North Carolina Girl Crowned ‘Miss America’s Teen’

I must be honest.  I didn't think that "pageants" were even a thing anymore.  Not that I have anything against them, I just assumed that some facet of uninformed cancel culture would have made it his/her mission to shut the pageant world down.  I mean, you can hear the arguments now, can't you?  "Why are we objectifying these ladies?"  "A woman's worth is much more than external beauty."  Also, as polarizing as former President Donald Trump is, his close association with the Miss USA/Miss Universe Pageants did this world no favors.

No matter.  I was glad to discover I'm loud wrong.  The pageant world continues to survive and thrive.  And North Carolina's Hanley House was the main beneficiary this weekend as she was named Miss America's Teen.

The competition took place over the weekend at The Walt Disney Theater in Orlando.  Miss America's Teen is the teenage division of the venerable Miss America program.  The 51 contestants were made up of young women between the ages of 13-18 from across the United States.  The competition was contested in the categories of fitness, evening gown and talent.

In what has to be considered a major surprise, Hanley House is the first North Carolinian to win the Miss America's Teen title.  In fact, this is ONLY her third pageant entry ever.  She tells WRAL, "Less than a year ago, I competed for my first prelim for Miss North Carolina, and I got the title for Miss Cleveland, which is my hometown.  After that I went straight to Miss North Carolina, I had a goal of making top-15 at Miss North Carolina. Six months later, I'm Miss America Teen. It's such a surreal and full-circle moment."

For those who choose to disparage pageants like Miss America's Teen, keep this in mind.  There is MAJOR scholarship money involved.  Hanley House, as the new Miss America's Teen, picked up a $60,000 scholarship to the school of her choice.  Or a 4-year scholarship to the University of Alabama (must say, seems random).

Congratulations to North Carolina's Hanley House, the new and reigning Miss America's Teen 2024.

The No7 Beauty Experts report that searches for 'clean girl aesthetic' increased by 250% this month as the new 2022 trend continues to dominate the beauty scene.

This TikTok beauty trend has over 9.7 million views, making it the one to beat for 2022. A clean girl aesthetic includes minimal makeup, slick back hair, and basic jewelry.

One of the first celebrities to start the trend was Kendall Jenner. Her most popular look was slick back hair and fresh makeup. Here are 5 easy steps from No7's beauty experts for creating the clean girl look you can check out below.

Exfoliating your skin before applying makeup is the key to smooth makeup application. To remove dead skin cells, you should exfoliate 2-3 times a week. It helps give your skin a glow which is part of the ‘clean girl aesthetic’.

No matter whether you wear makeup or not, sunscreen should be your first step in your skincare routine. After applying your moisturizer, apply sunscreen liberally to protect your skin from the sun. The sunscreen also helps keep your skin tone even. 

Makeup lasts longer when you use a primer. A shimmering sunscreen will bring your skin to life and, together with the glow from the sunscreen, will help you to achieve that 'lit from within' look.

Cream products are essential for achieving the 'clean girl' aesthetic because it helps your skin show through. Cream products like tinted moisturizers and blushes blend seamlessly into the skin and create a look that doesn't look like you spent hours applying them.

Brows should be combed through and put into place with a brow gel or glue and filled in with a light eyebrow pencil where the sparse areas are so they still look natural and fluffy.