“Recently, some of my relatives gave me an AMAZING make-up kit. It has great color selections, especially in the eye make-up department. At the young age of 13, I want to keep my make-up relatively subdued, but whenever I put on anything other than a sheer beige color, I can’t help but feel like a clown! You often wear bright, crazy eye make-up, and I was hoping that you had some tips for wearing them with confidence.”

My best advice to you is to experiment, experiment, experiment! Take digital photos of the different looks, put them on Flickr or Livejournal & get people to tell you what they like best. I used to go out looking horrific, but it took me years until I realised!

The other option is to attend a short makeup course (which is a fabulous use of time & money, since you’ll know how to do your makeup properly forever) or to get a makeover at a cosmetics counter. I suggest booking a time & asking a lot of questions!

The internet is a great way to see what other people are doing with their makeup. Have a look at the MAC group on Flickr for inspiration. Look at the latest MAC looks & boggle at the work of Pat McGrath.

The thing with eye makeup is that everyone’s eyes are a different shape, so what works for me may not work for you, & vice versa. I know most women put eyeliner on the inside of their eye, but if I do that, I look like a squinty-eyed freak! I also recently discovered that putting dark makeup along the bottom half of my eye makes me look old & kind of like I’m dying. Not good, argh! When I wear bright colours (like green or blue or purple or red), I really only do a line of it behind my top lashes & leave it at that — if I put the colour over my entire eyelid, it just swamps my eye & it’s too much. If I’m using a neutral colour, like a soft pink or gold, I can put it over my eyelid & it looks great. So, again, it’s all a case of experimentation.

Good luck!