When teenagers are down in the dumps, we often reassure them with the adage, “These are some of the best years of your life!” Yet, just like being told to “smile more”, this back-handed compliment only works to make them feel like they aren’t doing their teenage years right.
There’s no denying that being a teenager is tough. One listen to Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album, or any of Taylor Swift’s early body of work, is enough to make anyone empathise wholeheartedly with the plight of teenage girlhood and never wish away our hard-earned maturity ever again.
One area of teenage girlhood that often requires a helping hand – whether in the form of YouTube videos, parental guidance, sleepovers with the besties, or articles like ours – is the mystical world of makeup. Here at ES Best, we recall all too well the beauty mistakes that we made as teenagers and have dedicated ourselves to preventing our Gen Z pals from repeating history.
That’s right, we won’t be including decade-long cult favourite products such as the Collection Match Perfection foundation, Rimmel Stay Matte setting powder, any kind of mousse-textured face makeup, or that chocolate-scented bronzer from Bourjois. The makeup industry has come too far since the early 2000s for us to continue to recommend such creations for the sake of nostalgia. It’s time to move on.
Top tips for teen makeup application
Celebrity makeup artist Georgia Rose says that the most important thing to remember is that “Less is more!”. Known for her wonderfully dewy looks and hyperfocus on skin prep, it’s no wonder that Rose’s second biggest nugget of advice pertains to investing in the right products for your skin. She stresses the following:
- Look out for nasties in the ingredient list: “If you can, invest in your base products. There are so many products out there that just are not good for your skin,” says Rose, reminding us that “anything going onto your skin also goes into your bloodstream. It might be difficult for teenagers to do, but they should always check the ingredients before applying anything new.” Avoiding the easy-to-spot no-nos such as fragrance, parabens and phthalates is particularly important.
- Care for your skin: “When applying makeup, skin prep is key. Always, always, always make sure you’re moisturising. As long as your skin is hydrated, your glowy skin will shine throughout whatever makeup you’re wearing,” adds Rose. “I’d also recommend applying a liquid exfoliant such as Paula’s Choice BHA before putting on makeup to remove any dead skin cells, and then following up with a great moisturiser and some SPF.”
- Minimalism rules the runway: When asked about teenage makeup trends in 2023, Rose mentioned the TikTok-viral “clean-girl aesthetic,” as well as “under-painting”. To encapsulate these looks, Rose says to “build your makeup in light layers. If you want to keep your skin looking like skin, I can’t recommend using a good moisturiser and a glowy base product more.”
- For a quick routine: “A great, five-minute before-school make-up routine would have to start with your favourite moisturiser and SPF followed by a glowy base product like Vieve’s Skin Nova. Then, fluff up the brows using a bit of brow gel, curl your eyelashes (carefully), use a dollop of concealer and a multi-stick for a subtle blush and lip tint – I highly recommend the lip and cheek stick from Milk”.
- Make your products work harder for you: “Multipurpose products are so great to have. Don’t be afraid to use something that isn’t marketed as such – go ahead and use a bronzer as a brow-ish nude for your lips or eyes,” the makeup guru adds.
Without further ado, keep scrolling for a round-up of the very best makeup products for teenagers.
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Best skincare products for teens: from moisture-barrier boosters to oily skin saviours
Best concealers tried and tested: Deal with dark circles and blemishes
Best diffusers for healthy, curly hair
Best skincare that doubles as makeup
Best face moisturisers to soothe dry skin
Best facial exfoliators to make your skin glow from scrubs to other treatments
Skin prep
Vieve Skin Nova
Award-winning brand Vieve has already pumped out a series of cult-favourite bestsellers, but the skincare-makeup hybrid that is Skin Nova has captured our hearts. Use it as a glow-boosting, priming base product or wear it on its own to bring life back to lacklustre, early-morning skin. Enriched with super ingredients such as niacinamide and beta-glucan – if there’s one product to add to your skin-prep arsenal, it’s this.
Buy now £29.00, Vieve
Rhode Glazing Milk
To achieve an immediate, dewy glazed-donut effect, look no further than Rhode Beauty’s Glazing Milk. Not only does it deliver all-day hydration, but it brilliantly preps the skin for better product absorption when it comes to applying SPF. It’ll calm and smooth irritated skin, soften redness and is filled to the brim with ceramides, beta-glucan, magnesium, zinc and copper.
Buy now £29.00, Rhode
Elf Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter
Known for its wonderfully affordable and brilliantly formulated products, the latest addition to Elf Cosmetics’ range is a game-changer for skin prep. A makeup and skincare hybrid created to make skin appear brighter and dewier than ever, the Halo Glow Liquid Filter has been enriched with super ingredients like squalene and hyaluronic acid.
Buy now £14.00, Elf Cosmetics
Face
Erborian BB Cream with Ginseng - SPF 20
Formulated to blend into the skin with ease while practically airbrushing away uneven skin tones and dark circles, the Erborian BB Cream is nothing short of a miracle. It exemplifies the all-natural make-up look while delivering just enough coverage to obscure problem areas without feeling overwhelming.
Buy now £41.00, lookfantastic
Glossier The Makeup Set
The Makeup Set from Glossier is truly all any young teen really needs to feel their best on a day-to-day basis. While it doesn’t contain any classic skin products such as foundation or concealer, this set delivers on-the-go essentials for accentuating your natural features.
Cloud paint, which was one of Glossier’s first product launches, can be used on the cheeks and eyes. The iconic Boy Brow is a tinted pomade that can be swept over the eyebrows to neaten them up and fill in any lighter spots, and the brilliant, ever-natural lash slick is available in both black and brown.
Buy now £48.00, Glossier
Glossier Stretch Balm Concealer
Though sold separately from the classic Glossier makeup set, we couldn’t recommend the Stretch Balm Concealer enough. The unbeatably nourishing formula has been crafted to camouflage what Glossier has dubbed ‘skin realities’ – which we’re here for. Crease, transfer and sweat-resistant, this long-wearing concealer blends without loosening or streaking – hence the ‘stretch’ in the name.
Buy now £22.00, Glossier
Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 30
Though on the pricier end of the spectrum, Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint is certainly worth the investment. Non-comedogenic and safe for sensitive skin, this brilliant serum has been enriched with a trio of brilliant ingredients: niacinamide, squalane and hyaluronic acid.
Buy now £48.00, Ilia
Milk Makeup Sculpt Stick
Rather than emptying the contents of your pockets for an unnecessarily pricy compact bronzer or contour set, we highly recommend the Milk Makeup Sculpt Stick instead. The creamy, balmy formula glides onto the skin with ease and can be blended out with a fluffy brush or your fingers. You can even use it as a substitute for eyeshadow for an all-over bronzed goddess look.
Buy now £20.00, Cult Beauty
Cheeks
Ilia Multi Stick
One of the first brands to extol the power of the multi-stick, Ilia’s version of the cult-favourite product continues to reign supreme in our eyes. Available in an array of beautiful rose-tinted, peachy and berry hues, the creamy formula is buildable and helps to deliver a cohesive and natural makeup look.
Buy now £36.00, Ilia
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
What’s rare is coming across a teenager who isn’t already an avid user of the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. A little goes a long way with this brilliant piece of kit, which means that just one bottle is set to last you a lifetime. With a weightless feel and a long-lasting, blendable formula, this product is the perfect soft blush when applied correctly.
Buy now £22.00, Space NK
Pat McGrath Skin Fetish: Divine Blush
For those who can’t be trusted with using a potent liquid blush sparingly, we understand. Instead, we recommend giving the iconic Pat McGrath’s Divine Blush a try. The demi-matte formulation is beloved by those with oily skin for delivering a healthy sheen without exacerbating sebum-related problems.
Buy now £24.00, Pat McGrath Labs
Eyes
Pat McGrath Labs FetishEYES Longwear Liquid Eye Shadow
Liquid eyeshadow may be low maintenance, but it certainly doesn’t compromise the finished look – whether you’re going full-glam or discrete and natural. This highly pigmented and ultra-glittery option from Pat McGrath is crease-proof, smudge-resistant and will last all day or night.
Buy now £27.00, Pat McGrath Labs
Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon
They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and there’s no better way to accentuate them than with Charlotte Tilbury’s colour chameleon. Use the convenient, chunky eyeshadow stick to create a smoky, blended-out effect, or swipe it across your waterline without blending for a dramatic pop of colour.
Buy now £23.00, Cult Beauty
ByTerry Lash-Expert Twist Brush Mascara
This ingenious two-in-one mascara is the only lash enhancer you’ll ever need. With a simple twist of the top, the mascara wand can transform from a length-boosting wand to one that prioritises volume.
Buy now £30.00, ByTerry
R.E.M Beauty Midnight Shadows eyeshadow palette
This brilliant, compact eyeshadow palette by Ariana Grande’s R.E.M Beauty consists of four matte shades and two delightfully shimmery metallics. The brand recommends applying the metallic shades over a matte base with a damp brush for the ultimate foiled effect.
Buy now £22.00, Selfridges
Glossier Pro Tip
A teenage rite of passage is learning how to perfect the cat eye. There’s no better tool for practising and mastering the most fiddly make-up trick of all than with Glossier’s Pro Tip.
Buy now £18.00, Glossier
Lips
DIOR Addict Lip Maximizer
Each swipe of this gloss is a luxurious experience - but what else do you expect from the makeup collection of the designer French fashion house? The Dior lip gloss packs long-lasting moisture to your pout, imparting instant shine, while also hydrating with hyaluronic acid. There are seven shades to choose from, whether you’re looking for a pale pink or berry plum.
Buy now £28.00, Boots
REFY Lip Blush
This multitasking lippy taps into the blurred lip trend with its blotted effect. It’s a lightweight product that leaves a subtle wash of colour in the same way as a tinted lip balm. The creamy texture glides onto the pout but works double duty for the cheeks too - we love a formula that can do both.
The low-maintenance makeup essential stays put once applied but may need to be layered up with a more pigmented product for a fuller lipstick look. There are five shades in pops of pink, orange, purple and reddy brown.
Buy now £16.00, REFY
