A healthy skin routine and age-appropriate makeup application are so important.
Tween mom and makeup guru Heidie Fourie shares her top tips.
Heidie’s top 9 skin care tips for teens
• Know your skin type. It is very important to know your skin type so that you can buy the correct skincare products. You might have combination, dry or oily skin. Still not too sure? You can get your skin analysis done at most beauty salons.
• Exfoliate! Try to exfoliate between 2 to 3 times a week. Always look for a face scrub with natural granules instead of plastic particles. My fave scrub for my daughter is African Extracts Rooibos Exfoliating Face Scrub with crushed apricot seeds and rooibos leaves.
• Clean hands. The best thing you can do for your skin is to wash your hands before you wash your face to prevent the transferring of bacteria which can cause acne.
• Wash away. Wash your face at least 3 times a day using a gentle face cleanser with lukewarm to cold water. It may sound excessive but as a teen girl who’s bustling about at school, playing sports and being active your face can become very sweaty during the day. So wash your face in the morning, after school (or after a practice session) and before you go to bed.
• Moisturise. Use a gentle moisturiser in the morning and a night cream in the evening. Day creams hydrate the skin, and if you choose one with a SPF30, also helps protect your skin from the sun. Night cream soothes and calms the skin which reduces redness and irritation.
• For a beautiful, natural and glowing makeup look, I suggest a sheer foundation or a BB cream. These are lightweight and transparent with very little pigment which helps brighten up the skin.
• Away with blemishes and dark circles! You can cover your blemishes with a dab of concealer. This helps hide those pesky red spots.
• Peachy cheeks and glossy lips. There is nothing more beautiful than peachy cheeks and glossy lips to complete your natural, glowing makeup look. A soft peach blush looks natural … then finish off with a nude or soft pink lip gloss. Essence and Catrice both have some beautiful options.
• Lashes for days. Lastly, grab those eyelash curlers and apply a little mascara. For a softer mascara, you can switch out black mascara for a dark brown.
Beauty routine dos and don’ts for teens
Heck yes:
• SPF is best. The best and biggest favour you can do for your skin is to use an SPF30 day cream. If your normal day cream does not contain SPF you can apply a separate SPF cream over your day moisturiser.
• Beauty blenders. Use a damp beauty blender to apply your sheer foundation or BB cream. This gives a more even application. Beauty blenders soak up less product than a normal makeup sponge, so your product will last longer.
• Twice is best. When washing your face, it is good to wash your face twice. The build-up of oils, dead skin cells, sunscreen and makeup products can make your skin look dull. Washing your face twice eliminates all those things leaving you with your best-looking skin.
Big no-no’s:
• Full coverage foundation. Full coverage foundation can make you look older and take away from that fresh young natural makeup look.
• Liquid eyeliner. Liquid eyeliner is very hard and drastic, rather stick to curling those lashes and applying a little mascara.
• Don’t ever go to bed with your makeup on! This prevents your skin from renewing and breaks down healthy collagen. Sleeping with your makeup on can cause premature ageing.
Teen makeup workshops
Here’s a great gift for your teenager … a Teen Makeup Teaching Workshop at LeChic Makeup by Heidie. They’ll get the lowdown on makeup application, and which tools and brushes to use for that effortlessly glowing look. With no more than 10 teens at each workshop, it’s all about personal attention and fun. Plus, each girl gets a set of mini-makeup brushes, a goodie bag, and some snacks and drinks to keep the energy up. R650 per person. The workshops are held at Heidie’s studio at 6 Paul Kruger Ave in Monument. Details: 071-042-6903
