Changing My High School (Beauty) Life for the Better

By Makeup Morsels, Teen Contributor

Makeup Morsels is a pseudonym, and if that seems a little bulky, just call her MM! She resides in California and on her last year of high school. She has black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin (think NC15), and often has people tell her she looks like a corpse! She’s guilty of having a slight obsession for both sunscreen and lipstick (both of which she says she needs to stop hoarding). You’ll typically find her stalking drugstore aisles for bargains or lurking around high-end makeup counters to window shop. MM also enjoys cooking (and eating), food photography, reading, and exploring the world of makeup. Check out her blog, Makeup Morsels!

Changing My High School (Beauty) Life for the Better

Over the past few years, I’ve tried a lot of different things with my makeup and beauty routine. From maximizing my limited morning time to making up the game of “pet the brush because I don’t have a dog” (only kidding!), I’ve come across several tips and tricks that I still use today. I spent a lot of high school figuring out what works for me and what doesn’t, so today I bring you three tidbits of wisdom that changed my high school beauty life.

Nail polish. By the time junior year of high school rolled around, manicures were my go-to activity in times of stress. Neatly painting polish required that I hold the brush still. Holding the brush still required that I take a deep breath, calm down, and remind myself that the world was not going to end if I couldn’t figure out a Calculus problem. In fact, after a quick 10 minute polish session, I would return to my homework and sometimes experience a moment of epiphany. A useful tip: quick drying top coats such as Out The Door ( 4.99) speed up the process tremendously.  Just to clarify, I’m not implying that painting your nails is going to deliver epiphanies or get you straight As (that would be nice, wouldn’t it?)!  What it will do is give you a breather before you go back to tackling those math problems and hopefully cheer you up.

Skincare. These days, my makeup of choice is often no makeup at all (give or take a couple of exceptions, see below for more details). The reason I feel comfortable walking out the door with nothing but sunscreen and moisturizer on is that I simply don’t need foundation. While I’m no skincare guru and can’t give you the magical recipe for good skin, what I do suggest is that you think about your specific skin type (is it oily, dry, sensitive, combination?) and read up on skincare bloggers with similar skin issues. Removing your makeup every night is always a good bet, as is wearing sunscreen, staying hydrated, and getting plenty of sleep (I’m still working on that last one).

Under Eye Concealer. Quite honestly, I don’t think I could have gotten through the past three-and-a-half years without this stuff. On days when I’ve accumulated enough sleep debt to look like a panda that’s been walloped in the eyes, a dab of concealer does wonders. I instantly look 10 times more well-rested (when in fact, I am about to fall out of my chair), and friends no longer ask me if I’m okay because I look”disheveled and kind of like a corpse.”  Because my dark circles tend to have a purplish cast, I like to use salmon-toned concealers to neutralize the shadows, concentrating the product on the inner corners of my under eyes. My holy grail dark circle concealer is from Skin Food ($12.99), which does the trick without appearing overly orange on my pale skin.

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