Lucy Hale's Beauty Advice to Her 16-Year-Old Self
By Lucy Hale
Looking back, we wish we could offer some choice words of beauty advice to our teenage selves. (Like: Step away from the orange, sparkly bronzer.) Turns out, Lucy Hale isn’t so different from us in that regard. After previewing mark.’s bright new makeup collection in L.A. last week, we sat down with our monthly contributor andmark. brand ambassador, and asked her about her beauty style when she was 16 (spray tans and stick-straight hair FTW), the beauty advice she’d give to herself, and the ride-or-die products she wished she knew about back then. Keep scrolling to read her April column!
On Her 16-Year-Old Beauty Look
I feel like the whole spray tan thing really exploded when I was 16. I was just constantly tan, so tan…when I’m really not at all! I can tan naturally, but most of the time, I don’t go out in the sun much. I would just get these overly done spray tans. It’s funny, looking back. Back then, I was very tan, wore way more makeup than I do now, and always put on way too much eyeliner. Eyeliner was just like, raccoon-eyes status. It was pretty bad. I also wore way, way too much bronzer. On a positive note, when I was younger, my skin was really great. I had more problems with my skin as I was getting older.
As for some of my favorite products back then, I was obsessed with Lancôme Juicy Tubes($17). Just loved them. I was all about super-overly glossed lips—disgustingly glossed lips! I also had stick straight hair, but I would have to go over it with a straightener a million times to get it to look that way. I was so obsessive about it. So, that was Lucy at 16!
Related: Exclusive: Lucy Hale Talks Her First Beauty Memory, Makeup Purchase, and More
On Beauty Advice to Her Teenage Self
Photo: Jenna Peffley
The first thing I’d tell my teenage self is to stop over-plucking your brows. I used to be so guilty of that. I didn’t find a good shape until right when Pretty Little Liars was starting, and it was such a long process getting back to the shape I have now. My brows have definitely gone through an evolution.
My mom has always told me to drink water, use SPF, and never go to sleep with makeup on—the last one was always a struggle. I did it all the time. Even today, I still have those days where I work really late into the night and I’m tempted to just fall asleep—that’s why I keep makeup remover wipes right next to my bed at all times. My regimen now is so lengthy, it takes a good 15 minutes to get through each night and I really have to commit to it. And when I do, it’s great. But there are nights when it’s just not happening! Wipes are the way to go, then. So my advice to my 16-year-old self? Just take the time to take your makeup off each night. It will pay off.
On the Two Products She Wished She Knew About
Photo: Jenna Peffley
I’m obsessed with mark.’s Touch & Glow Shimmer Cubes. First of all, it’s so freakin’ cute to look at. It’s my all-time favorite to add some color because it’s so subtle—it’s never too much. You literally just sweep it on your cheeks and go! It would have been perfect for my 16-year-old self, and I still use it every day. YSL also has a really great foundation—Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation—that has a bunch of different shades that I really like and wish I had known about earlier. One thing I’ve learned is how to cover-up skin imperfections—it’s all about finding the right combination of products. I kind of have a hobby of mixing foundations and concealer. There really is no one perfect color for your skin—you have to create it! My makeup artist, Kelsey Deenihan, is really good at that.
On the Beauty Skills She’d Teach Her Younger Self
Photo: Jenna Peffley
So here’s a beauty skill I’ve acquired that I’m pretty proud of—I know how to apply fake eyelashes really well. I like the individual ones and use tweezers—I have a pretty steady hand. I think that’s key! Don’t overdo it with the glue, and make sure to always go in the direction your lashes grow. I can also contour. I’m always telling Kelsey, “More contour! More contour!” It’s kind of scary, but it brings out cheekbones that you never knew you had…that you don’t have.
On Letting Go of Her Security Blanket
Photo: Jenna Peffley
I’ve always been a long-haired girl. My hair was my security blanket growing up. I hid behind my hair almost. I think right now is the shortest it’s ever been. I had the same haircut for my whole life and then Kristin Ess just turned everything upside down. She is the queen of this haircut right now. Over the past year, it was kind of gradual—I started off by cutting off 3 inches. I had a longer lob, and then a shorter lob, and then we wrapped the 5th season of Pretty Little Liars, I decided I was ready to go chin-length! And I love it. I feel more grown-up, and it makes me feel chicer. Plus, it’s easier to deal with. I have a natural wave, so luckily I can just let it air dry when I’m not working. I would definitely tell my teenage self that hair is just hair—it’ll grow back—and switching up your look can completely change the way you feel about yourself.
Related: My Ultimate Hair Essentials, by Lucy Hale
Keep scrolling to shop Hale’s two favorite products!
mark. Touch & Glow Shimmer Cubes
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