Teen-y things
September 25, 2005 | 12:00am
Being a teenager is a very exciting stage in one’s life. It’s very carefree, worry-free and best of all wrinkle-free! All you worry about is what to wear and boys! You guys have the life!
Be thankful if you are blessed with great genes and have great zit-free skin. Understand that it’s a common fact that teens suffer from hormonal imbalance due to puberty. It’s just how Mother Nature works. Everybody goes through this stage. It’s part of growing up so just let those zits be and try not to "operate" on them yourself. Those babies will grow twice as big if you try popping them. Best thing to do is to ask your parents to take you to a dermatologist. This way, you can tell the doctor your skin problems and he will give you skin solutions and proper medication and skin care products best suited specifically to your skin type and needs.
First things first. Skincare. It’s also important you know that what you put in your body affects the condition of your skin. If you smoke, expect your skin to appear dry, dull, gray, ashy and you will have dark circles under your eyes. If you don’t see them now, then expect them later on in your life. Scary, but very true. Plus for some boys, smoking is a turn off (unless he, too, is a smoker). You most certainly don’t want cute boys getting turned off. So, don’t smoke and drink. Exercise and eat healthy food. Just remember, anything in moderation is good.
Second is to keep your skin clean and protected. In my "get the look" portion, the first step is to always cleanse, tone and moisturize if needed. As a general guide for oily skin, cleanse with an oil- free cleansing gel. Make sure it does not leave your skin dry after washing. If you feel that your skin tightens, then the cleanser is not for your skin type. Toners are used to ensure that your face is extra clean so only use toners when you feel that your skin needs it. You can skip the moisturizer in the morning and go right to the sunscreen.
For normal skin, use a non-comedogenic (a formulation that won’t clog pores) moisturizer with SPF 15 in the morning and a light moisturizer (only if you need it) at night. Use eye cream both in the morning and evening. For dry skin, use a moisturizing lotion with SPF 15. In the evening, use a creamy or a hydrating moisturizer and an eye cream. For all skin types, never leave home without sunscreen. Trust me, you’ll thank me in the future. Always remember, when in doubt, go to the expert.
And lastly, the topic that you’ve been waiting for, makeup. You probably skipped the preceding paragraphs and went straight to this topic. Teen makeup can be beautiful if you know how to keep it simple. Overdoing colors is one common mistake. It makes you look "untidy" and "dirty." You don’t want that. So, start with a clear skin and a clean face. Next is to make sure your eyebrows are very well groomed. Neatly shaped and placed eyebrows will make a lot of difference. After fixing your eyebrows, step back a bit from the mirror and see what your problem areas are. All you have to do is to conceal problem areas like blemishes, uneven skin color or freckles – personally, I like freckles and I wouldn’t hide them if I were you – and dark under eye circles. You don’t have to put foundation all over your face. Just cover the problem areas and blend the products well so that they look natural. Makeup techniques are basically done to mimic young healthy skin. Less foundation should be used as possible. Use colors that will recreate a healthy glow. A berry stain is all you need for your lips and cheeks. A stain is a pigment dye used to give color. Stains originated way back from the Greek and Roman Empire where red wine or berry juice was used to "stain" their cheeks. This color (based on red) is intense; this is why they are used in minimal amount. You literally "stain" your cheeks and lips to give you the natural "healthy" look. This tiny little thing creates wonders. Best of all, almost all skin tones and types (even for oily skin) can wear it.
One thing you should remember when applying a stain is it has to look as naturally placed as possible. When you exercise and you get flushed cheeks, look in the mirror and look closely. See the areas where you get naturally flushed, on the apples of your cheeks. Now, that’s the area where you should apply it on. Smile when you spread it on as your guide. Make sure you apply the stain on moisturized skin to help you blend it easily. Use very minimal amount of the stain first, then just add little by little until you get that "naturally" healthy glow.
For fair skinned, use light, transparent pinks. Red is the pure color of pink. Remember, the fairer the skin, the lighter the shades should be – like soft pinks and rose. So, make sure you use stains in small amounts as possible to achieve the lighter hue of red on your cheeks.
When applying your stain, use a drop on a ring finger and dab it on the other ring finger, smile and spread the stain from each finger on each cheek. Medium skin- toned women look best with deeper, slightly warmer pinks like warm rose and soft plums that have soft mauve, blue or brown undertones so use just a tad bit more drops of the stain. Olive and yellow toned skins have strong yellow undertones so avoid light pinks as they can look draining. Deep rose, berry and soft plum pinks look best. For black skin, go for soft, sheer nude pinks, glossy beiges with a hint of pink for the lips and deep rose, berry and plum for the cheeks. When using stains, remember that the color will depend on the intensity of the application, so apply little by little.
Stains come in gel or liquid formulations. Products that I would recommend are Tarte (only available in Henry Bendel stores in the US), the very famous bene tint by Benefit (available in some parts of Asia), Lip and cheek stain by The Body Shop, and Bench’s stain (available in all Bench and PCX stores). Start putting your makeup kit together with a stain from Bench or The Body Shop. Both stains are very reasonably priced and are available in almost all shopping malls in the Philippines. Purchase only items that you will use.
To start up your makeup kit, all you need is a stain, a lash curler and a lip balm. You can add a lip gloss if your budget permits and just put it over the tint. Add some pastel shimmers for your eyes if you have extra money. You don’t need much really. As much as possible, enjoy your naturally "youthful" look. This is something you should be happy with. Don’t try to look older. You’ll get there eventually. For now, enjoy your wrinkle-free, fresh, young skin.
Be thankful if you are blessed with great genes and have great zit-free skin. Understand that it’s a common fact that teens suffer from hormonal imbalance due to puberty. It’s just how Mother Nature works. Everybody goes through this stage. It’s part of growing up so just let those zits be and try not to "operate" on them yourself. Those babies will grow twice as big if you try popping them. Best thing to do is to ask your parents to take you to a dermatologist. This way, you can tell the doctor your skin problems and he will give you skin solutions and proper medication and skin care products best suited specifically to your skin type and needs.
First things first. Skincare. It’s also important you know that what you put in your body affects the condition of your skin. If you smoke, expect your skin to appear dry, dull, gray, ashy and you will have dark circles under your eyes. If you don’t see them now, then expect them later on in your life. Scary, but very true. Plus for some boys, smoking is a turn off (unless he, too, is a smoker). You most certainly don’t want cute boys getting turned off. So, don’t smoke and drink. Exercise and eat healthy food. Just remember, anything in moderation is good.
Second is to keep your skin clean and protected. In my "get the look" portion, the first step is to always cleanse, tone and moisturize if needed. As a general guide for oily skin, cleanse with an oil- free cleansing gel. Make sure it does not leave your skin dry after washing. If you feel that your skin tightens, then the cleanser is not for your skin type. Toners are used to ensure that your face is extra clean so only use toners when you feel that your skin needs it. You can skip the moisturizer in the morning and go right to the sunscreen.
For normal skin, use a non-comedogenic (a formulation that won’t clog pores) moisturizer with SPF 15 in the morning and a light moisturizer (only if you need it) at night. Use eye cream both in the morning and evening. For dry skin, use a moisturizing lotion with SPF 15. In the evening, use a creamy or a hydrating moisturizer and an eye cream. For all skin types, never leave home without sunscreen. Trust me, you’ll thank me in the future. Always remember, when in doubt, go to the expert.
And lastly, the topic that you’ve been waiting for, makeup. You probably skipped the preceding paragraphs and went straight to this topic. Teen makeup can be beautiful if you know how to keep it simple. Overdoing colors is one common mistake. It makes you look "untidy" and "dirty." You don’t want that. So, start with a clear skin and a clean face. Next is to make sure your eyebrows are very well groomed. Neatly shaped and placed eyebrows will make a lot of difference. After fixing your eyebrows, step back a bit from the mirror and see what your problem areas are. All you have to do is to conceal problem areas like blemishes, uneven skin color or freckles – personally, I like freckles and I wouldn’t hide them if I were you – and dark under eye circles. You don’t have to put foundation all over your face. Just cover the problem areas and blend the products well so that they look natural. Makeup techniques are basically done to mimic young healthy skin. Less foundation should be used as possible. Use colors that will recreate a healthy glow. A berry stain is all you need for your lips and cheeks. A stain is a pigment dye used to give color. Stains originated way back from the Greek and Roman Empire where red wine or berry juice was used to "stain" their cheeks. This color (based on red) is intense; this is why they are used in minimal amount. You literally "stain" your cheeks and lips to give you the natural "healthy" look. This tiny little thing creates wonders. Best of all, almost all skin tones and types (even for oily skin) can wear it.
One thing you should remember when applying a stain is it has to look as naturally placed as possible. When you exercise and you get flushed cheeks, look in the mirror and look closely. See the areas where you get naturally flushed, on the apples of your cheeks. Now, that’s the area where you should apply it on. Smile when you spread it on as your guide. Make sure you apply the stain on moisturized skin to help you blend it easily. Use very minimal amount of the stain first, then just add little by little until you get that "naturally" healthy glow.
For fair skinned, use light, transparent pinks. Red is the pure color of pink. Remember, the fairer the skin, the lighter the shades should be – like soft pinks and rose. So, make sure you use stains in small amounts as possible to achieve the lighter hue of red on your cheeks.
When applying your stain, use a drop on a ring finger and dab it on the other ring finger, smile and spread the stain from each finger on each cheek. Medium skin- toned women look best with deeper, slightly warmer pinks like warm rose and soft plums that have soft mauve, blue or brown undertones so use just a tad bit more drops of the stain. Olive and yellow toned skins have strong yellow undertones so avoid light pinks as they can look draining. Deep rose, berry and soft plum pinks look best. For black skin, go for soft, sheer nude pinks, glossy beiges with a hint of pink for the lips and deep rose, berry and plum for the cheeks. When using stains, remember that the color will depend on the intensity of the application, so apply little by little.
Stains come in gel or liquid formulations. Products that I would recommend are Tarte (only available in Henry Bendel stores in the US), the very famous bene tint by Benefit (available in some parts of Asia), Lip and cheek stain by The Body Shop, and Bench’s stain (available in all Bench and PCX stores). Start putting your makeup kit together with a stain from Bench or The Body Shop. Both stains are very reasonably priced and are available in almost all shopping malls in the Philippines. Purchase only items that you will use.
To start up your makeup kit, all you need is a stain, a lash curler and a lip balm. You can add a lip gloss if your budget permits and just put it over the tint. Add some pastel shimmers for your eyes if you have extra money. You don’t need much really. As much as possible, enjoy your naturally "youthful" look. This is something you should be happy with. Don’t try to look older. You’ll get there eventually. For now, enjoy your wrinkle-free, fresh, young skin.
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