Five beauty tricks to borrow from your teen!

We are so excited to introduce to you our newest contributor here At The Picket Fence…Heather’s daughter, and Vanessa’s niece, Mekenzie! Mekenzie is a teen with a fabulous sense of style, with lots of  makeup and hair know how. 

One day, Heather realized that Mekenzie had far surpassed her in beauty “know how” and decided to pick her brain for some beauty tips and tricks… apparently there is a whole new world out there in cosmetics and Mekenzie had the inside scoop! We thought it would be fun to have her share some of those tips and tricks with our readers, from time to time,  so we can all benefit from these beauty enhancing products, no matter what our age! Take it away, Mekenzie….

// FIVE BEAUTY TRICKS TO BORROW FROM YOUR TEEN //

 

1 | MOISTURIZING, PRIMING AND SETTING FOUNDATION

Okay, so I think we have all experienced this at some point in our makeup wearing life. You leave the house, you look fabulous and you are ready to take on the world. Then it happens, several hours later after you’ve been workin’ hard all day you look in the mirror and realize your makeup isn’t doing so hot. It’s cracking, sliding, creasing, caked and just plain worn off. These inexpensive products will help you dramatically with keeping that makeup locked in.

 Moisturizer– before you apply ANY makeup to your face, it needs to be washed and moisturized. If you do not use some kind of lotion/moisturizer, your skin will see any foundation you apply as moisture and soak it in, leaving your foundation flaky, dull and gone within hours. So gross! This step is crucial to a beautiful face for makeup. If you have oily skin and are worried about shininess use a lighter gel formula.  Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +  is my first choice for this. They have different formulas for every skin type.

 

 Primer– after you have applied your  oh so crucial moisturizer, you need to apply primer. IT WILL SAVE YOUR BEAUTIFUL LIFE! Primers have changed my makeup forever and I never apply foundation without it. It smoothes your skin and prepares your face for any and all makeup. Primers come in many forms, prices and uses from all makeup brands. The primer that best suits you is solely based on your skin type. If you have oily skin you want a mattifier, if you have dull/dry skin a dewy finish, ect. There are even ones for large pores. The list is endless. After you have applied your primer your face is a blank canvas ready to hold anything all day!

Setting spray– the last step for keeping your face fabulous is setting spray. Now, this is another makeup changing product and I myself have only starting using recently. After you have on all your makeup, lipstick, mascara, foundation, you spray this fine mist all over your beautiful work. It dries almost instantly and completely locks in your makeup all day. It prevents creasing and keeps the colors vibrant and in place. It’s very much like hairspray for your face, but it feels great. Again, with this you can purchase setting sprays that leave a beautiful glowy finish or ones that leave a smooth matte look. For the 30 and over crowd I suggest the  NYX Dewy Finish, it makes your skin so beautiful and youthful looking (everyone will be jealous). 😉

My favorite (and so very affordable) setting spray is NYX Matte Finish, I use this directly after my primer and right before I walk out the door when all my makeup is how it should be. If you are worried about it wetting your mascara and it smudging, you can apply everything, spray, and then do your mascara very last.

2 | Makeup Sponges

Applying foundation can be very scary for some of us. You never quite know if it’s the right color, until you use it full face and you never know if it will feel good or how it will look on your skin.  Believe me it never looks as good as it does on Katy Perry in the giant picture next to the foundation isle. (we all know its photoshopped, Katy). But, say you do find the right match and you’re ready to apply it.  What do you use? 

I’m sure a lot of you use your fingers, and that’s totally okay, but sometimes you may miss a spot, or it may be thicker in some places. (also it can be a mess and unsanitary). Makeup brushes can leave streaks and can be very harsh on your skin.

That’s why my favorite way to apply foundation is with a damp makeup sponge. They come in all shapes, sizes and softness, and that’s totally a personal preference. I like to use Real Technique Beauty Sponges and  Latex Free Foam Wedges. They make your foundation so smooth and apply the color evenly. They are soft and gentle enough they can be used on the most sensitive skin. I wet mine in the sink and then squeeze the access water onto a towel and its ready to go. Just apply the foundation onto the back of your hand or directly to your face and spread the product evenly, using tapping or dabbing motions all over your face. Remember, a lot goes a long way with this technique. Then, once you’ve applied all of the product you want, you can set with a powder or leave as is.

3 | Highlighting

Highlighting your face is a trick you may or may not know. All you need is something to apply a powder with (exp. a medium sized fluffy brush or a small powder puff).  I use the e.l.f. Small Tapered Brush.

You will need a lightly shimmery powder, one that is about two shades lighter than your regular facial powder.  Once you have applied any blush and foundation, take the highlighting color and dust it along the tops of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, cupids bow, chin and center of forehead. This may sound silly but it provides an absolutely beautiful, youthful glow to your skin and litreally “highlights” those parts of your face, making it look like you’re glowing from within. (And if you have beautiful cheekbones highlight the crap out of those, they are so gorgeous! Flaunt them!) And don’t worry I’m not telling you to apply glitter to your face and act like a shooting star. Just a subtle hint of a lightly colored shimmer will do the trick. Remember you can always apply more, so start with a light hand and slowly build to the desired look.

4 | Eyebrows

Now… now some of you may be saying “people actually wear makeup on they’re eyebrows?” and if this is you than either you have very nice eyebrows naturally or you really need this information. This is a beauty topic that could go on for hours and every single person you meet has a different opinion. But I am going to give you a few basic tips and tricks to natural looking eyebrows so you don’t look like Nike swooshes. 😉

First, you need to make sure your eyebrows are clean and shaped. This really isn’t much, just keep the shape your eyebrows naturally grow in and pluck around them. Don’t go to crazy…Please. Like I said, just clean and kempt. Next, choosing the right product for you eyebrows. If you just want natural, soft looking eyebrows I suggest a dry powder applied with a small angled brush. If you want a sharper look you can wet the powder. (this is what I do). Then using the sharp, angled brush start to make tiny strokes (mimicking actual hairs). Do not go outside the area of your actual eyebrow. Just fill in any thinner parts.

IT IS VERT IMPORTANT that your eyebrows are lighter towards the front and get darker towards the end. This is what truly makes it look natural and beautiful. Once you have filled in the thinner parts (or maybe where you accidentally plucked the wrong hair, don’t worry it happens) it is important to use a small brush with concealer or foundation to clean up any powder that may have fallen and keep your lines sharp. You would do all of this after you have applied any foundation, so you don’t accidently rub foundation all over your beautiful eyebrows.

And finally, If you feel fancy you can finish by using a brow setter.  My favorite is NYX Control Freak Brow Gel . It keeps all those little hairs right where they are supposed to be and keeps the color from wearing off. Please, don’t have two strait black lines as your eyebrows…you are worth so much more than that. Also, there are PLENTY of eyebrow tutorials on YouTube.

5 | Eyelash Curler

This tool is very simple and effective, yet somehow most of us forget to actually use one. Eyelash Curlers, if used right, can make your eyelashes appear thicker and more…well, curled. I think we all know how to use one, just be very careful not to pinch yourself, ouch! If you use the setting spray as I mention before, you may want to do you mascara after the spray to keep it from smudging. If so, curl your lashes, spray, and then once it dries apply your mascara. If you’re feeling extra sassy (which is me everyday) or you have thinner, more strait eyelashes you may want to use false lashes. If this is the case, apply your falsies then curl both natural and false together, follow with mascara.

**Please, please do not curl your lashes after applying mascara! It is seriously dangerous. You can end up getting your lashes stuck to the curler or worse literally rip them all out. It happened to a friend of mine! I’m not just saying this to scare you. Curl before applying mascara!

I also like to use a clean eyelash curler every time, so I wipe off any dried mascara with a washcloth or cotton ball. If you happen to make a mistake and get mascara where its not supposed to be (on your face), wait for it to dry completely and then use a DRY Q-tip to wipe it off. It will flake right off with out taking away your foundation and getting a big black smudge that take will forever to get off.

Hope you learned some great new beauty tricks!

So now all you mom’s out there know what to ask for in your stocking!  grin! Thank you Mekenzie for sharing these great beauty tricks with us….I’m off to raid your makeup bag. 😉 Stay tuned later this month when Mekenzie shares with us some Holiday Party Makeup Tips!