Back-to-school symbolizes the time of year for re-uniting with friends, dreading waking up early, and shopping for supplies ranging from backpacks to pencils & pens to lunch packs to dorm room supplies. It can be the reason to try new styles, new colors, and new gadgets. We’ve found the latest trends and coolest back-to-school supplies for trendy teens, so whatever you are looking for, we’ll be bringing it to you all week long as we bring you the latest in back-to-school for dorms, back-to-school fashion, beauty, phones & IDs, and back to school supplies! Our back to school beauty tips will show you how to get clear skin and help you put your best face forward with the hottest colors for fall! New colors, new collections and looking your best will help you heading back to school being mentally ready, ready to study, feeling great, and knowing that you feel and look mah-velous! Reality doesn’t get airbrushed and our “best face forward” each morning sometimes has acne {gasp!}. We know we’re not alone, pimples, zits, acne, whatever, you want to call them, are a fact of life! Although we don’t exactly go around talking about them, we do want to be looking our best when we head back to school and we wanted to keep our skin as clear as possible. How to get clear skin may mean making a change in how you approach skincare and establishing a good basic routine. We wanted a complete care skin set that covered the basic steps so that how to get clear skin became something we didnt have to think about! We wanted to stop acne at the root of the problem. Yep, blemishes stink, but they are a fact of life. So, let’s take a look at the sets we tested and see what we discovered!
Got great skin with only the occasional breakout? Pamela Bond Teen Skin Fitness helps keep it that way. This 1-minute twice a day cleansing routine is geared to enhance your own natural health and beauty. You clean, spritz on toner, and moisturize. The moisturizer is lightweight and non-oily and won’t clog pores. Did you know that even if you have oily skin, you should be moisturizing? If and when a blemish does appear, apply the superspot to reduce redness and inflammation and that is how to get clear skin with this set. The Pamela Bond organic line smells amazing and doesn’t have any harsh or harmful ingredients (no parabens or sulfates). And the light natural scent of the cleanser and the spritzer left us refreshed and ready to start our day. We loved the simple steps to follow and that it wasn't harsh. The spritzer made it easy to not skip the toner... a step we would usually want to because you typically have to wipe it on. And the ReadySetGo travel pack is a smart way to try this set and perfectly portable solution for weekend trips and overnight stays.
Pamela Bond Teen Skin Fitness, travel pack $48
Skin Authority has scientically balanced 4 products proven to address the factors that cause breakouts, redness and spots. The Go! Teen line minimizes the steps to achieving clear skin, without it feeling too oily or too dry. Start by cleansing, then wipe on the acne & oil control treatment. During the day, you then apply the 30 SPF sunscreen moisturizer. At night you follow the first 2 steps but follow with the Vitamin A Cell Renewal to stimulate cell turnover to repair acne dmage and help prevent future breakouts, which is the key of how to get clear skin with Skin Authority. All of these products are Paraben-free and have no added dyes or fragrances. We loved that it worked hard on our breakouts without us feeling the typical tingling and burning. We just saw the effects of the natural products at work a few days later with brighter, clearer skin. It cleared up those monthly breakouts faster than usual, so we'd say it works naturally and powerfully to banish the blemish.
Fall brings new collections and new colors and we always adore exploring the crisp and cozy feel of beauty lines. What's in for fall shouldn't be the sole determiner of what goes on your face, you still should factor in what colors look best on you! Lipsticks are fun to experiment with to see what will look best and at a MAC counter, their experts will help you select the best new color for fall that will flatter your hair color and skin color. When it comes to nail polish, however, anything goes! Have fun and try some fun and funky new colors and styles.
MAC Cremesheen + Pearl Collection for Fall 2012 is described by MAC as "A shimmering twist on an instant classic. Cremesheen Lipstick and Cremesheen Glass get infused with crushed pearl in 15 new Asian-inspired shades. Modern pinks, nudes and corals pop and glow against all skin tones with a light-reflecting finish that leaves lips luminously and decidedly lacquered. With foolproof coverage, gleaming shine and creamy gloss, this smooth and seductive update to Cremesheen is Double Happiness for your lips."
MAC Cremesheen Glass, $19.50 MAC Lipsticks, $15
Essie Fall 2012 is a collection that makes you think of fall leaves and cozy sweaters and school days -- which are just around the corner! We always love the colors, but have to admit the names are just as much fun, and our fave name this season has to be "Miss Fancy Pants" and color we can't wait to try is stylenomics. Fall, here we come!
Essie, $8 (fine salons and beauty supply stores)
China Glaze Safari collection is described as inviting "you to take an exotic expedition with its Fall 2012 collection, On Safari. Be captivated by the earthy tones, rich plums and celestial sparkles that make up this adventurous assortment of polishes." Um, not really heading on a safari any time soon, but the top row does have us thinking about pumpkins - we can almost taste the cider and see the nail art!
China Glaze, $7.00 (available at fine salons and beauty supply stores)
Look good and smell good. After you put your best face forward... put your best scent forward with these tips! Not only does Kim Kardashian's True Reflection perfume smell great, but it also comes in a beautiful black ombre bottle. We would make this my go-to perfume for a night out with friends, or a date night. Its more of a "mysterious" scent, because it has so many different layers in it. If you take in one whiff you might smell vanilla, but if you take another then it might smell more florally. The only problem with this perfume is that it doesn't last that long. On a good day, this perfume might last about an hour or two. But, since we like the scent, it's staying in my rotation!
Available in most stores, $50-$55
Heading back to school can get those nerves running overtime, which can be the pits. We can't stop you from breaking into a sweat when that cute guy passes by in the hall, but we can help give you some options to keep you fresh and dry. We like the Sparklehearts line because it is an all natural beauty line for girls that we adore and their deodorant is great option for tweens who are just starting to notice underarm odor since it contains no aluminum, no glycols, no paragons and is chemical free. It won't stop the sweat, but WILL stop the odor. Have we mentioned we are fans of this all-natural line?
Sparklehearts Yummy Deodorant, $6.99
And then there's the trusty standby for when we play sports, the one for when we are truly going to sweat. We like it because it doesn't mark up dark clothes as much as a lot of the other deodorants and stops sweat before it starts.
Available at drugstores everywhere.