Is putting on makeup every day for school the norm?

It depends if they have acne or rosacea doesn't it?

If they have to conceal some very large spots they can.

My 13 year old sometimes wears concealer with tea tree if she's got a biggie brewing.

When they get to 16 they can wear subtle make up, but most don't. When they are 18 they can wear whatever they like, so long as it's subtle. That goes for hair colour and piercings too.

Shocked at your form teacher being so abusive and bullying AnxiousCarer
Name calling and hate speech like that is against the law! that's horrific misogyny. Poor you.

Depends on the school. At my daughter's they are allowed light makeup. Hair can not be dyed nor can there be too many ear piercings or any other piercings.

There's makeup and there's makeup. Discreet natural looking is quite reasonable, especially if you have spots . Full on is just a bit much for school age. My DDs are sensible about it and I don't interfere with this, though I had a thing or two to say about one's purple eyeshadow once.

We all wore make-up from Y9 onwards at my grammar school - given it was the 1980's, there seemed to be a contest between the goths and their black eyeliner and the non-goths and their electric blue. Nobody ever made us take it off and Friday/Saturday evenings in the boarding house were often make-over night where we got everyones make-up out and experimented... lots of fun memories (rather grateful that digital photography was not around in those days).

DD and her friends (Y3 ) are all obsessed with tinted lip balms so I have already resigned myself to the make-up at secondary school being a given and not a battle I plan to pick.

If your DD doesn't wear/own make-up, it might be fun to take her shopping for a few bits and pieces in subtle colours so that she has something for special occasions.

Yes,English school girls wear a lot of make up compared to HK schoolgirls.I used to find it fascinating how glamorous many of the young city workers were compared to the schoolgirls in hk.But I'm sure your DD will be with some other Chinese girls and will be able to do her own thing if she wishes.My eldest dd is half Chinese in a independent school and she wears full make up including contour and highlighter.She has been wearing full make up since year 9 and eye make up since year 8.

No rules at all at dd's school. Her friends range from minimal to full-on nightclub make-up - dark eyebrows, bright red lipstick and full eyeshadow. It's ridiculous!

The secondary my DDs goes to allows makeup and no-one seems fussed. What you get ranges from face full of orange slap to absolutely nothing at all. I'd let my DDs wear it, they just don't want to.

My year 10 doesn't put make up on for school. Occasionally, if a but spotty, has put a little bit of, properly matched to her skin, foundation on but still looks as if she has none on.

Not allowed at DDs school. Although she is already pretty spotty at 12 and if she gets very upset with it I would let her wear a bit of foundation/concealer/powder and I doubt it would be noticed.

Depends on the school rule, and how strictly they implement it, but also hugely depends on the girl. Neither of my dds ever do, but they say there are those that do.

I would say most teenage girls have some interest in make up. My DD is 14 and doesn't bother very often. Some of her friends wear quite a lot. They're just trying it out, sometimes getting it wrong and it's not an issue in terms of academic performance. If your DD doesn't want to wear make up she won't be seen as unusual. I was 14, 32 years ago and wore make up to school. I do remember trying to look like Madonna.

At DD's school the rules state 'girls' make-up must be discreet' or similar wording which implies that they expect it will be worn. DD14 wears a bit for school (she's another one very into beauty bloggers and fancy products) while some girls go for the full-on drag queen look, but according to DD nobody ever get pulled up on it which annoys me - I couldn't care less if they wear it or not, I don't think it impacts on their work, but if it is a rule I think it should be enforced (DD included).

Some wear a full face - including a number of young women who are going to end up with a string of A* - some wear a bit, some wear none.

leslie
my DD is 18
every school has a no makeup policy
they are fascinating to read
ANY school that says they enforce it is lying.

Teenage girls will wear makeup.
The school will clamp down on the obvious
they will exclude for blue hair
but highlights are impossible

sit outside the school at kicking out time
if the look like oompa loompas there is a problem
if not, worry more about the bits you are paying for

My DD's school has a no make up rule and my 14 year old DD spends more time applying 'invisible make up' than she does on her homework. From clear mascara, nude lips and brown eyeliner, she knows all the tricks to hide it from her teachers. And has now started contouring her face. I cant keep up. I don't mind at all and think it is between her and the school. If she gets away with it then fine. If she gets caught then she gets the punishment. It is no different to me at her age.

Ask for the school policy on make up - my experience is that light foundation and light mascara are allowed and worn by most (but not all) of the girls.

My DDs don't wear makeup to school.

DD's independent school ( all girls) 'light business make up' from year 10.

My DD was a popular girl at school and went through the stage of putting make up at the age of 12 (not at school). She looked like a panda! She gave it up at 13 and has never worn any through school (even when she had a boyfriend for about 3 months!).

Loads of girls at DD's state comprehensive wear make-up. It looks like it has been troweled on.

DD doesn't wear it and has never felt obliged to follow fashion like a sheep.

Agree with Sootica. Schools will vary in what they will and won't allow, but rest assured (if you're concerned) that even if the school allows make up it certainly doesn't follow that all the girls will wear it.

Yep it's the norm.
My 13 year old loves Make up and knows more about it than I ever did. She watches a lot of Beauty Blogs and saves up for certain products.
TBF she looks lovely and has been complimented on how she applies it on family Do's by cousins in their twenties.
For school though it's just a bit of mascara and foundation.
Not a bright orange face and false eyelashes.

grrr, sorry, internet being weird & forgot I'd c&p the url. Typed a long response, but basically even if school allows, I'd be very surprised if all girls wore make-up.

Discreet make-up is I'm pretty sure allowed in yr 10 dd's school, she doesn't own/wear any, and is definitely not an odd-one-out (at least in that sense!). She says actually Eyebrows and orangeness are falling off a bit now they all get older.

Here the official wording is 'No makeup is allowed. The exception is a light application of skin-coloured foundation or concealer.'

That seems quite kind, actually, to the spottier child.

DD (whitish shade of pale, no visible eyebrows) also uses light brown eyebrow pencil, but she's quite subtle about it and hasn't been detected yet.