by As a teenager, my makeup routine consisted of a bottle of UltraGlow bronzer and a Miss Selfridge ball-on lip gloss. As for skincare, a cucumber face mask from Christy’s (free with Just 17 magazine) and some moisturizer from my mom’s vanity did the trick.
How things have changed. My fifteen year old daughter knows a LOT more about skin care and makeup than I do. And she started at a young age: I remember her asking for a Foundation Stippling Brush as a gift for doing well in her 11+ years. And he would listen to her and her friends discussing serums and masks at sleepovers the way we used to talk about ponies. So well versed in contouring and highlighting, some of them used to shoot fake makeup tutorial videos.
Fast forward a few years, my daughter’s makeup skills really are very well honed. She’ll show up at breakfast looking fresh and dewy in a “is she wearing makeup or not?” kind of way, which is exactly how most of us want to look. She has nailed ‘no makeup makeup’.
It all depends on TikTok, Instagram and Youtube. They have created a generation of skincare and makeup experts who differentiate hyaluronic acid from azelaic acid, and that foundations and highlighters are just as important in the makeup bag as they are in the art department.
Most of her knowledge is gleaned from celebrity and makeup artist tutorials showing step-by-step “dewy skincare” or “date night makeup” in Vogue’s “Beauty Secrets,” my daughter, Allegra, tells me. where the likes of Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, and Kate Moss tell you about their makeup bags and bathroom cabinets.
The TikTok tutorials are of course also a huge hit. Singer Madison Beer’s videos have over 18.5 million views showing how she puts on blush and highlighter.
If someone had told me I’d be glued to Hailey Bieber’s makeup artist sharing her contour ‘trick’ on TikTok (at the time of writing the maryphilipsmakeup hashtag has 9.6 million views), I definitely wouldn’t have believed them.
Allegra’s Christmas wish list included concealer, highlighter, brow wax, and some hard-to-trace blush from Charlotte Tilbury (completely sold out), proof that she was wearing quite a bit of makeup. I was curious as to exactly how all of this was used to achieve such a carefree finish and if, at 51, any of these tips would work for me too.
So, during a review break for her mock GCSEs, I gave my daughter carte blanche to do my makeup using the most helpful tips on TikTok that she thought would suit me. I put off bleaching my eyebrows and using red lipstick as an eyeshadow for fear of looking like Silas from the Da Vinci Code by asking him to look more like JLo.
Allegra suggested we watch some TikTok videos together so I can see exactly how to recreate it myself. She warned me not to be put off by the overly full lips and long nail extensions displayed by many of the makeup artists, but to just focus on her makeup skills.
Once I got used to it (to finger tattoos too), it sucked in and I found myself sending an outline tutorial to a girlfriend with the words “you have to try this”.
I also learned that “no makeup makeup” requires a LOT of makeup. A week later, I’ve been practicing every morning and honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever looked better. My teenage son even congratulated me the other morning. The bad thing is that I have to get up half an hour earlier to apply everything.
The six makeup tips I learned from my teenager
Contour and concealer application before foundation
This is the advice shared by makeup artist Mary Philips (does Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek). Applying a contour product before your foundation feels weird, but apparently makes it look more natural.
Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick, (£44, cultbeauty.com) is foolproof as it’s not too dark and blends brilliantly. You start with a contour line drawn below the cheekbone to the top of the ear; then you take the outline from the brow bone to the hairline and follow it around the hairline. Finally, draw a contour line below the jaw line to make the jaw look more defined. Then blend everything with a brush.
Then comes the concealer that I never wear because it always looks powdery. I love makeup artist Bobbi Brown’s tip, which is to apply a hydrating eye cream under the eye, before applying concealer. Works!
By Terry’s Hyaluronic Eye Serum (£43, spacenk.com) and Jones Road Concealer Pencils (£24, libertylondon.com) work brilliantly together and don’t look cakey at all. Ilia’s True Skin Serum Concealer (£22, net-a-porter.com) is also good.
Clockwise from top: Jones Road correction pen; Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid in Hope; Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick
Don’t put foundation all over your face.
This is the hardest for me as I’m used to spraying tinted moisturizer all over, but a video of makeup artist Gucci Westman applying foundation only to the areas you need it looks beautiful, just around the nose, chin or to cover any pigmentation. or redness.
‘Choose a product that has a dewy finish, not a matte one; it looks fresher and you look younger,” says Westman. Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops (£62, selfridges.com) are beautiful. My skin has never looked better.
Always use blush
I never bother with blush, but a video of singer Madison Beer wearing a dot of blush on her upper cheek looks so pretty I can’t wait to try it out. She uses a creamy blush (never powder) and applies it to the face higher than you think (almost above the cheekbone). Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid in Hope, (£22, spacenk.com) is my new go-to.
Choose a highlighter that matches your skin tone
“Find a shade that feels like the light is coming from inside the skin and not sitting on top of the skin,” says beauty influencer Megan Lavallie. Her trick with the three-dot highlighter is to dab on the cheekbones, one at the inner corner of the eye and one at the browbone to appear more alert. Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand, (£30, johnlewis.com) works well.
Clockwise from top: Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal liner; Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand; Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Lip Color
Apply eyeliner to the outer corner of the eye only
Kaia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford, says “only use eyeliner in the outer corner of the eye as this opens up the eye and is more flattering.”
Follow with a natural-looking mascara. A lengthening mascara is more flattering than a volumizing mascara that can make eyes appear smaller. Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Eyeliner (£26, victoriabeckham.com) and Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (£6.99, lookfantastic.com) work well.
Never wear matte lipstick
Hayley Bieber says, “If you want your lips to look fuller, always go for a glossy finish.” Matte lipstick apparently doesn’t look good on anyone and will make your lips dry.
If your favorite lipstick has a satin finish, mix it with some clear lip gloss to make the lips look plumper. I love Victoria Beckham Posh Gloss (not sticky at all) (£28, victoriabeckhambeauty) over Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in Intemporelle (£35, johnlewis.com).
