After the LA Fires, Beauty Products Are Helping Teens Feel Confident Again – POPSUGAR Australia
For teenagers, beauty products often serve a bigger purpose than the thrill of copping the latest Rare Beauty launch. Makeup and skin care foster self-expression and individuality for Generation Alpha, but for many living in Los Angeles, this creative outlet was stripped away during the eruption of the wildfires in two of the city’s most high-profile neighborhoods: Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
18-year-old Marli, a resident of Altadena, lost her home in the Eaton fire. She struggles with mental and physical health issues, social anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD, and she says her beauty routine is an essential part of her identity. “Look, my house burned down and grabbing makeup was not a priority, but beauty products play a role in my life that’s bigger than just applying them to your face,” she says. “When my mental health was at its lowest, I really struggled to maintain self-care, but as I’ve been healing, I’ve found my beauty routine as a powerful way to have a grounding rhythm and confidence.”
Marli is one of many teenage girls who has benefited from Altadena Girls, a relief effort started by 14-year-old Avery Culvert, whose mission it is to supply beauty donations to girls affected by the fires. The goal? To restore a sense of normalcy for teenage victims of the Eaton fires through a widespread selection of makeup, clothing, and shoes. While Marli and her family were living out of their car in the aftermath of the Eaton fire, they stopped by Target. There, a woman overheard Marli’s mom asking her to put makeup products back on the shelves and told the family about Altadena Girls. “Going there was like Christmas – it was a moment of fun amidst chaos,” Marli says.
They’re not just beauty products; they’re a reminder that I still deserve to feel good, even in the midst of loss. And that means everything.
Restoring her beauty routine was especially significant, as Gen Alpha has recently taken a special interest in makeup and skin care. As PS previously reported, this generation is the first to grow up in an age where smartphones, social media, and influencer culture offer easy, at-the-fingertips access to beauty trends and new makeup launches. And as many parents attest to, having knowledge of the newest products or being among the first to use them reinforces their kids’ social status and positions them as well-informed insiders. Jackie Hosey, a millennial mother to an 11-year-old daughter, previously told PS that this knowledge of products has even gone as far as to “become a status symbol” for Gen Alpha.
Through Altadena Girls, Marli was able to slowly start rebuilding her beauty collection with products like the Rare Beauty face powder, Pattern Beauty leave-in conditioner, and NYX lip oil, along with products from Fenty Beauty and Nexxus. “I was so immensely grateful for the beauty products – being able to moisturize, apply a little makeup, and do my hair made such a difference in how I felt,” she says.
Marli describes herself as feeling “discombobulated” after losing her home to the fires. “I was in complete shock and felt sick to my stomach. I thought this absolutely wouldn’t happen to me. It was all gone, and I was sad about all the work my mother had put into the home.”
Though Marli is confident her family will “rebuild even better,” she misses her safe space, her bedroom. “It sort of feels like I’ve been randomly ejected from my spaceship,” she says. She also points out the loss of her belongings threw off her daily rhythm and routine, but the donated products served as a reminder of the importance of practicing self-care, even during seasons of trauma. “My home, where I had spent most of my time, is gone, so that ripped me off my ‘security’ blanket. But these donations helped improve my mental health because I can pause and reconnect with myself,” she says. “They’re not just beauty products; they’re a reminder that I still deserve to feel good, even in the midst of loss. And that means everything. When I’m in a place to give back, I’d love to help others feel this sense of support, too.”
16-year-old Fiona, who lost her home in the Palisades fire, shares a similar sentiment, adding that beyond just the application and results beauty products offer, the process of researching products is what excites her the most. “My beauty products are very important to me because not only have I spent a lot of money to get them, I also spend a lot of time trying to figure out which products are the best, so if I have a product in my routine, it means that I really like it,” she says.
Fiona was able to connect with several influencers on social media to receive beauty donations. “I messaged an influencer I love on Instagram because she had posted about wanting to give products to people who had been affected by the fires,” she says. “I then posted a video about what I had received from her on TikTok, and another influencer messaged me saying she wanted to send me products that were specific to redheads because we both are.” Fiona received products ranging from hair care to skin care from brands she loves, including Saie, Charlotte Tilbury, Fenty Beauty, and Glow Recipe. “There wasn’t anything super specific I wanted. I was just so grateful that someone was giving me anything,” she says.
Like Marli, Fiona was “in a state of shock” after she lost her home. “I fully broke down when I first got the video of my house being gone, and ever since then, I’ll have random moments of remembering other things that were lost and I break down all over again,” she says. “There’s still a part of me that feels like it’s all some big prank being played on me so I haven’t really processed it.”
But the beauty donations have served as a great distraction for Fiona, providing a big boost to her mental health and confidence. “These donations gave me something to look forward to, and trying them out was a way of distracting myself from what was going on out there,” she says. “They’ve also given me a sense of normalcy because I get to use products from brands I recognize that I might’ve used before, so having them makes my new home have reminders of my old one.”
Stories like Fiona’s and Marli’s prove that beauty is inherently tied to our identities. Ultimately, the donations allowed Marli to rediscover herself. “Losing everything makes you feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself, too. Looking in the mirror and feeling beautiful again – even after all the stress, grief, and exhaustion – was powerful. I know I’m beautiful, but seeing it reflected back in the mirror and feeling it after experiencing such a devastating event is something else entirely. It’s given me back a little piece of myself when so much has been taken away,” she says.
Related: I’m a Therapist Who Evacuated Due to the LA Fires – Here’s How to Get Emotional Support
Michelle Rostamian is a Los Angeles-based beauty and wellness contributor with over 10 years of experience in the industry. She began her career as a publicist, content writer, and social media manager, representing beauty brands and industry professionals. Currently, she is a writer and editor on all things makeup, beauty, skin care, and lifestyle.
