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What makeup advice would you give your younger self?


What makeup advice would you give your younger self? Share!

I would tell my younger self to always wear sunscreen and get a skincare regimen earlier!

Thanks to Jessi for today’s question! Got a question idea? Submit yours here.

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Ari Avatar

Concentrate more on skin care, and wash your face every night! Don’t sleep with your makeup on. Forget about all of that black eyeliner, and just use mascara instead.

Megan Avatar

“You really don’t have to cram 9 different color eyeshadows onto your lid to have amazing makeup! Oh and please don’t use black eyeliner for your brows. Its awful!”

Jazmine Avatar

Mmmm agreed! I’m 17 and I’m wearing sunscreen everyday but unfortunately i remember the days where I would purposely go out in the sun and try to tan without any sunscreen on! 🙁
I know better now!

livnzoe Avatar

i had a few blemishes when i was younger… and i tried to cover them up with foundation!!.. i haven’t had a concealer because i thought this isn’t neccersary!!
.. so most of the time my face looked like a mask, because i used too much foundation!! what a shame!!

Anna Avatar

Better skin care – Yes!
Use sunscreen – Most definitely!
But also not to be swayed too much by marketing and buying whole brand’s collection/s at a time. Build your make-up stash slowly and choose wisely on what item to by since there are so many good brands/products out there. I learned this the hard way and I have so much in my make-up collection now and only really use about 40-50%.

Maya C Avatar

I’d tell myself that it was very daring to “rock” colored glitter eyeliner for the daytime, but it looked ridiculous… I would suggest neutral eyeshadow instead. Ohhh eyeliner… I used to only wear eyeliner. WHY?

CJ Avatar

You can start plucking your eyebrows aaaaanytime soon. But when you do? Don’t overdo it. Pencil thin eyebrows are not for you. They will take forever to grow back in.
Also, that dark brown lipstick? Put it down.

the_izzle Avatar

Put the foundation down and step away. To layer foundation on to obliterate your acne scars means you look like a doll face, and not in the nice way.
I look back at some of those pictures and I am just *shame face*

condesa Avatar

looking at those old pictures, I’d tell my younger me to avoid that ghostly pale foundation and those brown ips (in the Nineties it was the makeup: pale foundation, almost no eyemakeup a part some mascara, and thin, brown lips). So boring!

Alison Avatar

I don’t understand the whole fascination with brown lipstick that was around in the Nineties… I don’t feel like I’ve ever seen anyone look good wearing really BROWN lipstick, y’know? Its certainly never looked good on me…

Nikolas Lane Avatar

Wear foundation that matches your skin and blend it into your skin so it doesn’t look like such a mask. Contour your face- it REALLY DOES make a difference. Don’t be scared of shading your eyebrows in a bit, this helps frame your face and it really finishes a look and just looks so much more polished. Blend your eyeshadow so that it seamlessly transitions into your face… Harsh lines are tacky!!! And set your eyeliner. Raccoon eyes have never been cute.

Dusty Avatar

When I was in middle school I started wearing foundation – But it was my MOM’S (who is much darker than I am). I thought I was making myself look better but everyone kept asking me, “What’s that orange stuff on your face?” I learned fairly quickly 🙂 LOL!

Regarding skincare I think I did pretty good. I had a regimen by the time I was 12: Cleanse, moisturize, facial masks, etc. When I was 15 I started wearing sunscreen and sunglasses outside (NO SQUINTING!!) I stopped drinking soda two years later and switched to juice and TONS of water instead. I drink nothing with caffeine. But I’ve never been great at exercise, stress levels are often high and getting enough sleep has always been an issue too… Boo! 😛 Stress does bad things to your face!

Speaking of… I guess I’d tell myself, “Stop tugging at your eyes! Your skin won’t stay that way forever!!” Oh how I miss my flawlessly porcelain and oh-so-elestic teenage skin. Sigh…

Wow. Apparently I had a lot to say 😛 Haha

Mar Avatar

Don’t pile on the foundation like it’s paint, take off your makeup before you go to bed, take away half of all the makeup you put on your face everyday, don’t feel unsure about having acne and don’t try to make your skin look like it’s perfect…
None’s is and you look far better without all that crap on your face!

monika-luiza Avatar

stay away from matte brown lipsticks;) I started into makeup in the middle of the 90s so matte brown was THE lipcolor, but not really on my nw 15/20 skin 😀

Thymine Avatar

#1 Take care of your skin and to go to a dermatologist earlier (I had horrid acne since age of 9, was 18 before I was put on Accutane).
#2 Just because it’s more expensive/a famous brand, does not guarantee it is better. And just because it is cheap does not always mean lesser quality! Lesser known brands like Ben Nye, Kryolan, Graftobian, ELF and La Femme have good items that are a great investment!
#3 Ask yourself if you are really going to need that bright purple lipstick or orange gloss and that palette of smokey colours if you only do natural looks.
#4 It is okay to splurge sometimes, but just because others haul, does not mean you need to go out and haul as well. It is better to not buy items you kind-of-want and instead save to buy something you REALLY want.
#5 Have fun with make up! Be more confident about yourself and your looks. “Makeup should be fun, not fascist”- Kevin Aucoin

bunnybeauty Avatar

Stop sleeping with make up on (my younger self wouldn’t listen though.) More importantly, wear the colors you want to wear–just because people say you look better in darker colors doesn’t mean they get to decide.

Natalie Avatar

I third not sleeping with makeup on. Invest in a blending brush. Oh, and never, ever, wear lime green with electric blue eyeshadow and a ton of black eyeliner.

divinem (Melissa) Avatar

Remove your makeup before bed and wear sunscreen! The importance of sunscreen wasn’t as widely known/pushed by the industry when I was young.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), I developed an allergy to the sun and have had to live like a bat since my early 20s, so my complexion is very good with little damage and few signs of aging. Time marches on, though, and it will eventually march all over my face!

Vanessa S Avatar

Pay more attention to my skin. Although i was pretty good at keeping up with a routine i should of used more spf less tanning beds and more moisterizers….

Oh and the best one! DO NOT SLEEP WITH MAKEUP ON!

Nadia Avatar

I’d tell myself four very important things:

1. Never sleep with makeup on
2. Start and maintain an appropriate skincare regimen
3. Use brushes to apply makeup (not sponge tip applicators lol)
4. Stay away from powder foundation!! (I have dry skin)

Suzanne Avatar

Lovely question: I’d tell myself that make-up was a good and useful thing. That it wasn’t just for bimbettes. That the best products needn’t cost the earth. That it isn’t just about putting unnatual colour on your face but also making your natural self so much better so subtly, that people would keep guessing.
I younger self would roll here eyes – she hates advice.

Jaime Avatar

“Clean your makeup brushes every night!” I didn’t do this for the whole first two years I started playing with makeup, and it ruined my brushes. I had to re-buy almost all of them from MAC again, which was just money down the drain. 🙁

Brooke Avatar

I’d tell young-teen me to chill with the foundation. I must have looked like a freak back then, having let some Clinique crazy counter lady tell 15-year-old me that I needed three layers of stuff, including loose powder that I wasn’t very good at not caking on. Plus, I’m super pale and Clinique never had a shade that matched my skin. I’m now 13 years older and barely wear any foundation except some MAC powder and concealer when I get a blemish.

penelope Avatar

Wear moisturizer with spf 20 or higher during day time, invest in good makeup brushes, and most importantly stop switching to different skin care products and brands b/c it will causes a lot of breakouts.

Grace Avatar

1. Do not use St. Ives Apricot Scrub!
2. Always wash your face at the end of the day (do not sleep with a dirty face) – and be gentle to your skin when cleansing, no matter how old you are.
3. Always wear sunscreen.
4. Always moisturize, even if you have oily skin.
5. Keep yourself hydrated.
6. Try to find the best drugstore mascara… for the number of mascaras you use, it doesn’t make sense to be spending on high-end mascaras every 3 months.
7. Do not share your makeup, unless you take proper hygenic measures.
8. Do not pop your breakouts.
9. Exfoliate (gently) regularly. No amount of makeup will make you look better if it’s sitting on dead, flaky skin.
10. You are already pretty without makeup. Do not feel obligated to wear makeup to fit in.

Okay, I’m still trying to keep these in mind as my current self, but definitely would’ve wanted someone to keep reminding me about these points when I was younger.

anonymous Avatar

6. Try to find the best drugstore mascara… for the number of mascaras you use, it doesn’t make sense to be spending on high-end mascaras every 3 months.

LMAO that’s always been how I felt about high-end mascaras. Don’t invest in something that will last a few months tops and no one will be able to tell the difference. (Plus I’ve had so many high end counter reps ask me what I’m wearing and it’s just L’Oreal– and I DON’T have great lashes.)

Vita Avatar

Blend into the neck! And less is more. Focus on using makeup to look like more polished put together you and not someone else. I have naturally rosy cheeks and I have learned to love them rather then try to use heavy coverage foundation to make my skin all one color.

And easy on the bronzer girl! lol

Maria Avatar

I would tell myself never wear eyeliner all over your eyelid it is in no way cute, I used to think it was cute and now looking at old photos idk what I was thinking

Jamee Avatar

That there was no need to start wearing foundation in junior high or even high school. I always had my nice, blemish-free skin covered up. Now I’m in my early 20s and I feel that I have to wear it everyday or else I just don’t look right. Also, stop overplucking those brows!

natalia Avatar

I’m 23 years old but I tortured my skin from a VERY young age. My parents NEVER put sunscreen on me and would take me to the beach every weekend in the summer and on vacations in the winter. Blame it on the fact that they are both from the Portuguese Acores where many fry themselves to a crispy brown. I grew to covet that deep tan that came so easily to me. To make matters worse I also went to tanning salons from age 16 to 21 and am truly horrirfied in hindsight. I would tell myself that my natural skin color is beautiful, and that I was seriously damaging my skin for a tan that is totally not worth it!

Cassykins Avatar

I can’t really say, “Don’t sleep in your makeup,” because I would have needed to tell my last night self the same. What I did learn, though, is that just because an eyeshadow comes as a duo, that doesn’t mean the colors are best suited for each other. I often think that manufacturers get it wrong, though individually the colors are beautiful and can be combined with other things I have.

Goldie Avatar

Keep your fingers off your pimply face. Believe me, that zit will heal much faster if you don’t brutally try to squeeze it! Now I’m left with a bunch of acne scars which could have been avoided.

Ashley Avatar

My advice: Do NOT by any means start wearing facial makeup, and related, do not use skincare products. My acne did not surface until I started wearing foundation and used cleansers to wash my face. Before that, I had a few pimples from tweezing. That was it!
I’d also tell myself to not tweeze my brows into oblivion. Still have bald areas :/ And then I’d also tell myself to ease up a bit on the application of my makeup. I wore some really ridiculous looks lol.

Susann Avatar

Sunscreen, always use eye cream and sunglasses to prevent squint lines. It worked for me, I’ll be 50 in a few months and have no crows feet at all. Everything else is just fun and games. Also, don’t overpluck your brows.

Kiko Avatar

Try that Heroin-Look from Taylor Mommsen for one evening, because 20 is the only age to possibly look good with it and you will regret not having tried it at 28.

Lyss Avatar

When Mom tries to get you to go to the dermatologist, GO.

When Mom tries to get you to use ProActiv, RUN. You don’t need the massive break out that will follow.

Wash your face every day. Use translucent powder to set your foundation instead of the coloured stuff. Take better care of your nails and don’t help the peeling process along. Step away from the Avon catalog… you won’t wear most of the stuff you buy anyways.

My younger self wants to contribute to this too… she tells my current self to KEEP YOUR EYEBROWS PROPERLY GROOMED MORE OFTEN!!!

Alison Avatar

….Second on that “You won’t wear most of the stuff you buy” thing. I’ve bought so many gimmicky eyeshadows, eyeliners, crappy lipsticks etc that I’ll only wear once. And then it’ll be clogging up my makeup drawer. Gawwww.

Jeanie Avatar

Don’t use crappy harsh cleansers like Noxema and Neutrogena loaded with acne medication just because all the ads are focused on your age group. You don’t have acne, your skin is normal/dry, use something milder like Cetaphil! Also, stop using St. Ives apricot scrub, it’s terrible for your skin. And for goodness sake, wash your face every night and wear SPF every day.

Vijaya Avatar

Go to the dermatologist, twelve-year-old-me!

Honestly, my prescription acne medication did amazing things for me that nothing over-the-counter ever could. I’m lookin’ at you Clinique, Proactiv, Clean and Clear, Clearasil, and number of other things I spend so much money and YEARS of my life on.

Karo Avatar

Always use sunscreen and never let products that contain alcohol touch your face! Don’t overpluck your eyebrows, and pick tinted moisturizer over foundation. No one under 18 needs foundation!

Alison Avatar

If your skin is stripped, stings, hurts, is getting rubbed to within an inch of your life, you’re not improving its health.

Don’t use biore pore packs on your young skin.

Get a Clarisonic.

I’d also give myself a list of the best skin care regimen for me to use, which I’ve only found in my late teens.

anonymous Avatar

4000 pieces of makeup that do not work/flatter/get used are worth less than a handful of items that bring out natural beauty.

:that said:

don’t be afraid to try new things. sometimes you just want to be creative & better to be *happy* than look “perfect”

Niki Avatar

To always, always, always remove your makeup before going to bed; make sure you maintain your skin regime; remember who you are & to where make up that enhances your own beauty rather than compete with it; and to always blend, blend, blend.

Ali Avatar

LESS IS MORE! When I started my obsession, I’d wear every beauty product at once, and DEFINITELY not sparing amounts. I also always did makeup on my friends and always used the same things in the same places, wich is a definite no, because everyone has different features, coloring, and needs.

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