It’s hard work being a girl. Never will I get over the seething jealousy that overcomes me when my boyfriend leaves for work each morning, 20 minutes after he gets up, looking thoroughly dashing without even a blob of hair gel.
Being a girl generally means getting up more than an hour earlier to undergo an extensive grooming regime that requires a multitude of expensive products it’s taken me years to discover. How overwhelming the beauty world must be to young teenagers about to cross the threshold. Parents, too, will find it a daunting time; with a market saturated with pointless products and vamped-up teen style icons like Pixie Geldof, it can all go so very wrong.
Out to debunk beauty, former Telegraph health and beauty journalist Alice Hart-Davis and her 14-year-old daughter Molly Hindhaugh have written Be Beautiful, a beauty bible for teens that unmasks the secrets of fabulous hair, skin and make up.
Offering up tips for applying make up, styling hair, and cleansing skin, Be Beautiful goes further than the usual beauty advice book by championing an eco-friendly ethos. Full of ideas for going green, from ways to make shower gel last longer to recipes for home made face masks, it teaches the basics of an ethical regime that will be the start of a lifetime of good beauty habits.
I particularly like the ‘skin & sun’ chapter, which clearly and convincingly warns about the dangers of sun damage. It’s a topic that often falls on deaf ears when brought up with teenagers, but Hart-Davis gives a no-nonsense guide to staying safe in the sun that will have them reaching for the factor 30. Key to this great section are the tips for achieving a natural looking fake tan. Once that’s mastered there’s no longer an incentive left to risk the burn.
Be Beautiful by Alice Hart-Davis and Molly Hindhaugh is published on 5th October. Available from www.amazon.co.uk, RRP £9.99.