How to Apply Makeup (for Teen Girls)

Co-authored by Cassandra McClure and Amber Crain

Last Updated: March 8, 2023 References Approved

Being a teenager is a fun time in any girl's life, but it can come with stresses, too. What kind of makeup should I wear? How do I apply mascara? Foundation or powder? Luckily, applying makeup is easy to learn with a little practice!

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Covering up Blemishes

1
Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. Adolescence is the perfect time to adopt a good skin care regimen, since breakouts are most likely to occur at this age. Skin care is also important when wearing makeup, since you want to start with soft, clean skin. Always wash your face before applying your makeup.
- Buy a cleanser that's made for your skin type, such as oily, dry, or combination skin. For example, cream cleansers are good for dry skin.
- If you have oily skin, try a cleanser with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or another acne fighting ingredient.^{[1]
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2
Apply moisturizer all over your face to hydrate your skin. Makeup goes on more easily and lasts longer when your skin is hydrated! Squeeze a nickle-sized amount of moisturizer onto your fingers and work the product into your face gently for about 30 seconds, concentrating on any areas that feel especially dry or flaky.
- Look for a moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher to protect your skin from sun damage. SPF is especially important if you have acne, since sun exposure can turn healing acne into dark spots that take a long time to fade.^{[2]
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- Buy a moisturizer made for your skin type. For example, if you have dry skin, go for an intense, thick moisturizer. If you have oily skin, try a light, oil-free moisturizer.^{[3]
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3
Apply tinted moisturizer or foundation to even out your skin tone. Squeeze a nickle-sized amount of tinted moisturizer, BB cream, or liquid foundation onto the back of your hand. Use a foundation brush to dab a little bit of foundation on your nose, forehead, cheeks, jaws, and chin. Then, use a sponge or beauty blender to buff the foundation into your skin so that it looks natural and there are no hard lines.
- Tinted moisturizers and BB creams will give you light coverage for a natural look. Liquid foundations usually come in light, medium, or full coverage, so be sure to check the label!
- If you're using tinted moisturizer, you can skip the regular moisturizer first.
- If you have oily skin, choose an oil-free foundation.
- Use a foundation that matches your skin tone as closely as possible. If you're having trouble choosing a shade, go with one that matches the skin color of your neck.
EXPERT TIP

"The makeup industry isn't regulated, so it's a good idea to look at the ingredients in your makeup and make sure they're safe to use."

Cassandra McClure
Makeup Artist
Cassandra McClure is a clean beauty advocate, working to increase use of sustainable and healthy cosmetics, based in Palo Alto, California. She has worked in the beauty and cosmetic industries for over 15 years, as a model, makeup artist, and entrepreneur. She has a Masters in High Definition Makeup from the MKC Beauty Academy.

Cassandra McClure
Makeup Artist
4
Use concealer to cover up blemishes and dark circles. Choose a concealer that matches your skin tone and dab it directly onto the red spot or under your eyes if you have dark circles. Use a beauty blender or your finger to pat the concealer into your skin until it looks blended and natural.
- Avoid wiping or rubbing the concealer into your skin, since this will take the concealer off.
- Use a yellow-based concealer to lighten dark circles under the eyes.^{[4]
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5
Use powder to set your foundation and concealer. Dust pressed or loose powder onto your face using a large makeup brush, concentrating on areas where your skin gets oily, like your forehead, nose, and chin. Also apply powder over your concealer to set it.
- You can use translucent powder if you want a sheer look, or a shade that matches your skin tone for a little more coverage.
- Never use the same brush for multiple makeup types. If you used a foundation brush with foundation, don't use the same brush to spread powder on your face.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Accenting Your Features

1
Comb your eyebrows and lightly fill them in with brow pencil. Using a brow brush, clean mascara brush, or toothbrush, comb your eyebrows up and over. This keeps them looking neat and growing the correct way. If you have thin or patchy brows, use a brow pencil or brow powder that matches your hair color to lightly fill them in.^{[5]
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- Don't comb your eyebrows inward.
- You can use your finger to lightly blend the the pencil or powder to get rid of any harsh lines.
2
Apply a neutral eyeshadow for a natural look. Select a natural, shimmery shade like soft peach or beige for your everyday look. Apply the eyeshadow to the center of your eyelids, then blend the color out to the left and then to the right. If you want more definition, apply a slightly darker color, like soft brown, to your crease and blend out using the same technique.
- You can dab a little concealer on your eyelids first to give your eyeshadow more staying power.
- If you have brown or hazel eyes, try accentuating them with warm colors like copper and gold. For blue or green eyes, try gray or plum.
- You can also have fun with crazy colors, like blue. Just remember that these are generally not everyday colors, but for special occasions and nighttime looks.
3
Apply eyeliner to emphasize your eyes and lashes. Not everybody needs or uses eyeliner so you can skip this step. For everyday looks, go with a brown or black eyeliner pencil. Draw a thin line on your top lid, keeping close to the lash line. If you want a more subtle look, smudge the line a little with a cotton swab. You can apply the liner on the lower lash line and smudge with a cotton swab if you want to amp up your look, or skip it for a natural look.
- Avoid applying eyeliner to the waterline, since this can be difficult for beginners and can cause infections.
- Black liquid eyeliner is not for everybody and can be difficult to use when you're learning how to apply makeup. Master the eyeliner pencils first!
4
Brush 1 coat of mascara onto your top lashes. Using a brown or black mascara, place the brush at the roots of your top, outer lashes. Wiggle the brush outwards, coating the lashes with mascara all the way to the tips. Do the same to the inner lashes and, if you like, the bottom lashes.
- You can skip the bottom lashes if you're going for a natural look. If you want a more dramatic look, lightly brush the mascara wand over the bottom lashes one time.
- Watch out for clumping. Wiggling can help prevent this! You can also brush your lashes with an eyelash comb to prevent clumps.
- For natural looks, brown mascara works best on people that have blonde, light brown, or red hair. Go with black if you want to amp up your look. If you have black hair, black mascara will look perfectly natural!
5
Brush on some blush to the apples of your cheeks for a rosy glow. Smile to find the apples of your cheeks (the round parts) and brush on a light amount of blush using a large makeup brush. Go for a natural look when wearing blush and use bronzers or pink rosy colors. You just want to give your cheeks a touch of color!
- Never wear extremely dark blush colors, which tends to look very unnatural.
- Be sure to stick to the apples of your cheeks and avoid going up the cheekbone for a natural rosy glow.
6
Swipe on lip gloss, lip tint, or lipstick to complete your look. Lip gloss gives you a natural color while adding shimmer. If you want a bit of color, try a lip tint or a cream lipstick in a natural shade like soft pink or rose. You can also top your color with a touch of gloss for extra sparkle!
- If your lips are dry, apply a little lip balm first and try to avoid matte lipsticks, which are very drying.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Creating Different Looks

1
Wear a bold lipstick to create a dramatic look. You can go with colors like raspberry and red for a classic revved up look, or take it up another notch with a pop of rich blackberry or pink. If you really want to make a statement, try super dark shades that look nearly black, or go with an ultra bright neon color.^{[6]
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- In general, it's best to keep the rest of your makeup fairly natural when doing a bold lip. However, no makeup rules are set in stone!
2
Create a cat eye with liquid eyeliner for a glamorous vibe. Start by tracing along your lash line with a black eye liner pencil or gel liner to anchor the look. Then, line up a business card or heavy piece of card stock with your bottom lashes to create a stencil and flick the line out with your pencil. Once everything looks even and on point, trace over the lines with liquid eyeliner!^{[7]
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- For even more drama, trace along the top of the black liner with a silver liner to create silvery wings and dab a shimmery eye shadow in your inner corners.^{[8]
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- For a brighter look, use a bright eyeliner color like teal or purple instead of black!^{[9]
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3
Take your eyeshadow up a notch with a smoky eye look. Start by sweeping a dark eye shadow color like charcoal, navy, or deep purple from your lashes up to your crease. Then, rim your lower lashes with the same shadow color. Use a q-tip to gently buff the eye shadow on your top lid into your crease and top it all off with black eyeliner and 1-2 coats of black mascara.^{[10]
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Removing Your Makeup

1
Remove your makeup at night. Never sleep in makeup. Sleeping in makeup causes blemishes, rashes, and can cause early aging. Buy an oil-free makeup remover to remove your makeup at night. Soak a cotton ball in the remover and wipe it over your face to get all the day's product.
- Makeup remover is important to help prevent clogged pores and rashes. It is specifically designed to remove makeup and makeup residue, which your cleanser isn't. Always use makeup remover before you wash your face. Use a formula for face makeup, and a separate special formula for your eyes geared towards removing mascara and liner.
2
Wash and moisturize your face at night. After removing your makeup, wash it with a cleanser. This removes any dirt, oil, and impurities your face has acquired throughout the day. You can use the same cleanser as you did that morning. Also moisturize your face to keep it hydrated.
- Only wash your face twice a day. Overwashing your face can cause breakouts and break down vital skin cells.^{[11]
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3
Exfoliate your face twice a week to reveal smooth, fresh skin. Exfoliating sloughs away dead skin cells and helps remove pore-clogging impurities that can lead to breakouts. It's important to exfoliate, but don't go overboard—1-2 times weekly is perfect. Apply an exfoliating scrub to wet skin and rub using gentle circular motions, then rinse it off and pat your skin dry.
- Exfoliating too often or too vigorously can seriously irritate your skin, so be careful.
- If you're dealing with acne, try an exfoliating scrub that contains benzoyl peroxide.^{[12]
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Community Q&A

Question

Is 14 too young to wear makeup?

Community Answer

No, plenty of girls wear makeup at 14, just make sure it's okay with your parents first.
Question

When should I decide to wear make up, and how much should I start with?

Community Answer

I would wear some, but not loads. Makeup is for enhancing your beauty not creating a new face. As a teen the one thing I regret the most is caking on foundation and concealers when i didn't need them and now I have a lot of breakouts, which is normal for a teen , but mine seem to last longer than other teens. Just use mascara, lip gloss, eye shadow, and very little concealer on blemishes.
Question

How exactly do you apply concealer?

Community Answer

You apply concealer on blemishes and under your eyes for dark circles. To apply a cream concealer:use a concealer brush to dab it on the blemish. To apply a liquid concealer: use a liquid concealer brush and dab on the blemish, then blend it out until it looks natural.

Warnings

Never apply eye makeup in a moving vehicle or object.

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Always remove your makeup at night to prevent breakouts.

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