Teen Makeup: Get Great, Glowy Skin

IMAXtree

I remember when I first started using makeup at 13 years old. I went crazy for foundation. It was a thick, cakey mask that I wore every day for a few weeks. Then I noticed a girl in my class pointing at me and whispering one day in the hallway, and I thought I had something stuck in my teeth or something. I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, but realized that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the thick makeup, which wasn’t something that I even needed!

Whether you’re using foundation, tinted moisturizer, a BB or a CC Cream, the overall goal of skin coverage should be evening out your skin tone and making things look more even. And you need to try to do that with the least coverage possible. Show as much of your own skin as you possibly can, it just looks much better! When you’re older, your skin tone will be uneven. The color will actually vary. It’s quite sad. As a teen, you don’t have this problem, so covering up with foundation that you don’t need is just a waste of time and product.

I typically recommend that teens use either a plain moisturizer in the morning, or swap out to a tinted moisturizer or BB Cream if they feel they need a little coverage (read more about why you need to use moisturizer, even for oily skin). Use the moisturizer or BB Cream right after you wash your face, and then use targeted concealer for trouble spots like blemishes. I blend everything with a BeautyBlender sponge, just bounce the sponge on your face to help blend it together. I set the concealer areas and my t-zone by brushing just a little bit of powder on to those areas. Don’t go crazy with the powder, and don’t use it all over, that tends to get cakey.

My Product Recommendations:
Here are my favorite BB and CC Creams, but my favorite BB Creams for teens are the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream (at Amazon, Target or ULTA), and the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream (get it from Amazon, Target or ULTA) if you have acne-prone skin.

For concealer, look for something that is liquid with medium coverage as that will be the most versatile. You can use it under your eyes and around the nose, and they do great to help cover up blemishes. My usual recommendation for teens is to use Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (at ULTA, Target or Amazon) or L’Oreal True Match Concealer (get it at ULTA, Target or Amazon). You can also check out my favorite concealers.

I’m super picky about powders. I want them very, very finely milled, so when you blend them well you don’t even notice them on your skin. There are only 2 out there currently that live up to my expectations:
L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 16HR Powder (from ULTA, Target or Amazon)
e.l.f. High Definition Powder (at ELF or Target)

I Bought It, Affiliate Links, Product Sent for Review (the L’Oreal Pro-Matte Powder only, I purchased the rest)