Your teen years are your best — so don't ruin them with too much make-up or outlandish hairstyles! We speak to advertising (Lakme Fashion Week 2008) and feature film (Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion,) hair and make-up artiste CARL SEQUEIRA, who shares how to make the best of your face and hair!

Making up your face

If you're going out at night, get out those soft under eye pencils but please don't use strong colours like black, dark brown or maroon. Soft shimmer pencils in rusts and coppers are in right now.

A common error teens tend to make is to highlight their eyes by applying eye pencil on the inner lid. This creates too severe a look! Use eye pencil only under the lid and don't apply it very thickly — a thin to medium line looks best.

Since teen skin is generally the best, avoid excessive blusher on the cheeks. Instead try a liquid cheek tinter — just a few drops blended well into the skin gives an excellent, fresh and natural look for the day.

The in colours to use on your skin (blusher or eyes) for the day: soft pinks and peaches. For the night: bronze, sand, beige and perhaps dull gold.

No lip pencils for teens — they're too harsh! Let your lips sport very minimal, natural colours in peaches and pinks. Just a lip colour with gloss looks best to wear all day.

Pampering your hair

It's okay to go ahead with a funky hair look — suitable hair accessories like hair extensions or hair mascara... But don't keep them on too long as they tend to damage the hair.

For guys and girls: wavy hair tends to be drier so make sure the ends are cut every six weeks for a healthier look. And don't brush too much; your hair will look extra frizzy.

It's very important to regularly oil very dry hair. Also dip a towel in hot water and wrap it around oiled hair for a towel steam. This holds in the moisture in the hair and works better.

If the shape of your face can carry shorter hair and you have frizzy hair, keep it well groomed and short. If not, keep frizzy hair tied for a tidier look. Groomed hair speaks volumes about you!

Teens should totally avoid using permanent hair colour. Youngsters' hair tends to be prone to a lot of damage with colour.