Beauty: Huddersfield schoolgirls to be offered free make-up lessons

Feb 18 2010 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

“They need a proper regime of cleansing, toning and moisturising and they need to choose the right products for their skin type,” said Catie.

“Young skin tends to be oilier but can also have dry areas so it’s a question of finding skincare products that won’t dry the skin out but are also not too oily.

“Keeping the skin clean and well moisturised is all important. Teenagers with spots should avoid using harsh face washes because they strip the skin of moisture, which makes it dry and can actually cause more spots.”

NO 7 CONSULTANT Raj Kaur says the biggest mistake teenagers make when applying foundation is that they “overload.’’

“They use far too much all over their faces and use foundation to cover blemishes when they should be putting on a concealer,’’ she says.

Teenagers blessed with a perfect complexion need no foundation at all but, says Raj, those who do wear it should be choosing from one of the many ranges of tinted moisturiser or light coverage formulas.

“Blemishes should be covered with concealer, well blended in, and the foundation should be used just to even out skin tone and make it luminous,’’ she explained.

Selecting the right colour can also be an issue. “You see a lot of teenage girls with orange faces because they’re trying to look like the celebrities in the magazines who all have spray tans,’’ added Raj.

“To find the perfect foundation you should do the ‘three-stripe test’ on the jaw line below the ear using three different shades and go for the nearest match to your own natural skin tone.’’

Raj also demonstrated how to use a foundation brush to literally ‘paint’ the face.

“Brushes give a lighter coverage and don’t overload the skin,’’ she said. “You also use much less of the product so a bottle of foundation lasts longer.’’

BEAUTY therapist and self-service brands consultant Sarah Coates has noticed that teenagers tend to opt for the Katie Price (pictured) or Cheryl Cole full-on glamour look when choosing lipsticks and lip glosses.

“The Barbie pink is very popular,’’ she said. “They like to go a bit on the wild side with lip colours which is fine for outside of school, if they want.

“For school they need to look more natural and I’d say that less is certainly more.

“Sheer lip glosses and nude colours work for everyday use.’’

Blusher is also easy to overdo.

“Less is more with most make-up,’’ Sarah added. “For a natural blush, smile and apply lightly with a brush to the apple of the cheek.’’

Applied too much? Simply use a cotton wool ball to remove a little and then dust over with powder – no need to start again.

“Using the right foundation is essential for a natural, flawless look, but you shouldn’t use foundation to give your face colour,’’ says Jo Burke, Max Factor consultant.

“That’s what blusher, lip gloss and eye-shadows are for – to add colour.’’

EYE MAKE-UP for school wear, says Benefit counter manager Francesca Brand, needs to be understated and pretty.

“The biggest mistake teenagers make is to use dark colours and go for thick black eye liners,’’ she said. “I remember being 17 and using a lot of eyeliner. My driving licence picture looks absolutely dreadful I’ve got that much eye make-up on.’’

“Teenagers really need to go for softer colours and use brown eyeliner instead of black.’’

Benefit consultant Mel Senior offered the following guide for using eyeshadow colours.

“For green eyes choose soft beige and pink for day time and purple or plum at night.

“For brown eyes choose soft beige and pink during the day with blues, purples or greens at night and with green eyes, soft pinks and lilacs are good for the day with purple and gold at night.

“Essentially, purple in its many shades is a colour that suits anyone, with beige and gold close contenders.’’