My daughter is just getting into makeup and perfume. I don't restrict her around the house, but when we go out, I only allow a little gloss and maybe a touch of shadow if she has to. I figure for around the house and learning, cake it on, but when in public, less is absolutely more.
I used to experiment with makeup all the time when I was her age and to a degree, I still do. I love getting new cosmetics, trying different types of foundations. I always seem to stick to the same color palatte though. I'll pick up this really pretty shade of lipstick, get it home only to find I've got 10 others in a very similar shade already.
I remember when my sister started wearing makeup. The comment about orange skin really made me laugh because I remember how the foundation stopped abruptly at the jawline and the regular color skin popped out on the neck. I was like, "Blend, woman! BLEND!"
I used to play with my mom's makeup when I was little like most girls, but once I started drawing on the walls with her lipstick that was the end of that! lol
My mom let me wear lipgloss all I wanted to, and let me paint my nails from age 10 on really. When I got into high school she just told me "Remember, less is more!" and that kind of stuck with me my whole life. Alot of girls in my high school used to wear so much foundation that they looked like oranges with masks on! That was the 80's for you! lol
I was 13 when my mom let me wear just eye shadow. Of course all the other girls got to wear it all. When I got on the bus I put on mascara and blush and soon as I got home I washed it off before she came home from work. I think she caught me with the extra make-up and decided to let me use it but showed me how to do it so it looked natural and not fake. By 9th grade I was wearing a full face of make up. I think I wore more make-up in high school than any other time in my life .
I let my daughter do the virtual makeovers with me. The first few she did I have let her do exactly as she pleases. I did one of her myself. I then e-mail them to myself and she is able to see the difference between them. This gives us a chance to talk about what we should and should'nt do. It also lets us spend time with each other. The makeovers don't have a lot of choices, but it can be a learning experience.
I think the point about instilling good, healthy beauty habits is a really good one. Once girls learn those and practice them regularly, they should be able to move on to makeup.
Case in point: my good friend has an eleven year old who wants to wear makeup, but doesn't want to wash her face regularly. I would imagine this could definitely be used as an incentive.
I started with makeup when I was about 14, I think. Before that I had the play makeup and the nail polish that peeled off when it was dry. That was fun.
I think someone here mentioned cleansing and taking care of the face and I'm thinking that's an awesome thing to instill in children. Take care of your skin and be clean. Also to take off any makeup at the end of the day (just as important as how to put it on, right?) -- you don't want them getting their eyes all messed up with caked on makeup and stuff. Using sunscreen is vital, too. There's a lot more to keeping the face pretty than just adding color to it.
I remember doing things my parents lamented about too (didn't we all?) and growing up in the 80's, when everyone wanted to look either a member of a punk band or have enough makeup on to rival members of KISS, I couldn't blame them for tearing their hair out about my so-called fashion sense!
My 8 year old used to have lots of makeup kits, and a little vanity table, and she would play dress with her dolls, putting makeup on them too. She's almost 9 and has already got bored with the makeup! She still loves lip gloss, something about lip gloss little girls love no matter what, and has moved on to sports. So sometimes they just grow out of it when you least expect it!
-- Edited by Host_Virginia at 06/15/2008 10:04 AM PDT
We have make-up appropriate for her age, right now she has the "bratz" make-up kits. She is allowed to wear lipgloss at anytime she wants. She's allowed to choose 1 day a week to wear extra make-up. She is allowed on the weekends to play makeup with her friends or we have a little mother/daughter make-up time. She has to properly cleanse her face to keep these privliges
The benefits of this.
#1 because she has a part in the decision she rarely uses her 1 day a week( kids tend to fight you about stuff less when they are part of the decision).
#2 She is learning how to appropriately apply make-up and to make good choices. ( How many of us are on this website because we are still trying to figure out how to apply make-up right).
#3 Cleansing and taking care of her face with just be a part of what she does not if she has time for it.
13 was the age for make-up when I was growing up and 16 was the age to start dating.
I remember doing things I wasn't suppose to at this age. Wearing your jeans stuffed in knee high boots was the in thing and my parents didn't like it, so I just did it when I got to school and pulled them out before I got home. I would much rather compromise.
Momontherun, so true! They say self-confidence begins at home.
This discussion made me think of a book I was contemplating picking up on the recommendation for parents on raising confident, self-assured girls in today's society, called Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. It talks about ways of establishing a good foundation for adolescent girls where the emphasis is on individuality, creativity, intelligence and less on physical beauty.
Once I get finished reading it, I'll post a response on it, if you'd all be interested?
I so agree that it depends on maturity level and the ability for them to understand that makeup should accentuate their beauty, it doesn't create it. Girls need to feel good about themselves and I don't think that caking makeup on to cover up what they see as an imperfection is a good thing. I think it all starts with the influential people in their lives to give them a good foundation of self confidence.
These are very good qualities to consider about the individual person, regardless of their age. Makeup tends to get us a reaction, and the person must be able to cope with the different reactions they may get.
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