Teen Makeup Styles

Makeup styles for teens have changed somewhat since I was a teen, but the premise is still the same; wear makeup to enhance your beauty and make you feel more polished, put together and, thus, more confident. If you're a teen and are looking for some great makeup tips, read on:

• Buy good products. This is the first rule for a reason. Sure, you could go to the local pharmacy and buy cheap makeup, but at what cost? Cheap makeup cakes and dries, has a short shelf life, and won't glide onto your skin. Invest a little more money for a good product, made of quality ingredients, that will be beneficial for your skin health. Years later, you'll be glad that you took care of your skin while you were still young.
• Foundation. Unless you have severe scarring and pock marks from acne that you need to cover, you won't need to wear foundation. Since a teenager's skin is still elastic and fresh, it already has a healthy glow. Steer clear of foundation and, instead, opt for a lightweight mineral powder and an under-eye concealer to cover blemishes and eye circles.
• Blush. Choose a bright blush and apply it with a wide brush. If you have very fair skin, choose pink or tones of pink. If your skin is olive or dark, choose shades of light bronze or red. Start with just a little blush on your brush, smile, and apply it to the apples of your cheeks, sweeping it back towards your temples. A little goes a long way, so go easy.
• Eyes. While you could choose to apply dark and heavy eye shadow, mascara, and liner, you will simply end up looking harsh and hard. Makeup is meant to enhance your natural features, not cover them entirely. Instead, use soft hues to enhance your eyes. If you've blue eyes, use colors from the cool palette, such as plum, pink, blue, and ivory. Brown- and green-eyed teens should use warm tones such as copper, brown, ivory, and green. Sweep a lighter shade on your eyelid and just under your eyebrow, and a darker shade in the crease. Complete the look with a light smudge of coordinating eyeliner halfway across your upper lid.
• Lips. All you need for your lips is a sheer gloss with a little color. You can find tinted lip balms in any grocery store or the makeup isle of your pharmacy. If you want the emphasis to be on your eyes, choose a light color for your lips.

One of the worst mistakes a teen can make is to pluck her eyebrows too much. Eyebrows will cease to grow if they are plucked too often. Instead of over-plucking, simply pluck a little in the area at the brow bone, and always pluck from underneath—never above—the brow. If your eyebrows are sparse, you can use eyebrow corrector to fill in areas where hair should be.

The most important thing to remember about teen makeup styles is that less is more, and that makeup is meant to enhance, not to cover up.