It’s normal for kids to want to play with mommy’s lipstick and nail polish. But soon the little girl who liked to play dress up at home grows up into a tween who wants to do it everyday—and buy her own beauty stash, too!
It’s up to you to decide when your daughter’s ready to wear makeup. When you finally say yes, pass along these guidelines and beauty advice too!
Skip foundation
Most teens still have smooth, flawless skin. They don’t need foundation, and definitely not the heavy creams that adults use to mimic skin they already have naturally! Instead, teach them to use tinted moisturizer that contains sun protection (never too early to prevent wrinkles and sun damage!). They can use concealer to hide undereye circles and blemishes. A stick concealer is best for this age. Pick a shade that’s yellow-based and is very close to the skin color. Dot a little on the area and blend with a finger. Translucent powder helps ‘set it’ and blend it with the rest of the face.
Get a cheek and lip tint
This double duty product is great for teens (especially since they will be using their allowance to buy their own makeup). Pick a flattering pink that gives lips a pretty sheen, and cheeks a natural-looking flush (like what they would get after exercising). Dark brown shades, deep reds, and matte will make teens look older. A cream lipstick works for evening, like when they’re going out with friends.
Enhance eyes
Encourage your teen to keep everyday makeup as simple as possible. Save dramatic eyeshadow for very special ocassions, like a formal party. For school, mascara is best: it opens up the eye area, making eyes look bigger and more awake. They can also use just a touch of shimmer eyeshadow.
Go wild with nailpolish
If teens want to experiment with color, they can go wild with nail polish. The big trend now is lots of blues, greens and bright hues. Really strong and bold makeup colors need greater skill to apply (too much and they can look like a harlequin clown).
Teach proper skin care
As early as now, teach your teen the golden rules of beauty. Always wash makeup off before going to sleep—makeup residue can clog pores, causing acne. Use a gentle cleanser and apply with gentle strokes. You may also want to take your teen to a dermatologist, who can help recommend a good product to control oiliness and other skin problems that tend to erupt during adolescence. Also help her pick the right moisturizer for her skin type.
Find great makeup bargains
Teens don’t have a lot of money to spend on makeup. Teach these 15 new uses for makeup you already have so they can get more bang for their buck.
photo from sheknows.com
Foundation is the basic of any makeup as it is the initial most important base applied on the face. It improves the skin color as well as gives the smooth texture to the skin tone.