Back-to-School Makeup

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If you are stocking your closets with all the latest and greatest fashions for back to school it's probably a good time to spruce up your makeup bag  too. After all, you want to look your best on the first day of school. Whether you are a pretty preppy, bohemian beauty, punk rock goddess, or daring diva, there's a look to suit your style. To get your gorgeous self into gear by the ring of the first bell, follow the tips below.

The Cutest Totes

If you are going to stock up on makeup must-haves, then you must have a great little bag to put them all in. Here are some to try.

Pretty: Marimekko Unikko Makeup Bag 

Sporty: Jeff Gordon Bags 

Unique: Chris Notti Retro Blue Roll Out Cosmetic Case 

Glam: Fendi Cosmetic Case 

Retro: True Confessions Makeup Bags 

Fresh Skin

Don't bother with foundation  this fall. The last thing you want is to cover up the great tan you've been working on all summer. Instead of hiding your skin, let your inner beauty shine through with the lightest, barely there makeup. Remember, "natural" is in and the trend is "less is more". Only use a bit of concealer  should you really need it and make sure that it blends into the rest of your skin. Sheer, but overall coverage is best achieved with a tinted moisturizer  if you have a tendency towards dry skin or a light powder  if you have more oily skin. Here are some products to try.

Brighten tired peepers with an illuminating undereye concealer  such as Neutrogena Soothing Undereye Correcter Also try   Airbrush Concealer Illuminates  by Clinique.

Should you need foundation, some great products to try are Cover Girl True Blend Foundation  and MAC Select Moisturecover

Ditch the bronzer  and try a highlighter such as Prescriptives Magic Illuminating Potion  or a demure blush such as Revlon Creme Blush  in a soft pink hue. L'Oreal Touch On Color  is another great blush option.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer  or Aveeno Continuous Radiance Moisturizer  give your skin a healthy, radiant sheen. The Body Shop Tinted Glow Enhancer  and Wet N' Wild Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturizer  are other good bets.

Beautiful Eyes

You'll need three pieces for your eye makeup: a great mascara a quality eye liner and some sort of color, whether it be powder shadow a translucent gloss or an iridescent cream In fact, if you like to play with colors, you might need a few different products for your eyes. However, depending on the look that you tend to wear most often, you may get away with buying one or two essential pieces that will mix and match perfectly. Also be sure to check out the Fall Makeup Guide that has products recommendations on top notch brow kits  that will give you the perfect brows to frame your eyes.

The Mascaras

Clinique High Definition Mascara 

The soft side of the brush applies the product and the comb helps separate the lashes. Overall, you'll get big, defined lashes. Mark Comb Out Mascara  is a similar product.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara 

The pink and green tubed classic never goes out of style. Plus, it's cheap and works well for nearly every type of lash. The high end equivalent is Lancome Definicils Two gems to hold on to.

Lorac Lotsa Lash Fiber Mascara 

Need length? Your budget solution is Wet N' Wild Mega Length Double Action Mascara The high end choice would be Lorac Lotsa Lash Fiber Mascara  or Benefit Get Bent

L'Oreal XXL 

Big, fat, intense lashes can be achieved easier than you think with these mascaras: Almay Triple Effect  and Avon Daring Definition Mousse Also try Dior Show Mascara

Lovely Liners

Intense iColor Play Up Liquid Liner, by Almay 

The sponge tip wand makes this liner supper soft and easy to apply. Plus, it comes in an assortment of bold, brilliant colors.

Lorac Eye Liner in Blue Topaz 

That's right, blue is back! Use a bright hue to line the eyes completely. Green is also becoming on darker skin.

Clinique Cream Liner 

Just release with their fall line, this creamy shadow is super easy to apply. Be sure to get a quality eye liner brush  to do so.

Automatic Eye Pencil Duo 

It's so easy to apply and it goes on smooth. The mechanical pencil also saves product so that you get the most distance from it.

Luscious Lips

Get the perfect pout with berry colored lips this fall. From sheer gloss to super matte hues, you can go from innocent to bold in a flash.

Lovely Liner

Great Gloss

Lush Lipstick

Start on the Inside

Yes, it's true; beauty comes from the inside. Makeup  helps enhance your best features and covers subtle flaws, but your beauty routine should start from where it really counts: your skin. Deal with breakouts by treating your skin with blemish fighting products Most brands available in drugstores offer a wide variety, but the trick is to get those that contain the right ingredients. Experiment with both and see how your skin reacts. One note though: experiment at least a week before school starts so that your skin has time to adjust.

Cleanse

Start with an acne fighting cleanser  that contains benzoyl peroxide, salicylic, or glycolic acid.  Try Bioré Pore Perfect Blemish Fighting Cleansing Cloths  or one of the products by Clean and Clear

Exfoliate

Once you choose a cleanser you'll need to select an exfoliator  or scrub  to use at least once a week. This helps get rid of the dead skin cells so that your acne products can get deep down to the pores.

Treat

After cleansing, give your skin a double dose of meds to keep it zit-free. Acne pads  are a great way of treating the skin. Popular brands include Clearasil Neutrogena Stridex  and Noxema

Soothe

Finally, treat your skin with a medicated moisturizer  that contains salicylic or glycolic acid. Simply choose a moisturizer that is formulated for your skin type. Read the guide on moisturizers for more info.

Skin Tips For Life Remember to always wear sunscreen  with UVA and UVB protection, preferably with SPF30. Get into the habit now of wearing it everyday and you'll be thanking yourself for being diligent down the road. Lastly, drink plenty of water and get some exercise. A healthy body shines through on your face and will put even some of the best skin care regimes to shame.

Hair: Keep It Simple

A cute, wide headband is the perfect accessory. Buy one in a basic hue to match your whole wardrobe or pick up a few in eye-catching colors to wear with neutrals.

Summer is just barely over so don't get into a funk of applying too much product. Embrace tousled beach hair that is light on styling products  and strive to work with what you've got since fighting will only make it worse.

Another must-do before school starts is to head to the salon and get a trim. You don't need to redo your entire look, but getting rid of dead ends is a sure-fire way to get your tresses looking as healthy as they were before all the fun, sun, sand, and days at the pool.

Related Buying Guides

Cosmetics and Beauty Tools

Skin Care

Hair Care Products

Fall Makeup Trends


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