Provide Guidance For Your Daughter to navigate through beauty products and makeup
By Jacqueline Rupp
One moment your daughter is perfectly content to have dirt under her fingernails, a grape juice smile and tangles in her hair. Before you know it, though, everything has changed – appearance and beauty become high priorities.
Unfortunately, confused friends and over-the-top fashion magazines are the typical sources for beauty advice. Preteens and teens definitely need some guidance navigating through the newly found makeup department. By giving your daughter a solid foundation of beauty basics, she’ll be more astute and savvy in her makeup choices – maybe even learning to avoid overdone black eyeliner and two-toned lips.
Start With the Skin
Although it might not be as fun as picking out lip gloss and trendy nail polish, keeping skin healthy, especially on the face, should be the main beauty priority. “Most importantly, the underlying health of the skin should be evaluated,” says Dr. Wendy Roberts, a dermatologist in Rancho Mirage, Calif. “Is the skin normal, oily, dry, acne prone or sensitive? An example of sensitive skin is a teen with eczema.”
Beautiful skin looks good with or without makeup. “Starting out with a good canvas is key,” says Marlene Kurland, makeup artist and creator of B Natural Cosmetics. Aside from the line of cosmetics, Kurland also hosts princess parties and a beauty boot camp, where she teaches young women the keys to a beautiful and healthy lifestyle. “The better the condition of the skin, the better the makeup will look.”
Healthy skin can be a big problem for many teens who often try every harsh cleanser on the market in pursuit of clear, soft skin. “One big thing that teens do is that they don’t cleanse their skin properly,” says Kurland. “A lot of teens use soap on their face, and most soaps are not good for the face. Kids think that since their faces are oily, soap will dry them out. They get a dry feeling initially, but a couple of hours later the oils come right back.” Kurland says that all the scrubbing and soap actually works to reactivate the oil glands, causing more skin problems.
Her cleansing routine is a simple two-step process: first a gentle cleanser specifically made for the face that removes dirt, oil and makeup. Second, every teen needs a good moisturizer. “This acts as a protection between the makeup and the skin,” she says. “There is a difference between being oily and being moist. Teens think that they shouldn’t use moisturizer because their skin is already oily. But in fact, this is just what their skin needs.” Kurland adds that makeup should never be applied directly to the skin without a moisturizer base.
Additionally, teens should always remember to practice good sun safety. Many sunblocks on the market today are made with moisturizing ingredients. Tanning beds should be avoided; instead try sunless tanning creams. Remind your teen that wearing sunblock now can keep their skin from premature aging and drastically cut down on wrinkles. “Titanium and zinc are makeup ingredients [that] have the benefit of UV protection,” says Dr. Roberts.
And what about removing makeup before bed? “Absolutely yes,” says Dr. Roberts. “Our body does repair work at night; this includes our skin.” She recommends a cleanser that is effective at removing dirt and makeup, but that is also gentle on the skin, without a lot of fragrances or artificial dyes. And, although acne is rarely caused primarily by cosmetics, it’s a good idea to cleanse often and stay away from thick, oil-based foundations. Dr. Roberts says there is actually a type of acne, acne cosmetica, which is caused by these heavy makeups.
