Dear My 13 Year Old Self....The 12 Rules of Beauty

There's nothing worse than getting advice from older people. We all tend to ignore it or think that we know best. However, on this small occassion....we don't. I being a 16 year old teenager am guilty for this offense frequently, "Yeah, yeah...I'll apply my sun cream later, mum!"
But no. This is where it all changes. I know, I know, it's hard to take advice from the person that's 'ruining your life' or 'who's aim in life is purely to embarrass you', but the truth is some advice is worth taking and keeping, especially when it comes to fun beauty tips.
I'm sure you bloggers have all been reading fashion magazines and testing beauty products for years. However, even thpugh I am only16, in the short amount of time which I have been wearing make-up (3 years), I have picked up a few tricks of the trait. In this time, I've read 1000s of beauty tips, tried 1000s of products, but only a few are worth keeping around. So this is why I unleash my 12 rules of beauty....enjoy!

1. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! I cannot put into words or stress to you enough about how important hydrated, regenerated and rejuvinated skin is. Personally, I have a dry skin type and so therefore this factor is a really important part of my daily skin regime however regardless....moisturise! It will not only benefit your skin in later life, but also ensure that make up goes onto smooth and un-chapped skin. Let's face it....it's never hot when your foundation clings helplessly to one dry patch on your face...eow, no.

2. Skip the HEAVY foundations Primarily, if you have acne the last thing you want to do is slather on the thick foundation. Foundation is merely used for evening out one's skin colour and covering the slight red pigment or blemishes.....not for distorting your face with a trawl. Not only will heavy foundations cover up your natural beauty, but heavy and orange foundation looks anything but natural. Instead, the key secret is to find an exact match to your own skin tone or instead why not opt for a tinted moisturizer? They tend to be lighter and better for your skin than heavy foundations.

3. You pat concealer in, you never rub it in We all know this from watching the Tyra Banks show. When applying concealer, put a bit on the pad of your middle finger and pat it in. Never rub.

4. Play up your lips or your eyes, never both. If you are wearing heavy eye makeup, go for nude lips with just a bit of gloss. Prefer the drama of dark lipstick? Keep face light (stay away from heavy blush) and wear only mascara on your eyes and a light eyeshadow. Don't heavily line your eyes. Play up both and you'll look like a clown.
And never, ever line lips in a darker colour than your gloss or lipstick. It's all about working with tones and drawing attention to that one feature.
5. Less is more. Ever notice how some of your friends look best with no makeup at all? No matter your age, too much makeup makes you look worse. If you wear foundation, powder, blush, liner, mascara, eyeshadow, lip liner and gloss on an everyday basis, then you're overdoing it. Tone it down: All you really need is a great mascara, concealer for blemishes and a gloss. Add a pop of blush in winter.

6. Natural hair is always hotter. If you have super dark hair, lighten your look by going a shade darker or getting lighter highlights. Blonde? Try highlights, especially framing the face. I see way too many pre-teens lightening their hair several shades and the look can be super-tacky, not super-fabulous. The trick is to let people assume you were born with sun-kissed hair, not that you gave yourself a bad dye job from a bottle. In addition (I am a victim of this offense), but...if your hair is naturally curly/wavy...let it be! Nature much prefers to take its course...and tbh, I'd prefer to ditch the split ends, personally.

7. Vaseline is your best friend Vaseline is a great, cheap eye makeup remover.....yes! I was so suprised to hear about this at first, having thought that it was soley a lip product... but it's a great alternative to the usual harsh make up remover. Of course, it's still also great for fixing chapped, scaly lips by simply slathering on a bunch of it, then using a toothbrush to massage lips.With new shades such as rose, coco butter, creme broule, aloe vera and SPF protection...there's no excuse not to purchase!


8. Straighterns (including my personal favs, GHDs) opt as curler tongs too! Rather than doubling up the space in that summer vacay travel case, just toss in your fav straightners and move them through the hair at 90 degree angles to create natural, sunkissed waves.Who'd have known, huh?

9. Never skip suncreen ? The first beauty product you should apply every day is sunscreen, even if it's cloudy or rainy outside....why? Good habits start young and if you use sunscreen now, you'll have gorgeous skin when you're 50, 60, 70. Remember, the sun's UV rays can penetrate clouds and car windows girlies!

10. Self-tanner will always stink. Unfortunately, even the best ones smell. Your best bet is to apply self-tanner a good 24 hours before an important event and take a shower (don't loofah) to wash off any smell. For really big events like a dance or wedding, consider a professional spray tan. From my experience, these tend to be slightly on the pricey side, however they ensure a natural and more importantly...even glow, so are definately worth it!

11. Don't let nails go. Not into manicures and pedicures? No worries. Just make sure to keep nails clean and the same length. You could also keep a pain, clear coat on your nails to ensure health is restored at all times. If you do want to paint them, don't keep the polish on until half of it's chipped away, however. Also, there's nothing worse than too-long toenails. Keep nails clipped between pedicures!

12. Don't overdo the black liner. So frequently, I notice young girls from as little as 11 wearing what looks to be black paint lines across the top and bottom of their eyes. No. This is a major no, no with regards to kepping it natural and obiding by 'less is more'. So I say ditch the harsh tones and instead apply a light line on the top and bottom of your lashes. Or, instead if your perfer the bold line, then opt for a lighter colour...grey marl is a great alternative.

So there you have it, the top 12 of my beauty bible secrets which I have picked up from family and friends...hope it was useful!


Will you obide by my 12 rules of beauty?

Saskia XO