Teen beauty interest begins early in childhood. From the days of dress up and pretend play, to the experiments with the magic of makeup transformation. Allowing girls to explore the artistic side of makeup, while in their teens, simply continues their conversion into young women. Even if they never actually leave the house, playing with makeup can be an entertaining learning activity.
The Basics of Teen Makeup

To truly enhance teen beauty, makeup is not necessary. Makeup should only be used to lightly improve a young face. The idea is to look pretty, not painted. Let your natural youthful glow shine through, not your makeup products. True teen beauty is to look your best, without looking like you are actually wearing any makeup.

Always start with keeping your skin healthy, as this will be your best beauty product. Get in the practice of cleansing your skin, morning and night, always making sure to clean off your makeup before bed. Apply acne cream if you are blemish prone at night and always use some sort of light moisturizing lotion with SPF in the morning.

When considering makeup for teen beauty, always respect your family's values and rules. Makeup for preteens should be limited to only lip gloss, mascara, blush and concealer/blemish cover up. Some experimenting at home is okay, but save any intensive makeup for when you get to high school. Even for teens, makeup should not be an everyday adventure. Love the way you look, as confidence and self-esteem are more important than physical features when it comes to beauty enhancement. Makeup in your youth should be fun - it is not necessary to look perfect - let your makeup be as loose and playful as your age.

Basic Steps
Once you have prepped your skin in the morning - the following is a basic list of teen beauty steps:

Cover up any eye circles first - see our article on Concealer for tips.
Hide any zits, blotches or redness with a skin colored foundation. Avoid an all over foundation on younger skin - if you have significant acne or redness, at the very least use a sheer formula or tinted moisturizer, then spot cover with a foundation stick.
Seal with an all over face powder.
Brush your eyebrows up and across with a brow brush or clean toothbrush.
Lightly color eyelids with a sheer and shimmery eye makeup.
Add a natural flush with blush or bronzer.
Apply mascara if using.
Finish off with a touch of lip gloss or light lipstick. There is no need to apply lip liner - as it is designed for more mature lips.
Practice Makes Perfect
As the teenage years are the natural time for experimenting in adult behavior, it is no surprise most teens want to jump right into makeup. Keep in mind that learning to apply makeup takes trial and error. Before ever walking out the door with any cosmetic product on - be sure to practice first. It is ideal to invite your friends over for a makeup party. Make it enjoyable and experiment freely - it all washes off anyway. Take pictures so you can best compare the aspects that work for you. Use this time to find the look that works best for your personality, values and skin tones.

Common Teen Concerns

Oily Skin
Face powder is the oily girl's best friend, but don't overdo it. Too much powder will look unnaturally cakey - so for the in between oil accumulations, try blotting papers or even tissues patted gently on your skin.

Freckles
Although it may not feel that way to you - luck shines on those with freckles. Keep them in check by staying out of the sun and using sunscreen - then play up those youthful spots by using a sheer, shimmery powder. If you really can't stand to have them around - don't try to over hide them as then your skin will look too fake. Simply cover them lightly with a sheer foundation to make them less noticeable.

Braces
If you have got them, you can't fight them. Braces are there and people will see them - as your smile is your most important teen beauty asset. Therefore, add some extra sparkle to your metal grin with some super shiny lip gloss.

Blemishes
What ever you do - try to avoid touching them - and definitely don't squeeze. This can be hard advice to follow when you have that large volcano on your nose - but keep this in mind - squeezing and poking will not only make it look worse, it will cause it to spread! Instead, try your best to hide these pesky imperfections. Two old tricks that seem to help are to pat white toothpaste on your pimple, let sit for twenty minutes, and then wipe off. Follow this will a drop of Visine to get the redness out. Cover the zit with a perfectly matching, skin color foundation, just to the area on and slightly around the bump. Lastly, pat with powder and ignore. Try not to touch it, as that will only wipe off all your hard work!

Teen Beauty Tips

Always remember that you are beautiful, even without makeup.
Find your own look with makeup - don't try to copy others.
Take advantage of the free advice and samples at department store counters while you are still learning the trade of makeup application.
Glossy and lighter lips are best for youthful faces - save the stronger lipsticks for special events.
Sheer colors are the most pleasing on teen faces.
Use your creative juices on your nails - nail polish is amusing and colorful.
Don't try too hard with makeup - less really is better.
Avoid comparing yourself to the fashion models and teen actors - they are an unrealistic ideal.