Back to School Basics for Teens

If you were absent during our last free Saturday workshop in LA and NY, you can still earn an A+ this fall with a flawless looking make-up — from a natural soft look to a bold statement look. For an everyday natural look, choose warmer natural colors to compliment your features. For an occasional dramatic look, learn how to apply fun colors using the same corrective methods. With either look, you’ll be turning heads all year.

Here’s How:

Face: First, analyze the texture of the skin and prep your face. Remove excess oils with a toner and cotton round. Moisturize your face if necessary. Then, prime your face with Mud’s Face Primer with a Professional Sponge or Brush 940. To find the appropriate base match, choose a few colors that are closest to the undertone and shade of your skin.  Sample the colors on your jaw line and drag the color down your neck. A good match is when the foundation disappears into the skin. Try the silicone base HD Air as liquid foundation for a flawless sheer to medium coverage. Begin the application on your forehead and work your way down to the neck with a Professional Sponge or Brush 940. If you tend to be oily in the T-zone, set the foundation with a Loose Powder and Brush 710s for a longer lasting wear.

Eye Brows: Remove the foundation and powder out of your eyebrows with a Disposable Mascara Wand and 99% alcohol. Use an Eye Pencil to shape and fill in your eyebrows. For a softer long lasting application, transfer the pigment from an Eye Pencil onto the 210s Angle Brush and apply the color in the same direction as the hair growth. As an alternative, use an Eye Color similar to the natural hair with Brush 210s. Look for equal balance and weight.

Natural Look

Eyes: For a soft natural look, try a soft dusting of an Eye Color on the lid with Brush 330s. Eye Colors such as Cashmere, Wheat, Apricot, Pixie, Pink Grapefruit, and Spanish Gold are perfect for this look. Choose an Eye Color a few shades darker to lightly enhance the crease with Brush 800s. Blend to feather out the color for soft edges.

*Tip: DO NOT exceed the outer corners of the lid. Lay the handle of a brush on your face with the handle touching the outer corner of the nose, outer corner of the eye to the end of the eyebrow. This will make for an easy guideline to prevent the outer corners from drooping.

Finish this look with a coat of Volumizing Mascara.

Cheeks: The Rose Petal Cheek Color is the perfect School Girl blush. For medium to darker skin tones, try the Bubblegum or Poppy Cheek Colors. Apply to the apples of the cheeks in a circular motion and lightly sweep back and upward toward the ear with Brush 710s.

Lips: A great rule of thumb when applying lip color is to stick to the same family of color as the cheek color. Not only is the Cupid Lip Glaze in the same family, it also continues the pouty School Girl theme.

Dramatic Look

Eyes: Before you start the eye treatment, think of your colors. If you go super bold on the eyes, tone down your lips. If you are more subtle with your selection of eye colors, then choose a fun color to really play up your lips. It should ALWAYS be one or the other. Begin with a pop of color on the lid with Brush 330s. Then choose a shadow to deepen the crease with Brush 800s. Blend to feather out the color for soft edges.

*Tip: DO NOT exceed the outer corners of the lid. Lay the handle of a brush on your face with the handle touching the outer corner of the nose, outer corner of the eye to the end of the eyebrow. This will make for an easy guideline to prevent the outer corners from drooping.

For a precise, defined look use a Cake Liner with Brush 100. To activate the Cake Liner, spray the water onto a Steel Palette and spin the brush in the water to create a fine point. Never spray directly into the product. Mix the product until the desired consistency is reached. Make sure to spin the brush to keep the fine tip. To achieve a glamour eye liner, lay the brush flat from the inner corner of the eye while hugging the lash line. Drag the brush to the center of the lid. Relax your eye, look straight ahead and place a small dot on the outer corner where the end of the wing should end. Reload your brush, place the tip on the dot, and drag your brush toward the center. Fill in the liner to even out the color. Use the same Eye Color that you used in the crease as a drop shadow on the lower lash line with Brush 210s.  Finish this cool urban-chic look with a coat of Cream or Volumizing Mascara.

Cheeks: The Rose Beige Cheek Color adds depth and warmth without taking away from the creativity of the eye or lip application. For medium to darker skin tones, try the Gingerbread Cheek Color. Apply to the apples of the cheeks in a circular motion and lightly sweep back and upward toward the ear with Brush 710s.

Lips: For a subtle lip application with a little shine, line and fill in the lips with the Natural Pencil and coat the lips with the Bare Lip Glaze. To play up the lips with a fun color, use the Red Lip Liner to define the lip line and fill in the entire lip. Next apply the Shine Lip Gloss to complete the look.

*And remember: Always emphasize either bold eyes with subtle lips or subtle eyes with bold lips.

— Sean Conklin