ok, girl, this is getting a little old

seriously. i mean, honestly. who is letting this child walk around with her face painted like this? i mean, ha ha, taylor, it was cute at first, yeah yeah you are all goth like and punk rock, very funny. now you are just scaring me. this needs to stop.

i will admit to going through my own "goth" phase when i was about your age, and i wore gray lipstick and didn't wear anything that didn't have holes in it and i acted all tormented and all that crap, but i wasn't fooling anyone. and looking back at the pictures of me in that phase now...god, all i can think is WHAT WAS I THINKING??? why did i feel the need to be so miserable? i read somewhere that taylor blames her parents for making her work from such a young age, and that's why she's so unhappy and dark, but i do not buy that for one second. you want to rebel against mommy and daddy? FINE. just find a way to do it that doesn't make you look like roadkill. this is so above and beyond awful that i can't even bring myself to continue posting photos of her as examples of what not to do. just don't do this. ever. and until taylor goes back to being her cute pretty self, this is the last time i will even mention her name. you hear that, taylor momsen? you are DEAD TO ME!

Product review: E.L.F. Complexion Perfection

I just posted about this powder compact that I ordered from E.L.F. It finally arrived in the mail yesterday (and I have to say, I feel like I waited forever for it to get here!) and of course, I immediately busted into my bag of goodies to try them out. I actually ordered about 7 products (2 shadows, an eyebrow groomer, bronzer, the complexion perfection, a lipgloss and a concealer stick - all for only $17 inlcuding shipping!), but I want to focus this post on the complexion perfection. If you are like me, your skin is not perfect. I get really shiny during the day, not to mention that my skin tone is uneven and often gets a little blotchy - especially in warmer weather. The colors in this compact seem a little crazy at first and I read some reviews of this product where users complained that it made their complexion look washed out or greenish...but to all of that i saw PISHAW! I am in love with this powder! The trick is to apply it lightly, focus on areas where your skin may be a bit redder by going heavier on the green powder over that area, and blend like hell. Blending is super important in making your foundations, powders, concealers, etc., look NATURAL. Ever seen a girl who looked like she was wearing a mask because there was an obvious line where her makeup ended and her bare skin began? Right around the jawline? No offense, teens of America, but girls who are just starting to wear makeup for the first time are INFAMOUS for doing this. So, sure, this powder could make your face look gray, if you apply too much and don't blend it properly. But my hope is that you would never, ever do that. ;)

So. Do not be afraid of the blue, pink, yellow and green compact, it is your friend. Don't overdo it and you'll love it just as much as I do.

since no one is perfect...

i just ordered this great combination powder from e.l.f. (that's eyes lips face for those of you not in the know - the most affordable makeup money can buy) and can't wait to try it out. it's summer time and that means that while i'm stoked to be parading around in sundresses and sandals, the heat and humidty are wreaking havoc on my skin. thankfully, there's an app for that. ok, maybe not an app, but there is no shortage of products out there designed to help you fake a perfect complexion. if you're like me, and tend to break out more in the summer months (because who doesn't love being covered in sweat for the majority of your waking hours??), a compact like this will work wonders, because it does a couple jobs at once.

it may seem odd to be putting yellow and green powder on your face, but if you remember from an earlier posting, those colors work to neutralize redness and blotchy skin, so your skin tone will look even. and, if you were a huge buffoon last weekend and forgot to reapply your sunscreen while you were out at the pool (i just KNOW that you put it on at least 15 minutes before you went outside and then you just got so distracted by that cute boy who kept trying to show off on the diving board that you went and forgot to reapply and now you are paying because your nose is peeling like an onion!!), this compact will help tone down some of the red that comes along with sunburn. next time, though, DO NOT BE SO FOOLISH. boys come and go. your skin is the only skin you'll ever have and it will be with you through many more seasons to come, which is more than i can say for teenage boys. trust me. I KNOW.

anyway, it also helps absorb some of the excess oil that is also one of the joys of summer. no one wants a face that shines like a disco ball. unless you are dressing up as a disco ball for halloween, in which case i would recommend GLITTER, not sweat, to achieve that look.

life is peachy

I'm noticing a trend for the spring/summer that I actually really like - peachy/orangey shades of lipstick/glosses. I love the way it looks on just about every skin tone, and you can tone it up or down depending on how sheer the color is. Hillary here has really nailed this look, and even accented her cheeks with a peach-toned blush, which really works on her. Milani makes a great shimmery gloss in an orangey shade called Stylish that you can pick up at a CVS or Walgreens, or if you're into ordering online (like I am), E.L.F. makes a great shade called Cool Coral that is really inexpensive (and who doesn't love that?).

The trick here is to be careful that you aren't going too overboard on orange or you could easily end up looking like an Oompa Loompa. Stick with something sheer and shimmery and keep the eye makeup light to complement the look. Now...orange you glad I told you about that? :)

bad gal lash...how do i love thee?

I've probably sung the praises of Bad Gal Lash by Benefit Cosmetics once or twice on this site, but I recently got a gift card to use at Amazon.com and since I usually can't afford Bad Gal (it's $19 a tube!!!), I indulged myself and got a tube of Bad Gal and I also picked up a Shu Uemura eyelash curler (also $19), lucky lucky me. Both of these products are on the higher end of what I'm willing to spend to not look like a gargoyle when I leave the house every day, but sometimes it's really worth the splurge. Bad Gal really is the BEST mascara I've ever found, and my $19 eyelash curler finds lashes that I didn't even know I had. So, even if you can't afford to go high-end all the time (and really, who the heck can??), consider picking up one or two crucial products (mascara, good foundation or cover up, or a really nice powder brush), because sometimes that $19 mascara REALLY DOES make all the difference in the world!

Taylor Momsen: Pick Up the Phone, Girl...We Need to Talk!

Taylor. Precious little Taylor. I need to have a word with you. That word is "NO." I think it's cute you wanted to dress like a raccoon for Halloween, but sweetie pie, that is about 6 months away and unless you are on your way to an audition to be the angel of death in some crazy new vampire movie, allow me to repeat myself: NO. NO. NO. And may I add: THIS IS NOT OK.

Remember how cute you were in the Grinch movie? With your sweet innocent little face and all?? ME NEITHER. Please, Taylor, please, I IMPLORE you, stop doing this to yourself. THIS DOES NOT LOOK SEXY. It's not attractive or pretty or going to lure any hot rich men in your direction. You look like a 38 year old chain smoking tramp who got beat up by her boyfriend for not remembering to buy his favorite cereal at the Stop-n-Shop. I do not care if you are a rock star, or some fashion forward celebrity that everyone fawns over. YOU LOOK TERRIBLE. I mean, thanks for sticking with the "heavy eyes/nude lips" rule, but...your eyes are SO HEAVY, you'd pretty much have to remove the lips off your face to balance that look out. And maybe even your nose, too.

You want my advice? Good. I'm giving it to you, anyway. Fire your makeup artist and quit trying to act like such a punk. You were Cindy Lou Who for the love of Pete!! And you are so much prettier than this mess that you are calling your face right now. You do know you are a teenager, right? You are therefore allowed to wear a little pink blush and Bonnie Bell lipsmackers, just like I did when I was your age. Of course, when I was your age, I wasn't on the cover of Teen Vogue, but that is still no reason for leaving the house looking this way. HEED MY WORDS!!!

Combating Shine

I don't know about you, but it's getting a lot warmer where I live. That means that first of all, I don't need as much foundation as I do in the fall and winter months (this applies to you, too!). It's been so warm lately that I've been able to get away with light cover-up/concealer and tinted moisturizer, which I love. But on the downside, with the warmer weather comes the dreaded perspiration, which I can tell you all about since I bike to and from work now that it's not 27 degrees outside anymore. By the time I get to work, my face is as shiny as a disco ball. And, since I don't want to clog up my pores by putting powder on top of all of that, I've been using oil blotting sheets a lot lately. You can find them at any drugstore (I just use the CVS brand and they work just fine), but if you want to go high end, most makeup counters sell their own brand, like Clinique and Shiseido. Some of them even promise "pore minimizing" effects, but seriously, unless that is a huge concern for you, it's probably not worth the money. The sheets are pretty small, but just blot one on your nose, forehead and cheeks to absorb some of those oils and give you a more matte look. Trust me, putting powder on top of makeup and sweat is a recipe for bad skin. I know this. I am old.

Everyone Else is Doing It!

Oh it is time. I am just about to regale you with a tale from my "good old days" in college. Are you ready? Just wait. You will be telling your own stories just like this one day. I promise.

My first dorm in college was all-girls. After spending 5 years at an all-girls private school, I was less than thrilled about this. But it was a good experience and I made some good friends and I even managed to study once in a while. HOWEVER. What I remember most about this dorm is a poster that hung in the lobby, right next to the elevators. The poster (which I found online and posted above) was a wrinkled and gnarled looking woman, smoking a cigarette, and below her was the phrase, "Smoking is very glamorous." I passed that poster every day and I remember thinking, EW, I will never end up looking like that. Because I won't lie, I did smoke in college, and I don't like to admit it now, but my boyfriend smoked, a lot of my friends smoked, and so, in an effort to be all cool and college-like, I smoked, too. I quit a long time ago but I still worry that one day I'll end up looking like the lady in the poster.

Smoking, like sun exposure, is one of those things that has long-term affects that, since you don't see right away, you rarely think about. EVERYONE knows that you shouldn't smoke because of the risks of lung cancer. But not all of us think about what smoking will eventually do to your skin. When you are 12, 13, 14, I know it's practically impossible to think 20, 30, or 40 years down the road... but as much of a downer as it is to say, you won't be young forever (well, maybe in your heart you will be), so take good care of yourself and your skin now and the older version of you will thank you for it.

All joking aside, smoking is the single worst thing you can do for your skin (besides run around on the equator without sunscreen on). Keep that in mind when you and/or your friends start getting curious about cigarettes. Just take a look at my lady friend and remember that smoking is very glamorous.

Quest for the Best

I used to have this unbreakable habit of buying a new lip gloss every time I was in the drugstore. And, considering the amount of times per week I run into CVS, you can imagine what my makeup case looked like after years of doing this. I have managed to chill out (a little) on the lipgloss, but they say when you kick one habit, you pick up another, so I've really just replaced the gloss with mascara. First of all, there is a commerical for a new mascara pretty much every 3 minutes. I know. I watch a lot of TV. And, since I believe just about anything advertisers tell me to, this means that in the last 6 months I have purchased quite a lot of drugstore mascara in my quest to find the best (under $10) tube out there. Last night I picked up Rimmel's The Max Volume Flash (really, I love the names they come up with just to get me to buy a tube of black goop to put on my eyelashes), and although I wasn't totally astounded, I was impressed. My lashes were pretty full following 2 coats, and the applicator was easy to use. AND, the tube it comes in is hot pink. I've also recently picked up Revlon's Double Twist Mascara which sadly was a BIG dissappointment. The applicator is SO BIG (it's a combo of the traditional bristle wand plus the "new" rubber wand that separates lashes) it's hard to get in and out of the tube, not to mention it's almost too big to put anywhere near your eye. Maybelline's Great Lash is a big seller and favorite of many makeup artists, and they recently came out with Great Lash BIG, which (surprise) I got suckered into purchasing because the picture showed the brush was half green and half pink. Sadly, the brush is covered in mascara (duh!), so there was no sign of the pink and green I was promised, but the mascara did its job well enough and I'd probably buy it again.

I haven't tried the new L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara(again, what an AMAZING name, because I totally DO want my eyelashes to be telescopic!!!), but I have seen the wand and it looks like this is next on my list. It's small and spherical (that is round for those of you not paying attention in geometry) and I MUST know how that equals telescopic lashes.

And so. The quest continues!

AMAZING (if not perhaps a little bit of overkill...)

So, I am a big fan of So You Think You Can Dance (or, as we in the "industry" like to call it, SYTYCD). I was totally into it last season, but I feel like season 6 followed season 5 waaaay too closely, so I haven't really been following. So I am sitting at home trying to motivate myself off the couch (not having much luck), and I'm watching SYTYCD for the first time this season. I think the musical guest is a new thing, but 5 minutes ago, this girl took to the stage with her guitar and her song and I didn't notice any of it over the insane amount of glitter on her eyes. Now, I will admit, this look is WAAAAAY too much for day time (or really even nighttime, unless you are a drag queen or a rock star), but I am IN LOVE with how it makes her eyes pop. To achieve a more subtle version of this look (aka one that your mom will let you leave the house with!), use a color like MAC's Beauty Marked as your contour color on the outside corner of your eyes and stick with a matte all over shadow. Glitter on the entire lid can look a bit too circus-y, but if you keep it confined (and really, is it even possible to confine glitter??) you can get the look right.

PS- This girl's name is Orianthi or something like that. I do not know who she is, nor did I really care for the song she sang. But I do worship her makeup artist.

De-mystifying the Fan Brush

As I've mentioned earlier, it's holiday time. That means you'll probably get lots of gifts you don't want or like or know what to do with. As a teenage girl, I always loved getting makeup sets or kits as a gift, and they never failed to have this one crazy looking brush that I had no CLUE what to do with: the fan brush. For a while, I just had like 3 or 4 of these brushes sitting in my bathroom, collecting dust, because, surely, if they came in this makeup kit, they must serve some purpose related to makeup...right? Now I'm down to just one, since it's not one of the brushes I use every time I put my face on, but there are a few good uses for this mystical brush that I thought I would share with you.

1. Use a fan brush to lightly apply loose powder to your eyelashes before putting on your mascara. This fattens up your lashes a bit and acts as a base for your mascara, which also helps your lashes look longer and fuller. You don't need or want much powder on the brush, though, so just dust the brush in loose powder (pressed compacts really don't work here, in case you don't have loose powder already), close the eye you're applying the powder to (duh) and give the lashes one good swipe with the brush flat against the lashes. Voila! Mascara primer. Who knew?

2. Often when I apply my shadows, some of the pigments fall from the brush to below my eye and end up just above my cheek. I have tried to swipe this shadow snow away with my hand and it only leads to a big smear of color across my face, and unless it's Halloween or you're auditioning to be a backup dancer for Lady Gaga, that is probably not the look you want to achieve. Use your fan brush to gently brush off the excess powder without making a mess.

3. I am a girl. Therefore, I love glitter. I want to put glitter all over myself, at all times. This is not always appropriate. The fan brush comes in handy when I want to stealthily add some shimmer to my hair without looking like I fell in a vat of glitter (omg, how amazing would THAT be??). Use a shimmer shadow or loose glitter and very lightly dust your fan brush in it - then apply to the hair around your face (this is NOT the time to wear your heavy hands, though...chances are your mom will just make you get in the shower and wash it off if you go overboard. I speak from experience!). Proof that subtle CAN = pretty!!

holidaaaaaay, celebrate!

i know. i know, i know, i know. i have TOTALLY been slacking on my posts. shame, shame, shame, i know my name (do people even say that anymore?). the fact is, i have been super busy with my 9-5 job and have hardly even had time to do my OWN makeup (gasp!!!), let alone talk about it on a blog. i mean, halloween is over and i didn't even do a post about how to do your makeup like lady gaga!!! at least with the passing of halloween means that the holidays are quickly approaching. i do not know about you, but i am in LOVE with christmas. not because of all the gift giving (not that i DISLIKE that part!), but i just love the feeling of christmas and every year i wait on pins and needles for halloween and even thanksgiving to pass just so that the radio will start playing christmas music 24/7. but i also love the bright red lips and the shimmery shadows that are always totally acceptable around the holidays. normally i wouldn't wear red lips to the office because it's kind of a bold statement to make in a government office, but once the holidays roll around, i feel totally justified in putting on my shimmery red glosses (i use a nude lip liner to tone it down a little) because, HELLO, i am trying to look like a christmas tree! i am baking cookies from scratch as i write this, even though the first batch came out looking like fried eggs, because it gets me in the mood even more. now is the time, though, to stock up on supplies. christmas is gift set CENTRAL. brushes, shadow palattes, glosses, you name it, it will be packaged up with a precious bow and waiting anxiously for you to take it home. i will be the first to admit that i STILL ask for makeup every single year for christmas. EVERY YEAR. i bought one of those $14.99 sets last year from cvs just because the travel bag it all came in was so flippin cute. so. i say, treat yourself to that gift set you really want. you don't even have to wait for santa to bring it.

Fall Trends: Hot Pink Lips

I have never really been one to wear color on my lips. As my sister loves to point out, I have pretty thin lips that I don't like to draw a whole lot of attention to with bold color, so I tend to stick to nude or very pale pink tones when it comes to my lips. However, I do like to keep up with the trends and one that I'm really liking for the fall (picked up from people.com) is pink lips. But not baby pink, no no...hot, fuscia pink, which is a beautiful color on so many skin tones. If you're on the younger spectrum of your teenage years (say 12-14ish), I would stick to lip glosses just because an actual lip stick can look sort of heavy on young skin, and there are plenty of glosses out there that offer lots of shine and color. One thing to note here is that if you're going for bold lips, keep the rest of your look very light. Like how Charlize on the left here has totally played down her eyes so that there isn't a competition going on between her lips and her peepers. Hayden, in typical teenage fashion, has upped the liner around her eyes, but has otherwise kept the boldness of her look confined to her lips. I would definitely advise against using colored shadow if you're going to rock this look. That is just clown face waiting to happen. And most people I know are terrified of clowns, so we want to steer clear of that.

What IS Mineral Makeup, Anyway??

Mineral makeup is everywhere. People rave about its super powers, how pure it is, how great it is for your skin, how it could cure cancer (ok, I made that one up)...but is it really better for your skin, or is it all just one big marketing ploy? Nowadays we assume that because something says "natural" or "pure" on the label, it's better for us, but that's not necessarily true. The same thing applies to something labeled "organic." Pick up some products that say natural or organic and read the ingredients list - as long as an ingredient is derived from something that is "natural" (as in, a plant is put through a chemical process to get a certain ingredient out of it), that product can label itself as such. Just be careful about what you're putting on your skin, and into your body. It never hurts to read labels. But back to the mineral makeup, I did some research and found a great article at a reliable source - Web MD - that you can read here. But if you're not into reading a 3 page article, here's the low down. Mineral makeup contains the same basic ingredients that most makeup is made from (insert names of mineral sounding materials that are apparently ground up minerals that do exist in nature!). What mineral makeup does NOT contain is preservatives (which means the makeup can sit on shelves for longer), binders (chemicals that hold the makeup together and also help it bind to your skin) and fragrances (which can irritate sensitive skin) - so, in a way, it could be considered more "pure" than other types of makeup. By removing some of those things like synthetic dyes and fragrances that cause sensitivity in some people, mineral makeup could prove better for you if you have very irritable skin. So, it really all comes down to what works best on your skin. Just don't be fooled into thinking you are putting nothing but Mother Nature on your skin just because the label says "natural."

HOWEVER!!!

Fall does not mean that you are off the hook in terms of protecting your skin (especially your face!) from the sun. Fall and winter are especially dangerous because people think their skin can't burn. Well, people are WRONG! Glory for Girls makes an all the time sunscreen that goes on without feeling heavy or oily, it smells delicious, and it's all natural. It's available in SPF 17 and SPF 30, so I implore you, please do not stop wearing sunscreen just because it's not hot anymore. The heat may be gone, but the sun is not. And what is it that does the damage to our skin? THE SUN. So. Don't forget to apply sunscreen or a moisturizer with at least SPF 15 EVERYDAY, underneath your makeup. You will thank me when you do not shrivel up like a raisin later on in life. ;)

Things to Love About Fall

I don't know if you are anything like me, but i LOVE summer. I mean I heart summer big time. Lindsey + Summer 4EVA. I would probably marry summer if it were actually possible. I love the heat, I love the long days, I even love the humidity. But alas, summer is yet again leaving me, just like it does every year at this time. I am learning to embrace fall, and I certainly am a bigger fan of fall than winter, but let's be honest, nothing compares to summer. With fall, though, comes lower humidity, which is good for everyone's hair, plus makeup doesn't slide off your face the second you apply it because it's no longer 97 degrees outside. What I really like about fall is the change in color palattes you see...the browns, the golds, coppers, deep purples - all colors that a brown haired, brown eyed girl like me LOVES. This is not to say that your tropical neon pink lady palattes will never see the light of day again...but now is a good time to pack them away (or toss them if they need tossing) and bring out colors that are more earthy. As far as color, you can still wear it, but instead of baby blue, try navy. Eggplant purple is great for this time of year, as is a deep hunter or olive green. I got some samples from Milani over the summer that were awesome for that time of year, and that I really loved - so I indulged myself (and when I say indulge, I mean I spent like $5.99) in a beautiful color called Coffee Shop, from the Runway Eyes collection. It's a shimmery copper color and it's stunning. Copper is one of those colors that looks great on most skin tones and with pretty much any eye color. Also keep in mind you may need to think about a heavier foundation (but only if you need it), and consider that you may be losing your summer tan (GASP!!!) so powders and bronzers may need to go down to the next lightest shade. Another thing to adore about fall? Bringing out your fall wardrobe. Every year without fail when I switch out my spring/summer stuff for my fall and winter clothes, I find stuff I TOTALLY forgot that I had, so keep that in mind before you go blow your summer savings on a totally new wardrobe. And finally...fall means that the stores unleash that golden gift from heaven upon us all...CANDY CORN. If that doesn't deserve a season of its own, I really don't know what does!!!

What's Wrong With This Picture??

Ok, there are so many bad ideas going on here, I really don't know where to start. First bad idea is hanging out with Lindsay Lohan. That girl is a good influence on NO ONE. Second bad idea is Taylor Momsen yet again looking like a homeless vampire. These are people we should look up to? I think not. Lighten up, ladies...you're young and rich!! Stop acting (and dressing) like you are 35 and making minimum wage!

Taylor, look into eye makeup remover. Lindsay...look into your natural hair color. Please and thank you.

Goodbye to Summer

Ok, so I've been a bit busy enjoying the end of my summer and have totally slacked on my beauty blogging. What can I say, I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer yet. I promise to be more on top of the blog in the upcoming weeks - including posting video tutorials and more posts on celebrity looks and great new products. But while summer is still lingering, one thing to keep in mind is that with the change in weather will also come a change in the way your skin responds to products. Moisturizers that work great in the summer may not be enough once the fall and winter start their relentless attempts to suck all moisture out of your poor defenseless skin. You may need to think about stepping up your routine or finding a heavier foundation, since you won't immediately sweat it off as soon as you walk out the door. I'll get into all this more as the season progresses, it's just something to think about for now. For most of us, you'll wear a different foundation for fall and winter than for spring and summer, and your skin may need more than just a light moisturizer. Again, getting to know your skin type will help you figure all this out once you actually do have to start pulling out all your fall sweaters. So, enjoy your light summer foundation while it's still warm out, and prepare your wallets for a fall makeup spree!!

Using Color Creatively

It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate of wearing makeup that is not only age-appropriate, but situation-appropriate as well – meaning toning down the glitter or the thick liner for school, work, family events, etc. This does not mean, however, that “appropriate” means “boring.” Personally, I cannot seem to get myself to stay away from color, no matter if I’m going to work or doing freelance makeup work, or even just hanging out with my family or friends on the weekends (yes, I hang out with my family. They are cool people. You will understand how cool your family is when you are older, I promise). Granted, I don’t wear as much as I would if I were going out with my girlfriends or having dinner with my boyfriend (ok, he’s my husband, but I want to sound cool and hip here!), but you’d be surprised at how you can still work a pop of color into your everyday makeup routine to ramp up your look without crossing over into “inappropriate” territory. I am going to pretend like the girl on the left is not Stefani Pratt cause I could seriously care less about her, her brother, her brother’s wife, or any of those crazy idiots on the Hills or whatever show that is about all those rich kids who are famous for doing nothing. HOWEVER. The addition of a swipe of blue eyeliner to the bottom water line really makes the blue of her eyes stand out, and it’s an unexpected addition of color that also adds interest. In Ashanti’s case, the blue looks beautiful against her darker skin tone and adds definition to the shape of her eye that you may not notice if her liner were just black or brown. A little color in the outside corner of the eyes is always fun, or I also like to take a thin angled brush and swipe some color under my bottom lash line – purples, blues, greens…just don’t apply too heavily. Eyeliner is not meant to be black or brown all the time! I know I’ve advised you to keep a neutral color palatte for school/work, and you should, BUT…a little punch of color never hurt anyone. That I know of.

Back to School Beauty

So, sadly, it would seem that the end of lazy summer days are upon us…or at least you, because I have been working 9-5, Monday-Friday pretty much every day of my life for the last ten years. I still don’t know why “grown ups” don’t get summer vacation, but that’s another post. It’s back to school time!!! I know you must be so incredible excited, since you totally finished all your summer reading way ahead of time, and you can’t wait to use that new protractor you just got, right?? All that excitement aside, I have just a few back to school beauty ideas, do with them as you will:

-If you can’t wear makeup to school: Honestly, no one is going to notice some translucent powder so that one’s a freebie. Vaseline, oddly enough, is great on lashes when you can’t wear mascara. It gives them a shiny look which will make them stand out a bit more than if you weren’t wearing any at all, just dip your finger in the jar and very lightly apply to the tips of your lashes (I hope it’s not necessary for me to tell you to keep it out of your eyes cause it will not feel good). Clear mascara also gives about the same effect. Tinted lip balm is not technically makeup, and you can tell your principal I said that. So, put some of that on and you will be moisturized and have a bit of color, too.
-If you’re allowed makeup at school: DON’T. GO. OVERBOARD. I do this all the time, and I certainly did when I was a teenager – you stock up on a whole bunch of new products and you want to wear it all, immediately, at one time. Stop. This is not necessary. If you want to make a good impression on the first day, you want to look like yourself. Remember that boys are not the only ones checking you out, you also have a whole new round of teachers to leave an impression on. Keep your look simple, brush a neutral shade over your lids and use a mid tone (not super light but not black or a very dark brown, either) in the corners to emphasize your eye shape. Liner on the top lash line (black or brown…save the color for the weekend or special occasion), but again, you are not Amy Winehouse (and judging from the tabloids, I don’t think you want to be), so let your natural beauty and features be what people notice, NOT the fact that you have on more eyeliner than Pete Wentz.
-Throw a gloss or balm into your bag so you can reapply during the day, or a powder compact if you have a tendency to get shiny. Those oil-absorbing sheets also work really well for taking excess oil off without messing up your makeup. I would advise against in-class application, though. Just a thought.
-Clean out your makeup bag before school starts and toss anything that’s old. Need some guidelines? Start here. This is a great time to get some new shadows and liners. Just remember to keep your color palatte neutral for school!

It’s always sad to see another summer come to an end…but there’s always Thanksgiving and Christmas break to look forward to!