I know. I know, I know, I know. You’re a super-fierce baby adult and you want to get buck wild at Sephora, get all Picasso with your eyes and contour your nostrils. It’s so tempting! Even I have to hold myself back on the daily. But I’m here to tell you to relax. Light some incense! Do some downward dogs! Let’s approach this whole make-up thing rationally.

Also, you’re not alone in your deep feelings of beauty angst. Meet my little sister, Bryanna:

Isn’t she adorable? She begged me to give her a makeover, which is the equivalent of asking me if I want extra Christmas presents, so of course I did. If you’re looking for some youthful make-up tips, follow along!

The first thing you need to do is shape your eyebrows. Take a look in the mirror. Does it look like your dad finally got over his Buddhist phase and shaved his beard and the fallout landed all over your forehead? If so, you need to get them waxed or threaded by a professional. I say this because it’s faster, safer and far more efficient than trying to shape them yourself when you have no idea what you’re doing. When the hairs slowly start to grow back in, you can groom them yourself (be sure to pull in the direction of the hair growth!) with a legit pair of tweezers. Borrow them from someone older and wiser in your household, or try to sneak a pair of Tweezerman tweezers into the grocery shopping cart when no one’s looking. (KIDDING!)

For Bryanna, I just went to town on her eyebrows myself because I know what’s up. If you have an older sister or mom, hit them up! It’s time for them to pay their dues.

Now that your brows have learned their role in your life, it’s make-up time. I guarantee that all the make-up you need to succeed is more or less right here:

It looks boring, but I absolutely swear that you have the rest of your life to blow your paychecks on a variety of MAC eyeshadows that actually look almost identical under most lighting situations.

FOR YOUR FACE

If your skin tone is uneven and you want to balance everything out, you can experiment with foundation. An inexpensive but still quality alternative to some higher-end products is Revlon ColorStay. Mix about equal parts of your foundation with your favorite daytime moisturizer for a lighter, more hydrating way to even out your face and help you stay (appropriately) foxy! Bonus: When you do this, it also gives you a little more leeway if you accidentally picked a shade of foundation that’s slightly off.

For Bryanna, I used Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation in Warm Ivory all over her face. It was enough to conceal her blemishes without smacking concealer on top of that, which I was grateful for since she’s so young and doesn’t need to walk around with a million products on her face.

If you want to add blush, pick a light pink or peach shade and, with the gentleness that you would use to pick up a ladybug, apply it to the apples of your cheeks until you’ve reached your desired level of color. I like to appear as though someone has just slapped me, but it’s your call.

For Bryanna, I used NARS Deep Throat on her cheeks.

Next, you need to set your make-up with some powder. I’m personally obsessed with MAC Skinfinish Natural powder, but if it’s out of your price range, ELF Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder is a super-cheap, super-sheer way to set your make-up. I like to apply my powder in circular motions to my entire face with a Kabuki brush like this one. To pass the time, pretend like you’re polishing a Bentley and buff it in until you can buff no more.

For Bryanna, I used MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus.

FOR YOUR EYES

Your eyes can start and end at mascara. Load them up with my current favorite, Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! or a less expensive option like The Falsies by Maybelline, let them sit for a second, and load them up again. Then hold the brush vertically to get any little hairs you might have missed.

For Bryanna, I used Tarte mascara and I also gave her some eyeliner because she has dark eyes and hair, so it didn’t look completely unnatural. Also, you guys KNOW how much I love eyeliner. However, I resisted the winged look with her because I thought it’d be overkill.

FOR YOUR LIPS

For your lips, stick to tinted lip balm or lipgloss. My favorite youthful looks that I wear all of myself are Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Rose, ELF Baby Lips, and NARS Super Orgasm.

For Bryanna, I just used some dopey sheer gloss that she had lying around, so you can do that too. Whatever!

Are you bored of reading yet? Let’s let these pictures speak a thousand words for me instead and see what she looked like after I got my hands on her:

I KNOW. Who is this minx?!

Cute and polished! Success!