Cosmetic Basics For Beginners From Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen's Personal Makeup Artist

Cosmetic basics and tips for tweens, teens or anyone else new to makeup (even guys hiding a secret makeup fetish.)

Starting out (aka cosmetics for tweens)

1. Concentrate on just a few products.
“The biggest mistake young girls make is to think they need a lot of makeup,” says our beauty pro Leslie Lightfoot, Mary-Kate and Ashley’s personal makeup artist. “Most tweens have good skin and all they need is a little lip gloss and blush.”

2. Blushing beauty.
For the blush, Leslie likes cream blushes that come in a stick form because they go on very sheer, making you look naturally rosy. Try a shade that’s between pink and red; it will suit most skin tones. Take the stick of blush (available from Calvin Klein, Stila and other cosmetics companies) and lightly dot the apple of your cheeks with color. Blend with your finger. The result should be a slight flush. If you end up looking like the clown at your little brother’s last birthday party, get out the tissue and blot!

3. Lip service.
With the shimmery, shiny look being ultra-in, lip gloss rather than a heavier lipstick is your best bet. Leslie likes glosses from the mary-kateandashley brand Cosmetics, which offer shine without being too goopy. “The Sweet and Glossy — a roll-on flavored lip gloss — is great because it gives you a sheer shine,” Leslie adds. “I like it in Blueberry; just add some to the middle of your bottom and top lips.”

4. Eye do. Looking to add eye shadow, too?
The mary-kateandashley brand Shimmer Plus allover color crayons add a hint of sparkle to your eyelids in colors ranging from Funky, a frosty pink, to In Vogue, a powder blue. Take the crayon and apply color to your eyelid, smudging it in with your finger. Don’t go any farther than the crease of the lid. The result? A pretty look that makes your peepers pop. “Outside, the light will really catch the shimmer,” confides our makeup maven.

Step it up (aka cosmetics for teens)

1. Add some extras.
Use the tips for tweens but add some mascara and under-eye concealer, if desired.

2. Mascara madness.
Our beauty pro Leslie Lightfoot, Mary-Kate and Ashley’s personal makeup artist, recommends. Use a light-brown formula if your skin is fair and a dark-brown shade if your skin is dark. Skip black mascara — it’s too dramatic for now. To apply, swipe on a light layer with the mascara brush as you look straight into the mirror. Start from the outer corner of eye and work your in and across the whole lash line. Don’t do your bottom lashes or you may get not-so-cute smudges.

3. Conceal it.
Use concealer only if you have circles under your eyes. (And get some sleep, growing girl!) Find the right shade of concealer — Leslie likes Revlon’s — by picking one a little lighter than your natural cheek color. Another way to know you’ve chosen the right concealer: Match it to the lightest part of your neck. To apply, dot in the inner and outer corners of your eye and blend.

4. Starry night looks.
Teens will have more nighttime events to go to than tweens and will want to maximize their makeup’s impact on occasion. Dress up your look easily by adding some Sequin Dust from the mary-kateandashley brand. It’s allover sparkling powder that you can put on eyes, lips, cheeks or even shoulders. Dip a dry makeup brush into the reflective dust and apply. Play up your eyes by adding a darker metallic color at your lash line, such as the mary-kateandashley brand Metallic Eyes chrome eye color in Silver.

5. Powder puff girl.
Although girls don’t need to wear foundation, Leslie advises those with acne-prone skin to try add a layer of oil-absorbing translucent powder to finish off your look.