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.

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. ;)

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.