How to Look Beautiful in Middle School (Girls)

Co-authored by Ivy Boyd

Last Updated: March 16, 2023 Approved

Being beautiful is a title that every girl wishes for. Usually, beautiful women are seen with lots of styling, designer clothes, and makeup. Here's how to be a beautiful girl in middle school, without being a model.

Part 1

Part 1 of 8:

Tapping Your Inner Beautiful

1
Look in the mirror. Find something you think is beautiful about yourself and flaunt it! Do you have gorgeous hair? Leave it down on your shoulders. Dazzling eyes? Brighten them with mascara. Elegant figure? Wear clothes that flatter your shape. Choose something that you find pretty about yourself to accentuate, and draw attention away from things you don't like.
2
Find ways to hide or draw attention away from what you don't like. Do you have large hips? Wear a black dress or a belt. Do you have heavy thighs? Wear a bold printed top. Do you have a smaller bustline? Wear some colored skinny jeans. If there's something that you don't like about your body, you can mask it, but just remember to have confidence.

Part 2

Part 2 of 8:

Being Beautiful On The Outside

1
Find your style. Are you girly? Wear floral patterns, pastel colors, skirts, and dresses. Preppy? Try polos, chinos, capris, knee lengths skirts and dresses and oxfords. Edgy? Leather jackets, miniskirts, short tight dresses, band tees, lace skirts, and skinny jeans. Shop at stores that sell clothes that you like, not just trends. Dress to flatter your body and dress for the season. You wouldn't want to be caught in the snow in a miniskirt, would you?
2
Be natural. Don't wear too much makeup or too tight or short clothes. You're just a kid, after all. A lot of girls wear too much makeup, super trendy clothes, and high heels just to fit in. But if that's not who you are, don't be it! Express yourself! If you like music, wear guitar earrings. If you like art, wear paint-splattered jeans. Be yourself!
3
Make an effort to look nice in your way. Don't stop taking showers, washing your hair, and wearing deodorant because you're "being yourself" or "making a statement". It's unhealthy. Take showers and wash everywhere.
- Shave if you're allowed and it's necessary. Don't shave just to shave. However, you might wish to. Shaving is a choice and isn't necessary to be beautiful!
- Wash your hair as frequently as you think you need to. If you are unsure, ask your hairdresser, your mom, or even a trusted friend (with healthy hair).
- Get a trim every 6-8 weeks to prevent split ends and avoid heat styling as much as possible.
- Use deodorant, antiperspirant, or combination every morning and after P.E. You can use perfume if you want, but be careful not to overdo it.
4
Ask your mom to help you wear makeup. If she says yes, don't wear too much. For middle school, wear chapstick, light lip gloss, and concealer. Don't use too much, it may look heavy. Remember that wearing makeup is your choice and you don't have to if you don't want to.

Part 3

Part 3 of 8:

Being Beautiful On The Inside

1
Use body language. Body language is the way we communicate with people without words. Use kind, open, warm, and inviting body language. There is nothing people hate more than a rude, snotty, "thinks she's above the world" kind of girl. When you sit, plant your feet firmly on the ground and place your hands on your lap. Avoid crossing your arms or sitting sloppily, lazily, or not being involved. It makes people think you can't be bothered to talk to them, and that's the last thing you want.
2
Make eye contact. When people are talking to you, make eye contact with them. It lets them know that you are paying attention and listening to them. Try to break eye contact occasionally, or else it's creepy.
3
Pay attention in class. Teachers appreciate it when students pay attention during their lessons. It lets them know they are doing their job. Also, if they ask questions, raise your hands. But only if you know the answer because if they call on you, you could wind up super embarrassed.
4
Be carefree. Don't care what people think about you. Just have fun! Just remember, you have friends who like you for who you are, so who cares what those snobs think about you!
5
Be nice. Don't look down on people who are different then you are. They are just expressing themselves just like you are. Also, don't pick fights with "popular" people for making fun of you. If you get into a fight with them, you are just as bad as they are. The best thing to do would be to just walk away. Be the bigger person.
6
Be a risk-taker. Don't be afraid to be bold. If someone dares you to do something, as long as it's safe, do it! Try bungee jumping, rock climbing, skydiving or scuba diving.
7
Be responsible. Do your homework and be safe. However, don't be a nag. If you see someone doing something wrong, quietly walk off and tell someone in authority. Don't go up to them and tell them off.
8
Be well behaved. It is more fun to behave than not, don't get into trouble.

Part 4

Part 4 of 8:

Beautiful Extras

1
Keep your room, locker, and workspace clean. Decorate your room with posters and cute pillows and blankets. Decorate your locker with stickers, magnets, whiteboards, pictures, and mirrors. When you are in class keep your supplies for your current class (for example, a binder and notebook) and put the rest of your stuff on your desk. Clean your room and your locker regularly. It will be much easier to find stuff.
2
Get cool electronics. Get a cellphone, a tablet, an MP3 player (maybe an iPod), a laptop, and an Ereader. Get cool cases for all your stuff with things like animals, snacks, and things you like (for example, Moriah Elizabeth). Charge your devices regularly. It`s awful when your battery dies when you're in the middle of doing your homework on your laptop!
3
Have nice school supplies. Get binders, notebooks, pencil cases, folders, and caddies in pretty colors and patterns like pink, blue, yellow, orange, and green. Patterns include cats, polka dots, stripes, chevron, and cool geometric patterns.
4
Have fun! Do cool activities with your friends and don`t take things too seriously.

Part 5

Part 5 of 8:

Skin Care

1
Use face wash twice a day, in the morning, and before bed. Make sure this matches what you need to fix, whether it's oily skin, dry skin, acne, pimples, or protection against breakouts. If you don't use face cleansers at least once a day, you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll develop skin issues,
- If you have sensitive skin, Simple is a fantastic British brand that helps even the most sensitive skin in need of major protection.
2
Use a face mask every 3 days-1 weeks. This gives your skin a natural glow and protects from dirt and grime. Use with caution, however - exfoliating before at least 3 days since your last use can cause breakouts, as your skin is over-exfoliated.
3
Moisturize. Find a good brand of moisturizer for your face and put it on daily to protect from any dirt and grime that wants to enter your pores. It also leaves your skin silky-soft and smooth as a bonus, so lather up!
- Moisturizer can also be used as a base for makeup instead of BB Cream.
4
Use lotion after showers. Put lotion on your arms and legs for a naturally glowing, smooth texture to your skin. Adding this to your shoulders and neck can also be a good place. In the summer, lotions with built-in UV protection will double as sunscreen without the sticky feel and salty smell.
5
Wear chapstick. Wear it most of the time to prevent your lips from drying up and bleeding. Especially during winter, apply Chapstick every night before you go to bed and when you wake up and carry one with you throughout the day.

Part 6

Part 6 of 8:

Hair Care

1
Shampoo and condition according to your hair type. And if you can't find some for your hair, you must have something really special, because nowadays there's natural heat protectants, hydration, featherweight, dye protection, natural hair lighteners, etc. You can find practically anything! Just remember not to be afraid to mix and match types. If you have both frizzy and thick hair, combining a featherweight shampoo with a frizz-control conditioner will work amazingly.
- Don't use 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, because while the conditioner is meant to stay in your hair for a long period, shampoo can only stay in for 10 seconds. It's like dividing by zero - you can't do it, and shouldn't try!
2
Avoid heat products unless necessary. This means blow dryers, straighteners, crimpers, and curlers/curling irons. Unless you need it (i.e. a curly piece of hair mixed with straight hair, or a straight piece mixed with a curly piece) or there's a special occasion (i.e. a dance, a wedding, a funeral)
- There are plenty of ways to naturally dry, straighten, curl, and crimp your hair. YouTube and WikiHow provide many ways to do so!
3
Don't dye your hair. This can permanently damage it and will give your hair an odd texture over time. It's unhealthy for your hair, even if you wash it and use hair-nutritious products in it. Just because it looks nice doesn't mean it'll be nice. Beware! You don't have to do what the trends are just to fit in. Make natural hair the thing!
4
Use leave-in shampoo and conditioner. Leave-in shampoo keeps your hair less frizzy and silky smooth, while leave-in conditioner keeps your hair healthy, frizz-free, and quite soft and manageable. These contain vitamins and nutrients that are essential for hair, and while normal shampoo and conditioner give them to your hair, it doesn't last the whole day!

Part 7

Part 7 of 8:

Using Makeup

You're in middle school, so this section will only go over the basics. Never feel like you need to put on five pounds of makeup to be beautiful. You can use little to no makeup and look gorgeous either way! Makeup doesn't make you beautiful. (Ever heard of: OMG, her makeup makes her look like a clown!!) But that's just for thick makeup.

1
Apply moisturizer or BB cream. With moisturizer, squeeze a bit onto the tips of your fingers, rub all your fingers together, and apply evenly on your face and neck. With BB cream, squeeze some onto the center of your forehead, nose, either cheek and chin. Then, use your fingers to even this out. Don't forget any spots, or you might have a lighter or darker patch of skin!
2
Apply foundation and powder. Find a foundation that is a bit lighter than your skin tone. When applying, coat the liquid onto problem spots (bumps, acne, red spots, dark eye circles) and spread it with your finger. Don't blend this into your skin, just coat it on while it still is unnatural. Next, apply powder. This powder should match your skin as best as possible. Powder your entire face, even going over your foundation. Going over your foundation with powder is what makes it look natural while it's still caked on.
3
Apply lip product. This is quite simple - all you have to do is fill in your lips. Use the thick edge to fill in the main part, and the tipped edge to get into the corners of your lips. If your lips are smaller or thin and the lipstick is dark, use the tipped edge to create the shape you want. It seems like it'd look strange, but it's a fantastic illusion. You'd have to look close to notice.
- Bright colors and nudes are popular in warm seasons, while darker colors are popular in cold seasons.
4
Apply mascara. You can use clear or black mascara for your top lashes, and clear for your bottoms. Take the brush out of the tube and rub it against the edges. Then position yourself in front of a mirror to monitor what you're doing. Take the mascara brush and sweep it over your eyelashes the same amount of time on either eye. Then, take your brush and hold it vertically, rubbing against your lashes to avoid clumping.
- Another way to avoid clumping is to take your brush horizontally and sweep it left-to-right on the tips of your lashes.

Part 8

Part 8 of 8:

Maintaining Hygiene

1
Consider picking body wash scents by season! Smelling like a tropical forest won't always do in the winter, and smelling like a candied apple or peppermint chocolate isn't the best option in summer.
2
Brush your teeth. Ideally, aim to brush and use mouthwash along with brushing to ensure all bacteria are washed away. Floss regularly to keep your gums healthy!
- Get routine dental checkups to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.
3
Wash your hands. Throughout the day, all sorts of nasty bacteria can accumulate on your hands, and this is very unhygienic, especially during flu season when everyone is coughing and sneezing, spreading germs everywhere. Wash your hands regularly and after coughing or sneezing to keep them clean.
- Also, having dirty hands and touching your face can lead to acne breakouts; keeping them clean can help prevent this.