We've been reading fashion magazines and testing beauty products for years. In this time, we've read 1000s of beauty tips, tried 1000s of products, but only a few are worth keeping around. So, here we share with you the 15 things we wish we knew before now

1. Skip the foundation If you have acne the first thing you want to do is slather on the thick foundation. Don't. Foundation is for women over 35. Not only will it cover up your natural beauty, but foundation on a teenager looks anything but natural. Instead, cover up blemishes with concealer, then follow with a powder or tinted moisturizer. Tinted moisturizers tend to be lighter than heavy foundations.

2. You pat concealer in, you never rub it in We know this from watching the Tyra Banks show. When applying concealer, put a bit on the pad of your middle finger and pat it in. Never rub. Got acne? Pat the concealer on top of it.

3. Play up your lips or your eyes, never both If you are wearing heavy eye makeup, go for nude lips with just a bit of gloss. Prefer the drama of dark lipstick? Keep face light (stay away from heavy blush) and wear only mascara on your eyes and a light eye shadow. Don't heavily line your eyes. Play up both and you'll look like a clown.
And never, ever line lips in a darker colour than your gloss or lipstick.

4. Less is more Ever notice how some of your friends look best with no makeup at all? No matter your age, too much makeup makes you look worse. If you wear foundation, powder, blush, liner, mascara, eye shadow, lip liner and gloss on an everyday basis, then you're overdoing it. Tone it down: All you really need is a great mascara, concealer for blemishes and gloss. Add a pop of blush in winter.

5. Natural hair is always hot If you have super dark hair, lighten your look by going a shade darker or getting lighter highlights. Blonde? Try highlights, especially framing the face. We see too many teens lightening their hair several shades and the look can be super-tacky, not super-fabulous. The trick is to let people assume you were born with sun-kissed hair, not that you gave yourself a bad dye job from a bottle.

6. Vaseline is your best friend Vaseline is a great, cheap eye makeup remover. It's also great for fixing chapped, scaly lips. Slather on a bunch of Vaseline, then use a toothbrush to massage lips. Wipe the excess off on a tissue. Your lips will be smooth and soft.

7. You can never go wrong with layers Long layers of hair extension are great for any hair type: Super curly, straight or wavy. It makes thin hair appear thicker, curly hair appear manageable and wavy hair appear just-got-back-from-the-beach sexy. Just make sure you don't get too many layers cut in. Too many short layers is dated.

8. Acne? Go to a dermatologist, Biggest mistake people with acne make? Not going to a dermatologist. Forget those $150 jeans you covet. Getting rid of those pimples will be the best investment you'll ever make. And the only guaranteed way to do it is with a dermatologist.

9. Spend money on key beauty products Not sure what to splurge on and what to save on? . See if you should splurge or save on cleansers, mascara, concealer and more.

10. Buying foundation or lipstick? Test it first There are some beauty products you simply must try out at a department store or beauty shop before you buy. These include: Foundation, lipstick, blush and powder.

11. Don't let nails go Not into manicures and pedicures? No worries. Just make sure to keep nails clean and the same length. If you do want to paint them, don't keep the polish on until half of it's chipped away. Also, there's nothing worse than too-long toenails. Keep nails clipped between pedicures! People tend to judge others by the care they put into their hands and feet.
12 Don't line the inside of your eyes It will make your eyes appear smaller. Instead, line just at the lash line. Also, an obvious line doesn't look natural. Smudge the line just a bit.

13. Shave legs at the end of the shower Cut down on nicks and cuts by making shaving the very last step in your shower or bathing ritual.

14. Know your best feature and play it up What feature do people comment on most? Play it up. If you're told you have Nuella Njigbo lips, make sure to wear gloss and play with bold lipstick colours. If it's your eye colour people love, find eye shadow colours that complement them and make sure to wear mascara. Also, know what colour shirts look best on you and go shopping.

15. Scrubs are great for dry skin If you have dry, itchy skin in winter, invest in a scrub and handmitts and scrub away in the bathtub. Make sure to slather on a thick moisturizer afterward. For dry, callous feet, buy a pumice stone or foot brush. They work better than any of the other wimpy options on the market.

Remember: Beauty is mostly internal Think about a girl you know who's overweight yet all the guys love her. Why? Because she's confident. If you aren't wearing makeup and your toes haven't been repainted in weeks, if you're happy and smiling you will still be 10 times prettier than the mopey cheerleader sitting next to you in class. Trust us (wink).

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