color of the shirt is different, or the brand of the skirt, or the exact style of the shoe, but essentially, it's all the same. And the same goes for makeup. Matching liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow across the board. I'm not complaining, I went through the same thing, I wanted to wear what everyone else was wearing (for the most part, until I totally rebelled from this idea and wanted to wear gray lipstick and black eyeshadow for a while), but as I've gotten older and gotten more comfortable in my skin, I've learned to ask myself, "is this really what I want to be wearing?" Turns out, I really really love bright colors of eyeshadow. My favorite shade is a green ("Graffiti" by Urban Decay) that belongs in a box of crayons. I seriously LOVE to make my eyeshadow match my outfit or an accessory (like a yellow ring or bright blue shoes). Lots of people tell me, "oh, I could never wear that color eyeshadow", but the truth is, they wouldn't want to. It's not their style. It's mine. Basically, what I'm saying here is that finding your own style is an experiment and it's going to take a while. Don't be shy about what you really like just because no one else wears their makeup the same way you do. You can bet I got a LOT of strange looks in my gray lipstick days (including lots of disapproving ones from my mother), but I thought it was really cool - at the time - and it allowed me to express myself. Life is too short to spend too much time worrying about fitting in all the time. Just be sure that the way you are presenting yourself (meaning, the makeup you're wearing) is telling the world what you want it to say. Makeup can very often times be misleading and people can quickly form opinions about what kind of person you are, based simply on the way you look. It sucks that people are so judgemental, but that's the way it is. If you don't wear any makeup, you're a nerd. If you wear too much, you're a tramp. It's tough to navigate your way through it, but stay true to yourself and don't let your friends dictate what you like. Do I sound too preachy? Agreed. I'll give it a rest. For today, at least. :)

A Personal Favorite

I found myself in the makeup aisle at CVS today (although I swear I went in there for sunscreen and a birthday card) and couldn't help but pick myself up an angled blush brush. I'm going to be heading off on vacation soon and want to make sure I have all the tools I need to look my best while I'm away (that's a good enough excuse, right??). So that got me to thinking about blush in general and how one little swipe of color to the cheeks can really brighten or lighten up your whole face. One color that I love in particular is Dandelion by Benefit Cosmetics. It's a little on the pricey side at $28, but it comes with a cute little brush that's actually great for application, but it's a beautiful shimmery pink that is so feminine and gorgeous and works on just about everyone. Plus, I also use it to highlight my brow bones or even as a base eyeshadow when I'm feeling creative. It's enough color to be noticable but it's also soft enough to not shout, "LOOK AT ME, I'M WEARING BLUSH!!" which is not the kind of statement you want your blush to make. Anyway, I get nothing out of this, I just love the product and love telling other people about it. You can surely find a comprable and less expensive alternative, but then it wouldn't come in that adorable little package. ;)

http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/gp/product/B000FBK5IQ/sr=1-2/qid=1248295966/ref=sr_1_2/188-4711404-0340232?ie=UTF8&n=164983011&bcBrand=core

Dealing With Problem Skin

Your teenage years come with all sorts of firsts - first dates, first kisses, first time driving a car...first outbreaks. Clearly, some of those firsts are more fun than others, but there's no reason a few breakouts here and there - or even acne - should keep your teen years from being anything but memorable. I started breaking out mildly at first when I was around 15 or so, and had the pleasure of dealing with acne shortly after. If you're like me, and super sensitive about your skin's appearance (I swear, people were too staring at my pimples!!), your first instinct is to load up with concealers, foundations, and whatever else you can get your hands on to cover it up. As a teenager, I undoubtedly wore much more foundation than I needed, and looking back, it probably hurt my skin - and prevented it from healing - more than anything else.

First off, if you have anything more than a mild breakout here and there, my best piece of advice is to see a dermatologist. There's no reason to suffer through acne when you don't have to - there are so many creams and medicines available now, even the most stubborn skin can be affectively treated. Or, if you'd rather not or can't see a doctor, I highly recommend giving Proactiv a try - it really worked for me (and I'm not just saying that!), and it's not too expensive.

Lots of foundations now have salicylic acid in them, to help treat your blemishes as it covers. Keep in mind that if you're caking makeup on to cover a zit or a patch of bumpy skin, you will most likely end up drawing more attention to it. And it's never cool to pull a Britney and wear your zit cream out in public. It may be embarassing to not completely cover it up, but your skin also needs to breathe, and if your pores are blocked by heavy, cakey makeup, you're not even giving it a chance.

Also, as hard as it is, try not to pick! If it's something you just can't live with and you must pop it, clean the area afterwards with a good astringent and keep your hands away. Excessive touching just adds more oils to the problem area, and you also risk infection from all the germs under your nails! Even at my age, I still deal with outbreaks from time to time, so I do have to follow my own advice here, but the thing to keep in mind is to keep your skin clean, treat it when it's necessary (with medicines from your doctor or cleaning systems like Proactiv), and try to get out of the mindset that loading up on concealer will do the trick. Dot a tiny bit of concealer over the blemish or area you want to cover, and then blend your foundation over it, dusting it all over with loose powder to set it.

Um...yeah

I know this whole "rocker chick" look is hot right now, and I can certainly appreciate that because I will not lie, I used to wear dark eye makeup back in my own teen years. I just wish someone (other than my mom) had told me how to wear it without looking like I just hadn't washed any of my makeup off in about a week. Taylor Momsen actually is in a rock band, so she KIND OF has an excuse for this raccoon eye look, but unless you are about to step on stage, this is really a little too much drama around the eyes - and in all honesty, it makes you look more like you haven't slept in a while than a rock star when you load it on like this. So. Let's talk about how to fix it. For starters, I would do away with the under eye shadow - it's a really heavy liner for her, and because she is so blonde and so fair-skinned, she really just ends up looking like a set of eyes and nothing else. If I could take a cotton pad loaded up with makeup remover to the bottom of her eyes, I would. Instant improvement. I would also probably tell her that gossip girl is my favorite show ever (which is a big fat lie, I've never even seen it) just so she would smile and wipe that ridiculous pouty look off her face. If you insist, a light line could be applied to the lower water line (which is that sort of ridge just above your lower lashes that butts right up against your eyeball - so that means be careful with that sharp pencil you're about to stick in your eye), and take it to about the center of your eye. But the heavy ring of shadow under her eyes? Not needed. She's a cute girl, and I feel like she's using her makeup to hide her eyes, rather than show off how pretty they are. And since her bangs are so heavy, I really can't even see what's going on on her eyelids, but something tells me we could tone that down, too. Dark shadows are great for creating sultry evening looks, but in this case, there IS too much of a good thing. Anyway, she's what, like 16 years old? She has plenty of time to be sultry after she is of a legal age! But believe me, I used to do the same thing, heavy heavy eyes and very light everything else. Lighten the eye makeup and add a touch of color to the cheeks and on the lips, and we'd be in business. I'm not sure what kind of business, but one that would at least require wearing heels to work, for sure.

How Old is Too Old??

It is no secret that my favorite mascara is Bad Gal by Benefit (and surprisingly, they do not pay me to say that!). I've never tried Dior Show but I think they are very similar in terms of the effect - which is really flippin long lashes. HOWEVER. There's a recession going on and I can't indulge in $20 tubes of mascara (because that is pretty much a whole outfit from Forever 21 or some super cute shoes from gojane.com), which is just as well because, as a general rule, your mascara has about a 3 month shelf life after you open that tube. I posted earlier about some guidelines for sharing (or, I guess I should say, NOT sharing) your makeup, and the same stuff applies here. Basically, mascara is just one of those things that you shouldn't share and you shouldn't hang on to for more than 3 months. You should also steer clear of pumping the wand up and down into the tube to load up the wand when you start running low. This actually will push air into the tube, which will make your mascara clumpy and it won't go on as well. But, back to my Bad Gal obsession, there are some great drug store options out there now that will only set you back around $6 when it's time to toss your tube in 3 months - trust me, I was always very reluctant to throw my $20 mascara away. I'm on my third tube of Lash Stiletto by Maybeline, and I"m pretty happy about the results, I get a lot of length without looking clumpy. Mascara isn't the only thing you should toss on the regular, though - your makeup sponges should get tossed every week, pressed powder should be tossed when you start to notice oil spots (this is actually caused by putting your powder puff back into the compact face down, which leads to the powder absorbing the oils your face left on the puff - so to make your powder last longer, don't put the puff side down when you close it), and foundations and concealers should both be tossed if you can't use it all before around 6 months. Again, keep your application tools clean and your makeup will last longer and go a lot further!

Taking It All Off

I know I already posted something about the importance of keeping your skin clean, especially before going to bed at night, but there are a lot - A LOT - of options out there for this nightly ritual. And I'm certainly not here to tell you what's best, because it's going to be different for everyone. But I did just happen to buy a new product yesterday and I'm loving it enough to share it with you. As far as makeup removers go, I have started favoring lotion removers over the liquid kinds - I feel like there's less rubbing involved to get the makeup off, and my skin feels more moisturized afterwards. If your face hurts after you've removed your makeup, you may need a new remover - and a new method! I just picked up Physician's Formula Organic Wear Facial Makeup Remover Lotion - one because I liked the bottle it came in (I am such a sucker!) and two because it's free of chemicals (which, when you think about it, you probably don't want on your face, anyway). I was a bit skeptical of how an organic product would work at removing makeup, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it removed my makeup - mascara included - without me having to work too hard. One thing to remember is to always be gentle with the skin around your eyes. It's very thin, for one thing, and (again I'm thinking long term here!) years and years of pulling on that skin will eventually show. I like to get some remover lotion on a cotton pad and hold it on my eye for a few seconds and give it a chance to break down some of the makeup first. If you're a fan of the liquid eye removers, I prefer the oil-free kind, just because I usually feel like I need to wash my face all over again after using remover with oil , but pick something that will work with your skin type and don't feel like you have to buy the same one every time! Physician's Formula is available at drugstores - I snagged it for around $6. Oil of Olay also makes a nice lotion remover...the makeup remover pads are fine and all, but I think you can get the same effect with baby wipes, which are generally a lot cheaper. Plus you smell so good afterwards. ;)

Crazy Beautiful

I am about to say something that might shock you. I have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies. I do not care to read any of the books, and despite my overwhelming crush on Alan Rickman, I flat out refuse to watch a movie about wizards and flying around on broomsticks. That said, I flippin LOVE Emma Watson. I seethe with envy over her shiny hair and I am in love with her style...she's always looking very classy, feminine, elegant, and sort of retro. I also think she is a great role model and I love that she's going to real college and living in a dorm and not partying it up all hours of the night like some crazy Hollywood types (are you listening, Lindsay??). So, anyway, this is from the premiere of the latest crazy wizard movie she's in and I think she deserves a standing ovation for looking so amazing. Her makeup is FLAWLESS! I love love love her brows - they are on the thicker side but they totally frame her face perfectly and make her eyes stand out even more. I'm also thrilled that she doesn't have tons of makeup piled on, because she really has beautiful skin and features and knows how to play them up without overwhelming her face.

To get brows like Emma's, you may want to start out at a salon before you do any at-home work. DO NOT do what I did, which was let my sister pluck my eyebrows when I was in the 8th grade and I ended up with eyebrows so thin my mother bust out in tears when she saw me (this was also in the early 90s when super thin brows were the thing). If you have a great brow shape naturally, consider yourself lucky. If your brows are thinner than you'd like, use a powder to fill them in - it looks much more natural than a pencil and blends into your brows much more smoothly. You can get a brow kit anywhere - NYColor (Target) makes a powder/wax combo set, Milani (CVS) also makes a good kit, as does Benefit (department stores). Grab an angled brush to lightly apply the shadow into your brow - if your kit comes with a wax, use that over the shadow to help set and hold the shadow, then don't forget to run a brow brush over the whole thing, to blend the shadow and complete your look.

Share and share alike??

I think a lot of people think it's ok to share makeup. What's the harm in letting your sister use your mascara when she can't find hers or letting your best friend use the awesome new concealer you just bought, right? You'd be surprised. While some products are ok (but still not ideal) for sharing - like shadows or loose powders, here is a short list of things you should never share, not even with your BFF:

- MASCARA. Please, please, please do not share your mascara, no matter how much your friend begs to borrow it. Most people do not like to think about this little tid bit, but there are actually micro-organisms living in your eyelashes (yes, i know it's gross, but they are harmless and there's nothing you can do about them - EVERYONE has them, even sweet beautiful Emma Watson), so as much as you love your friends, I'm going to assume you do not love their micro-organisms enough to let them live on your mascara wand.
- Concealer. Especially if it's something you apply directly to your face, from a wand that goes back into the tube of concealer. A lot of this is common sense...oils and bacteria from your skin go back into that tube when you close it, and while it's fine when it's your own, it's best to steer clear of letting a friend use it on a blemish and then let that marinate in the tube for your next use. Ewwwww, huh?
- Eyeliners. This one is iffy...if you do let a friend use your liner, have her sharpen it before and after using it, which will remove that "layer" of the pencil from her use. You certainly don't want to make your friends feel like a leper, but things like pink eye spread quickly and easily from sharing products that you apply directly to your eyes.

Basically, keep in mind that you don't want anyone using a product of yours that you would apply directly to your skin. Things like loose powders, lipsticks, shadows - those are safer to share because you don't necessarily store the applicator within the actual product (like a mascara wand or concealer wand). Just use your best judgement, and if a friend asks, just say, I'm sorry, I don't share mascara/eyeliner/whatever.

Ever been to a MAC store and watched one of the artists apply makeup? They use about a zillion applicators and they do not ever put a mascara wand back into the tube once it's been on someone's eyes. It may seem wasteful and kinda silly, but think about how many people use those sample products - that is a pink eye extravaganza waiting to happen. But, MAC artists (and most other makeup artists, too!) are well aware of the germ/bacteria issue and do their best to make the process as sanitary as possible. I'm not saying you have to be that anal about it, but do remember that while sharing is always a nice gesture, it's not always the best idea.

Summer Skin

I know I probably sound like your mother (roll of eyes) but since it's summer and all, I thought I'd do a quick post about the importance of sunscreen. If you're going to be in the sun all day, and even if you're not, it's always a good idea to have SOME protection on your face - whether you pick a moisturizer with an SPF or if you wear full-on sunscreen. When I was about 15, my mom handed me my first bottle of moisturizer with SPF 15 (Oil of Olay - good stuff!!) and I've been hooked every since. I know it's super hard to think long term when you're in your teens, or even in your early twenties, but having good skin later in life is totally dependant on how you treat your skin when you're young! Personally, I will own up to my obsession and admit that I wear full on sunscreen, every single day of the year. Rain or shine. Summer or winter. I up my SPF to about 55 in the summer time, and bring it down to 35 in the winter. I LOVE Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch, because it doesn't feel oily or sticky under my makeup, and it really does go on just like a moisturizer. If I can't convince you to put sunscreen on, a good moisurizer with SPF 15 will protect your skin while providing a good base for your makeup. Also, do not fear the big summer hat. You will thank me when you are smoking hot at 65 and everyone else your age looks like a prune. It kills me to see girls out in the sun with nothing covering their faces - because every sunburn causes more and more damage to the layers beneath your skin that you're not seeing, and it will eventually lead to thinks like wrinkles and age spots, and no one wants those. So, at the risk of sounding like a nag, start taking care of your skin now and take 2 minutes to put sunscreen on - or at least a protective moisturizer - every day. Even if it's raining. You cannot hide from UVB rays. I've tried. It didn't work.

It IS Ok to try new things!

When it comes to finding the right looks for you, be prepared to experiment. If you see something you like in a magazine, tear it out. Start a notebook of "looks" you like, and learn to recreate them at home. Some things you will find do not look as good on you as it did in the magazine. And some things are hard to master - like liquid eyeliner, or finding the right foundation color - but I've found that when it comes to makeup, just because you are wearing a ton of it doesn't mean it looks good. Repeat after me: The point of makeup is to ENHANCE my already beautiful features, NOT to hide them/cover them up/make me look like I'm 20 years older than I actually am. If that is the only thing you take away from this blog, I could live with that. Chances are, you really DON'T need a ton of makeup, anyway. But do have fun with it and play around. Again, figuring out when/where certain looks are appropriate and when they aren't is half the battle. ;) School and/or your summer job is probably not the best place for that new glittery pink shadow. You probably already know that. But, I'm just saying. Trust me, sometimes I still have to resist putting glitter or green eyeshadow all over my eyes before I go to work. And I am not ashamed to admit that.

Starting with the Right Tools

Also CRUCIAL to figuring the whole makeup thing out is having a good set of brushes. See those little foamy brushes your eyeshadows come with? THROW THEM AWAY, IMMEDIATELY!!! They are useless. When it comes to makeup, the tools you use to apply it with are just as important as the actual makeup itself. I'll get more specific later on, but for starters, make sure you have a decent powder brush, blush brush, an all over shadow brush and an angled brush - and you don't need to drop your life savings on those, either. Target and CVS are perfectly good places to get your beauty supplies and both sell really quality brushes at a fraction of what they cost at high end places like Sephora or MAC. (I have nothing against these places - I just can't always afford the products there!) Pay attention to how you're applying your makeup - are you quickly swiping color on with your fingers? (I used to do this all the time and now I frown upon it - yes, your fingers make excellent blending tools, but you are also putting the oils from your body into that shadow pallate every time you touch it) Are you using the same brush for your lid color and the color you apply to the outside corner of your eye? There are specific brushes for all types of application. Angled brushes will obviously give you more control over where you're putting your shadows - so it makes sense to use these for your darker, outside corner colors, or for something like applying shadow under your bottom lashes or along your lash line. Bigger, fluffier brushes should be used for application on larger surfaces, like all over your face, or the neck/chest area (for things like bronzing or adding shimmer). Please, please, please, just remember to wash your brushes at least a couple of times a month. You don't need a fancy brush cleaner, baby shampoo will work just fine. Letting color build up in your brushes over time will not only lead to the brush becoming clumpy and full of your body's oils, but it will also mean that the colors you're trying to apply won't be as true, since they are competing with a month's worth of other colors loaded up on your brush. Plus, taking good care of them will mean they last longer. Most drug store brushes are made out of synthetic hairs - the more expensive brushes you'll see in places like Sephore are made from real hair - much, much softer to the touch and divine to use, but if you can't afford it, synthetic is just fine! Just take care of your brushes and your brushes will take care of you!

Ace of Base

Getting foundation right can be tricky - obviously there's the issue of choosing the right color for you, figuring out what kind you need to best suit your skin type, applying it properly...the list goes on and on. Spend a little time in the makeup aisle of a Target, Walmart, CVS - wherever you prefer to shop - and check out what your options are. If you have the money to spend on a professional consultation, any Sephora beauty consultant or department store makeup counter can recommend foundation to match your skin tone and type. Prescriptives (available in department stores) can even custom blend a foundation just for you. But if you don't have $30-$50 to drop on foundation alone, most drug store brands provide great coverage and are really affordable. Right now I'm using Dream Liquid Mousse by Maybelline and it does a great job of evening out my complexion and covering blemishes. I always go with a lighter foundation during the spring and summer, so my skin can breathe and I'm not sweating underneath a thick layer of makeup. Use foundation sparingly when it's hot out, and really take the time to blend so that you don't get that unsightly line you see on so many girls that stops at the jawline where they stopped blending. Look closely. Is your face a totally different color than your neck? You're not blending enough, and you may also be wearing a shade or two darker than you should be. You want your foundation to match your skin as closely as possible - too dark can make you look dirty and too light can make you look grayish or ashy. If you're going for a tanner look, use a powder bronzer on top of your foundation, NOT a darker foundation. Liquid foundations go on well with foundation brushes, but I prefer to just use a makeup sponge - just don't forget to toss it after a week of use.

THIS is what i'm talking about!

Ok, so I felt kinda bad about ragging on Miley's makeup yesterday, so I thought I'd post something nice about her today to balance out my karma. This photo is from the Oscars or the Emmys or some awards show that I didn't know why she was attending (oops, I am supposed to be saying nice things, huh?), and although I questioned her presence at whatever event this was, I do have to say, I love her makeup. She looks totally fresh-faced here, very feminine and yet glamorous, too. The blush is great (this is a difficult skill to master!) and I love that she isn't too heavy on the eye makeup since she's wearing red lips. It's important to remember to keep the drama to one part of your face - like if you are doing dramatic or smokey eyes, you'll want to steer clear of bold, dark lips, or else you run the risk of looking like a clown or a showgirl. Since Miley is doing a bolder lip here, she kept the eye makeup simple and it really works well. She looks her age (yahoooo!!) AND her makeup is totally appropriate for the event she's attending. Love it!!

To get that glowing look she's rocking, pick a more red-toned blush, but apply it VERY LIGHTLY - trust me, a little blush goes a long, LONG way - to the "apple" of your cheek, and brush upwards towards your ears. In case you are wondering, the apple of your cheek is easily found by smiling. Feel that fleshy part where it's most rounded out? That's the apple. But again, go easy on the blush - the idea is to make it look like you're naturally flushed like you got embarassed, NOT to obviously look like you have color painted on your cheeks. I have the best luck with powder blushes, but creme or mousse blushes work just as well, they are just a little tricker to apply. Pick a blush with a little sparkle to it and you'll really get that glow!

Do NOT try this at home

I promise I don't have anything against Miley Cyrus. I really don't. I think she is a beautiful girl and I envy her purse collection, but sometimes she just makes me want to throw my hands up in frustration because why, WHY would such a pretty, young person feel the need to put so much makeup on? Does the photo on the left look like a person who is not even 20 years old to you? If I looked at this picture and just had to take a guess as to this person's age, I would say, 33, 35 maybe. This is what I mean by too much. Obviously, the face she's making is not really what I would call "appropriate," but that's beside the point. The point is, this look is not age appropriate. She's made herself look a lot older than she actually is, and not in a good way. Dark eye makeup doesn't always equal sexy, so think about it before you start piling it on. For the most part, darker shadow colors should be applied to the outside corner of your eyes, with lighter shades in the inner corners and on the majority of the lid. When you put dark colors on your lids, it tends to make the eyes look smaller and less open, which is probably not the look you're going for.

It IS within the realm of possibility to look beautiful while also looking your age. Just don't use Miley here as an example.

Getting Started

So, it probably sounds dumb for me to say my first piece of advice is for you to always, always wash your face before you go to sleep. But, given the amount of girls (mostly under 16) I've worked with who have come in for a shoot wearing the same makeup they had on last night, I feel the need to say it anyway. Putting new makeup on top of old makeup is a recipe for disaster. I know you're tired, I know you don't feel like it...do it anyway. Invest in a good facewash to use morning and night - and pay attention to how your skin reacts. If it gets red and irritated, this might be an indication that you have sensitive skin and need a wash made for your skin type. Or if you get dry or flaky skin, obviously you'll need something moisturizing for dry skin. Getting to know your skin type is a big part of getting your makeup right - there are foundation formulas for normal skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, skin with acne, combonation skin...it can get confusing!

Starting with fresh, clean skin is super important - it will help your makeup go on smoother and you'll avoid looking clumpy or cakey when your base (and by that I mean your skin) is smooth and even. Don't forget to moisturize, too. A daily moisturize with at least an SPF 15 is a good way to start practicing good habits early on - Oil of Olay makes a great, lightweight moisturizer that's available in any drugstore. So, clean and moisturize every day - sounds simple, but it's the best thing you can do to make your makeup look even better!

Welcome to 13 Going on Beautiful!!

So I've been thinking for a while about starting this blog...not because I think I know everything there is to know about makeup - because I don't! - but because I wish I'd had someone to seek makeup advice from when I was in my early teens, and just starting to experiment with it all. It's sort of like learning anything new, and sometimes it takes a while to figure out how everything works. I hope to use this blog to answer questions about makeup and to offer advice on application so that no one else has to endure the embarassment of looking back at high school photos and thinking "Oh my GOD, who let me out of the house looking like THAT?!?!" Believe me, you do not want that.

That said, I want to get one basic thought out before I really get into things here. In my ideal world, 13 and 14 year olds wouldn't really be interested in wearing makeup becuase they'd be too busy playing Barbies to care about how they looked, I'm pretty sure those days are behind us. I've done makeup on some young ones - 8 year olds for fashion shows, 13 year olds for photo shoots...so telling them they don't need makeup is in one ear and out the other. Maybe you're hearing the same thing at home, that you don't need it or aren't allowed to wear it. But the truth is, if you want to wear it, eventually you will wear it, so my main concern is that you're wearing it correctly. I am a big fan of age-appropriate makeup, and I know this is a phrase I'll be using over and over on this site. Lots of young celebrities -like Hayden or Miley- wear makeup, and lots of it! But their "red carpet lips" aren't necessarily appropriate for your Sunday family dinners, and the "sexy smokey eye" is probably a bit too much for school. The trick is to consider the occasion, and then decide what is ok and what will probably raise an eyebrow. I'll talk more about this later, but in the meantime, just keep in mind that during the day, simple, natural looks are best - save the drama for nights out with your friends, or special events like prom or birthday parties. You are not a vampire. All-over black eyeshadow during the day is really not a good look. On ANYONE.