Miley Cyrus, the 16-year-old star of Disney's hit television show Hannah Montana and burgeoning pop princess, is the personification of that old Britney Spears song (I use the word “old” in the ironic sense) I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman. What a pity, then, that no one remembered to tell her stylist. Cyrus, whose hits include 7 Things (I Hate About You) is by all accounts a sweet, talented individual. And yet in cosmetic terms she is made up beyond her years.

Here she is last month in full red-carpet mode at the Country Music Awards in Nashville. Don't believe what the magazines say: no amount of exercise, superfoods and artistry can substitute for what Cyrus has, which is a straightforward fresh-faced beauty. Bouncy hair, smooth skin, clear eyes, her own teeth: you don't actually need much else to look good.

Which is why this heavy-black-smoky-eyes look is so inappropriate. Combined with the vertiginously cut dress, it's all too uncomfortably come-hither. Smoky eyes, dark kohl and heavy lashes, as any fule kno, are an open declaration of sexiness. They remind the viewer of Brigitte Bardot in her Sixties heyday, of Queen Cleopatra, with her wily seductress ways. They are neither necessary nor suitable for a girl of Cyrus's years.

Teenage make-up should be less about making oneself look alluring and more about having fun. Experimentation, daring, rebellion: these are the watchwords. Bright colours, so damnably unforgiving on more mature skins, look fresh and fabulous on a 16-year-old. Wear your neons now, girls, because once you're in your twenties you won't be able to.

A good place to start is Pop Lid Palettes, £15 (call 020-7287 7211 for stockists), a veritable explosion of brights. Wear as single blocks of colour, or combine for a kaleidoscopic effect. For lashes, try Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara Minis, £8 each, available at Boots, House of Fraser and Debenhams nationwide: as big and bold as you like, but much more fun than boring old black. Urban Decay also has a range of fabulous long-stay eye pencils, or you can try MAC, the ultimate colour specialists: Technakohl Liner, £11 (0870 0342676) is soft and creamy in texture, yet delivers a strong, highly pigmented line.

The rest of the face requires little else: perhaps just a hint of cheek and lip colour. Jemma Kidd Rosy Glow Lip & Cheek Tint, £20 (from spacenk.com), is extremely natural, quick and easy to apply - and looks great on lips with just a slick of Vaseline over the top.

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