The Bobbi Brown Book of Teenage Beauty

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We don't remember exactly how, but we recently rediscovered Bobbi Brown's delightful love letter to the 90s, Teenage Beauty. As you might recall—raise your hand if you feel old—it was the ultimate guide to being a chic teen in 1999. (We've said it before. See: Emily's Red Lip Magic post.) And given that matte skin, teal eyeliner, and Claire Danes have all been fully rehabilitated as of late, Brown's natural, Cali-girl take on beauty is more relevant than ever. Plus, she says things like “Sleep and rest and happiness are the backbones of beauty.” So, for your perusal, a selection of Bobbi Brown's timeless advice culled from the book, to satisfy your inner-teen or just, you know, because it's Wednesday:

Bobbi's Real Talk:

“If you do drugs or drink to be cool, ask yourself: How cool is it to be ugly?”

“I believe that foot odor comes from the inside. Maybe you’re not drinking enough water or exercising enough.”

“What great guy would want to kiss a girl who smokes?”

“Plastic surgery: What an awful term...You should be truly miserable before you make a permanent change.”

“I L-O-V-E strong noses. For me, a strong nose gives character to the face and its special beauty.”

“Be zen about your zits. Instead of picking or attacking them, let them be. Hands off. Fingernails out!!!!”

“Sunscreen is important even if you tan easily—no one looks good in prune-y skin!”

“Sleep and rest and happiness are the backbones of beauty.”

“The one eyebrow shape that’s nowhere? The tadpole brow…it gives you a puzzled look, and it looks old-fashioned”

Bobbi On Hair:

“Buy static guard (the stuff you’d use on your clothes) and spray on your brush before using. Wash your brushes regularly because the hair left in your brush can pass static along to the hair still in your head.”

“Rinse shampoo out really well…time yourself here and try to go for four minutes. A good rinse is just as important as a good wash in getting really clean hair.”

“[The] hairstyle boys like on most girls? Long over short. (Some sensitive ones admit that it depends on the girl. Duh!)”

“Stay simple and don’t fight the 'Hair God.' I love a ponytail slicked back—this is a great option for those of you who have a 'hair thing.'”

“If someone offers to give you a home perm or body wave, find any way you can to refuse.”

“What’s the cause of the biggest hair disasters? Going against your own natural hair texture. There are a lot of things you can do to transform your hair look, but changing your hair texture isn’t one of them.”

“Avoid using a lot of stuff in your hair. What’s really pretty is simple, clean hair that has nice, natural movement. Don’t use hairspray (too old-fashioned, except for fly-away help).”

Bobbi On Makeup:

“The perfect color blush is the shade of your cheeks when you exercise!”

“Mix Vaseline with bronzer for a one-toned face look—spread on eyelids, cheeks, forehead, and nose.”

“Biggest Eye Mistake: Trying to change the shape of your eyes with dark shadow (i.e. contouring)—all you’ll end up doing is making your eyes look smaller.”

“Know your light. As a runway makeup artist, I’ve learned to be a master of lighting. If you do the wrong makeup for the light you will be in, it may 'read' in a totally wrong way.”

Advice for pale girls: “Just go with it and give up on bronzers and suntans. Instead, wear pale pink blush—it’ll make you look like an angel.”

“In Your Backpack: It’s much cooler not to lug around your entire makeup kit. Try to focus on a few key items that will help you get through your day.

1. Pressed powder compact with mirror to fix T-zone shininess

2. Foundation to cover up pimples

3. 3-in-1 pencil for lips, eyes, and cheeks

4. Lipstick or pot of gloss”

Bobbi On Self-Acceptance:

“Be cool. Of course you feel insecure, but you don’t have to show it.”

“Model thin isn’t necessarily pretty! Be healthy, be strong, be yourself!”

“The bottom line: Don’t follow rules. Wear anything that makes you feel good!!”

“Girls peak at all different times. Growing up means finding yourself, and that happens at different moments for different people.”

“Appreciate what you’ve got when you’ve got it. If that means suffering through a little beauty envy in the short term, that’s totally normal.”