SCHOOL MAKE-UP AND HOW TO GET AWAY WITH IT…

At my school, make-up is totally banned.  The thing is, I feel so much more confident with it.  This is not to say that I am not comfortable with who I am or what I look like – hey – I’m putting my picture up here for the whole world to see, but the truth is, I feel happier and more self assured with a little bit of make-up.  I wear it every single day and have mastered the art of applying it so that it is actually really difficult to tell if I am wearing it or not.

If I went to school ‘au natural’, everyone would see my teenage spots and the dark bags under my eyes.  I wouldn’t bother to style my hair or pluck my eyebrows and I’d have my gappy teeth and braces on show.  Oh and my glasses would be the finishing touch.  Nice!  That would leave me looking beaut – not!

Here’s me ‘au natural’ …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instead, I choose to wear a little bit of make-up to make me look like a prettier version of myself.

Here are my top tips on wearing school make-up and how to get away with it!

1. Skin care – First of all, make sure you become almost obsessive about your daily skincare routine – cleanse, tone and moisturise! At the moment, I am loving the new Elemis FreshSkin range, but Liz Earle is also a firm favourite of mine.

2. Spot Control - In addition, you might need to help control spots using specialist products.  I have discovered Skinetica – it’s a totally natural, water-based product that really works at minimizing spots as soon as they appear – I have been amazed by the results of using this product.  I also use the new Clearasil Blemish & Marks Scrub to help prevent spots and keep my skin really smooth.

3. Eyebrows - Carefully pluck any stray eyebrow hairs.  The super model, Cara Delevigne has set a trend for thicker eyebrows so make sure you don’t over pluck as they will never grow back.  Eyebrows are sisters, not twins so don’t get hung up about making them look exactly the same. I like to fill in any bare patches using a matching brown eye shadow so my brows look more defined but still really natural.

4. Foundation - It is totally vital to get the right colour foundation to match your skin tone.  You have to get this checked by the experts at the beauty counters.  The skin on your face is not the same as the colour of your skin on the back of your hand!  There is a real difference between cheap and more expensive foundations – buy the best one you can afford.  Cheap foundations can cake and clog your pores and look flaky.  I love the Benefit Counter at John Lewis and use ‘Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow’ in the shade ‘Ivory Believe in Me’.  I use a concealer to properly cover up any problem areas or spots – right now, I’m using Melvita which is a great new and natural range that helps treat spots while hiding them.

5. Blending your foundation is key.  I use a Beauty Blender to apply mine – you really don’t need much, but the blender helps to create an even toned complexion and leave you with flawless looking skin. You can also use a brush or a make-up sponge.  Fingers are fine, but you have to make sure you don’t miss any patches.  Badly applied foundation is a big giveaway to wearing make-up.

Here’s an example of badly applied foundation…check out the patchy orange and tide mark around the side of my face!  I look tango’d!  hey, we’ve all done it!  Also, look at the black eyeliner – another big school make-up giveaway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Setting the foundation - I dust my face with an oil-absorbent loose powder such as Corn Silk which is really cheap and you can buy it in Boots.  It helps get rid of oily shine, which is useful especially around the T Zone.

7. Blush - I use a really pale pink blusher on the apple of my cheeks – just to give me a healthy, rosy glow.  My favourite colour for school make-up is  ‘Dandelion’ by Benefit.  It’s just totally natural looking. Remember to smile when you apply so you can see where the apple of your cheeks are otherwise you’ll end up with two blobs like the picture above.

8. Eyes - I don’t bother with eyeliner for school.  Thick black eyeliner is a major giveaway that you’re wearing make-up.  Instead, I curl my lashes and then apply a few strokes of mascara to give my eyes definition.  At the moment, I am using the ‘Rocket Volume Mascara’ by Maybeline – it’s much cheaper than ‘They’re Real’ by Benefit, but just as good.

9. Lips - Finally, I dab some ‘Rosy Lips Vaseline’ onto my lips.  It is completely natural looking and keeps my lips soft and conditioned.

NOW FOR THE HAIR…

See my earlier post on ‘How to do tousled hair’ and then simply scoop it up into a pony tail using a Molly Mabel hair band – I got mine in my Miss GlossyBox.

So what do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel so much happier heading off to school looking like this, rather than ‘au natural’.  I feel confident, fresh and prepared for my day.  Surely that’s a good thing?  Most teenage girls don’t want to go around with their spots showing.  It makes them feel rubbish.  I do understand why schools get cross with girls who wear make-up really badly with orange faces and black mascara running down their cheeks.

I hope this post gives you an insight into how I wear make-up to school and get away with it …. Mostly!  Just don’t get too close to the teachers!

PRODUCTS I USED: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRODUCTS I USED FOR THE HAIR:

FRESH SKIN CAN BE YOURS

The absolute key to beautiful, clear skin is to make sure you get in to the daily habit of cleasning, toning and moisturizing with regular exfoliation and specific treatment for any blemishes or trouble spots.

I have been using the same products for a while, but recently I was sent a few samples from the new Freshskin range by Elemis to try and now I am a total convert!  It is designed for teens through to girls in their early 20s.  I love the packaging – even though it is for teens, it is still quite ‘grown up’ and sophisticated which I like.  I love the colours, BUT I especially LOVE the thoughtful little beauty tips that are printed on the side of the boxes.

Let me tell you about the products I have tried…

Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash –

With a deep pore cleansing action, this devine smelling exfoliating facial wash leaves your skin feeling fresh and super smooth. It contains jojoba beads and cherry powder to gently polish and get rid of dead skin. Leaving your complexion brightened and more radiant.  I have been using this every other day by gently massaging into wet skin and then rinsing thoroughly with warm water.  You don’t need very much and so I think a tube will last a long time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deep Clean Purifying Face Mask – Using natural clays of goji berry extract and frankincense oil, this Deep Clean Purifying Face Mask helps rebalance your skin and bring out the impurities leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth. This thick face mask is very cool once applied and doesn’t irritate the skin in anyway but leaves it feeling refreshed.  I ran myself a bath and just slathered this on and chilled.  After 10 minutes, I rinsed it off and really felt like I had truly Fresh Skin!  REMEMBER to always remove all traces of make-up before applying a face mask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magical Moisture Quenching Face Mask – This face mask is perfect if you are suffering from dry skin. With ingredients of white lupin, arctic cranberry seed oil and apple extract, this magical quenching face mask gives your skin an instant moisture boost leaving your skin looking radiant and feeling exceptionally soft.  This has been especially useful lately with the miserable weather we have been having.  The constantly cold wind and then the drying central heating plays havoc with your complexion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skin Clear Treatment Gel – This anti – blemish gel powerfully kills any blemishes without over drying the skin. Formulated with salicylic acid, zinc and vitamin A to cleanse clogged pores and helps prevent any unwanted blemishes in the future. I really feel it has helped to dramatically reduce a few breakouts that I have had lately.

How to Use: Before applying, make sure you’ve cleansed thoroughly and toned your face. Then dispense a small amount onto your fingertip and dab onto the affected area in the morning and at night. Wait for it to completely dry then apply moisturiser.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skin Clear Mattifying Moisturiser – This Mattifying Moisturiser is specially formulated for oily and blemish prone skin.   This really light and gentle moisturiser leaves your skin feeling hydrated without any shine at all, whilst reducing redness. The naturally derived marine extract Seamat absorbs excess oil whilst extract of iris, bergamot and vitamin A balance and purify the skin. It also makes it so much easier to apply make up after you’ve applied this moisturiser.  Teenage skin is prone to be oily and so this is the perfect solution.  It is a myth to think that oily skin doesn’t need moisturising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tired Eyes Soothing Eye Rescue – This reviving gel gently tightens and hydrates the delicate eye area. It also helps refresh and reduce puffiness. Elemis really has thought of everything!  This is just what your average teenager, who stays up too late staring at a computer screen needs!  Say goodbye to tired eyes as this soothing eye gel comes to the rescue!

How to use: The skin around the eye area is very delicate so never overload with product. Apply a small amount with a gently tapping action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I totally love this range – it gives you exactly what it says on the box – FRESH SKIN!

You can purchase Elemis Freshskin at Superdrug or John Lewis.

Have you tried or come across them?  Let me know what you think. xx

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY – GIVEAWAY

One year ago today, Olivia’s Teen Beauty Blog was born – I can’t quite believe how fast time flies!  I’ve had so much fun blogging!  The positive feedback and lovely messages from all of my readers has just been incredible and I am so grateful.  Hundreds of teens from around the world look at my blog every day and it’s so lovely to know that people like what I write.   It’s been an amazing year – I have even been featured in a national UK newspaper and beauty companies send me their products to try (I only ever mention the ones I love) and it even appears to be the number one teen beauty blog on Google!

Thank you so much for reading ….. xxxxx

Olivia’s Teen Beauty Blog in the Daily Express Newspaper - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of quotes from my readers…

“You’re so inspirational..”

“I love your teen beauty blog!”

“My beauty guru for sure.”

“I’m always on your blog non stop.” 

“Your blog is amazing! Keep it up.”

GIVEAWAY -

So, to celebrate Olivia’s Teen Beauty Blog one year anniversary and to say thank you for supporting and believing in me, I will be giving away a BeautyBlender kit worth £25!!!!  The kit includes a bright neon pink BeautyBlender and a BeautyBlender Cleanser to clean the sponge with.

I purchased the BeautyBlender kit a couple of weeks ago and immediately fell in love. The BeautyBlender is the award winning ultimate make-up sponge applicator used by countless professional makeup artists around the world. The BeautyBlenders ‘egg’ like shape makes your makeup application fast, flawless and looks as if you have naturally perfect skin.  You can use your BeautyBlender to blend almost anything. Foundation, concealer, mineral, cream and even powder based cosmetics.  Honestly, it is the best application sponge I have ever used and the BeautyBlender cleanser keeps your BeautyBlender sponge and make up brushes squeaky clean with not a speck of makeup left.  It’s MAGIC!

Check it out here:

http://www.beautyblender.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to enter:

- Follow Olivia’s Teen Beauty Blog on Twitter and RT details of my giveaway – @OliviaTeenBeaut

- Follow Olivia’s Teen Beauty Blog. (I will DM message you via Twitter if you win)

Closing Date: 17 March 2013 – one week from today!

All of the names who have done all these things above will be put into a hat and one will be picked at random.

Look forward to hearing from you all and GOOD LUCK!! xxxxx

HOW TO DO TOUSLED HAIR

So this post is all about how to create that messy bed head look – deliberately!  Perfect tousled hair doesn’t just happen when you roll out of bed.  It takes serious dedication and time to get absolutely right – you know you’ve got it right when you’ve taken so long to do it that you miss the bus for school!  Probably best to get up a bit earlier!

The golden rule is don’t go over board otherwise you could look like someone has stuck a bird’s nest on top of your head – or worse, you could create a kind of matted back-combed mess which you might actually have to cut out.

So, first things first – make sure your hair is cut right in the first place.  This look is difficult to achieve if your hair is all one length and bluntly cut.  Next time you go to the hairdressers, ask for LONG layers and some SHAPING around your face with some FEATHERING at the ends .  This will create texture and movement within your hairstyle.  Here are some pictures of me having my hair cut by Paul at Balance:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the styling!

STEP 1

You need lots of root lift and volume.  Hairdressers achieve this by drying your hair in sections using a round brush, but this is very difficult to do yourself so the best thing to do is apply some MOUSSE to your roots, tip your head upside down and dry your hair with the hairdryer.  Make sure you hold the hairdryer a good distance away so that your hair doesn’t get caught in the little fan thing!  You can use your fingers to SCRUNCH your hair as it dries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 2

Depending on the type of hair you have, this might be all you need to do, but for me, I have dead straight, fine hair and it needs a little more styling.  So I use my straighteners to create ‘beach’ curls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 3

I have discovered a wonder product that helps style my hair – it’s called Label M DUST.  You literally sprinkle it on like salt on chips!  You don’t need much, but it creates a subtle ‘stickiness’ that enables the hair to be TOUSLED! I literally just scrunch the ends and roots so that they look messy.   Spritz with hairspray (I love Elnett – used by all the celebrities) to keep in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Et voila …..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Products I used:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know what you think by commenting below and feel free to share any of your own tips! x

THE ULTIMATE FREE BEAUTY FIX

There is one thing you can do to make yourself look more beautiful and attractive in an instant. SMILE! Seems such a little thing, but if you think about it – it’s so true. Wouldn’t we all much rather be around a smiley person? Here are some facts that you might not have known about smiling… I hope they make you smile!

1. FORCING YOURSELF TO SMILE CAN BOOST YOUR MOOD: Psychologists have found that even if you’re in a bad mood, you can instantly lift your spirits by forcing yourself to smile.

2. IT BOOSTS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM: Smiling really can improve your physical health too. Your body is more relaxed when you smile, which contributes to good health and a stronger immune system – I know it sounds crazy but it’s so true!

3. SMILES ARE CONTAGIOUS: In a study in Sweden, people had difficulty frowning when they looked at other subjects who were smiling, and their muscles twitched into smiles all on their own!

4. SMILES RELIEVE STRESS: Your body immediately releases endorphins (endorphins are a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system) when you smile, even when you force it. This sudden change in mood will help you feel better and release stress.

5. IT’S EASIER TO SMILE THAN TO FROWN: Scientists have discovered that your body has to work harder and use more muscles to frown than it does to smile.

6. IT’S A UNIVERSAL SIGN OF HAPPINESS: While hand shakes, hugs, and bows all have varying meanings across cultures, smiling is known around the world and in all cultures as a sign of happiness and acceptance.

7. SMILES ARE MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN MAKE-UP: A research study conducted by Orbit Complete discovered that 69% of people find women more attractive when they smile than when they are wearing makeup.

8. WE STILL SMILE AT SCHOOL: While we smile less at school than we do at home, 30% of subjects in a research study smiled five to 20 times a day, and 28% smiled over 20 times per day at school.

9. SMILES USE FROM 5 TO 53 FACIAL MUSCLES: Just smiling can require your body to use up to 53 muscles, but some smiles only use 5 muscle movements.

10. SMILING HELPS YOU GET PROMOTED: Smiles make a person seem more attractive, sociable and confident, and people who smile more are more likely to get a promotion.

11. SMILES ARE THE MOST RECOGNISABLE FACIAL EXPRESSION : People can recognize smiles from up to 300 feet away, making it the most easily recognizable facial expression.

12. WOMEN SMILE MORE THAN MEN : Generally, women smile more than men, but when they participate in similar work or social roles, they smile the same amount. This finding leads scientists to believe that gender roles are quite flexible. Boy babies, though, smile less than girl babies, who also make more eye contact.

13. THERE ARE 19 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SMILES: A San Francisco researcher identified 19 types of smiles and put them into two categories: polite “social” smiles which engage fewer muscles, and sincere “felt” smiles that use more muscles on both sides of the face.

CHRISTMAS PARTY MAKE-UP & HAIR

Tis the Season to be jolly – the Christmas holidays are here at last!  Here is my first post on how to create a quick Christmas look. It’s SO simple and doesn’t take long at all but yet so beautiful and girly. Hope you like it! Enjoy…

PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING

As always, make sure you have cleansed, toned and moisturised to ensure your skin is bright, fresh and smooth.  Remember to check the shape of your eyebrows (see previous post on ‘Beauty is Pain’ for tips on plucking your eyebrows) so you have the perfect canvas from which to create your masterpiece.

MAKE – UP: 

STEP 1:  Start by applying your foundation all over your complexion – for my top tips on this, see previous post on ‘How to Apply Foundation for  a Flawless Finish’.  Use concealer to hide any dark shadows and blemishes, remembering to blend, blend, blend!

STEP 2: Start by applying a shimmering silver or gold eye shadow, start from the inner corner of the eye and work your way up to the brow.  For this look, I am keeping it simple and only using one shadow.  Again, remember to blend, blend, blend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 3: Next, carefully apply a thin line of black liquid eye liner across your top eyelid as close to your lash line as possible.  This really takes practice to get it absolutely right.  Flick out at the outer corner of the eye to create a more edgy look.    Then apply a really thin line of black eyeliner just below the waterline of your eye along your lash line.

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 4:  Curl your lashes for maximum impact – always remember to curl before you apply mascarra.

STEP 5: Quickly check for any stray brow hairs then fill in and shape your brows with a brown eye shadow or brow pencil.

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 6:  Depending on your outfit, apply a pink or coral based blusher on to the apply of your cheeks to define your cheek bones –  remember to smile whilst you apply!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 7:  The finishing touch is lipstick or lipgloss – again choose a colour to go with your blusher.  I went for a bright pink lip gloss today.

STEP 8:  Finally, finish with a light dusting of loose powder to set your make-up and absorb any oily shine – remember to brush downwards to ensure the tiny little fascial hairs lie flat!

TA DAAA!:) The make up is complete! Now onto the hair……..:)

PRODUCTS I USED:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAIR:

I’ve gone for a kind of tousled look.  It’s really simple and easy, all you’ll need are curlers or straighteners, bobby pins, a brush and hairspray!

STEP 1: Start by brushing through your hair making sure there are no knots.

STEP 2: Now start to curl your hair, using tongs or straighteners.

STEP 3: Once you’ve curled your hair, get two sections of your hair from the front and pin them up to create a quiff – use your bobby pins to secure it.

STEP 4: Now spray hair spray all over your hair!

And BOOM. The look is complete! I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know how you get on! Lots of love! x

SUN BEAM by BENEFIT

If you live in a place like England, where the sun barely shines and you feel like brightening yourself up, then a touch of SUN BEAM by Benefit is what you need.

SUN BEAM comes in a cute little bottle – a bit like a nail varnish.  It is filled with the most divine shimmering, liquid gold!  You can use it to highlight your cheek and brow bones to brighten up your complexion in an instant.  It’s so fine, that it looks like your skin is naturally glowing – it barely looks like you’re wearing make-up.  The warm, golden shade suits every skin tone from light to dark and gives that dewy look to your complexion.  You only need a tiny amount, so it lasts forever which is just a bonus!  I’ve had mine for a couple of months and it still hasn’t run out, which is amaZing as I wear it every day without fail.

HOW TO APPLY:  Use the little brush to dot a tiny amount onto your cheek and brow bones and use your fingers gently to blend.

I definitely recommend this product – it’s worth every penny.  It’s liquid sunshine in a bottle!

You can buy SUN BEAM here :

http://www.johnlewis.com/231598364/Product.aspx?SearchTerm=benefit+sun+beam