Teenage Daughter Rant

[justilou1]

It would seem that the moment my beautiful, reasonable, very academic and intelligent daughter turned 13 she started watching makeup tutorials on youtube. Naively, I thought it would be harmless enough. NO! She now has a penchant for high-end makeup. I get that at 13 she has no responsibilities or concept of the value of money, etc.... but I am really worried about how OBSESSED she is getting with makeup. She spent $70 on a bloody eyeshadow palette (her money) and is now obsessing about a Fenty Beauty lipgloss, which is currently out of stock everywhere here in Aus. (Even drugstore makeup is insanely expensive here in Aus) I think her obsession sometimes has a very teenage sense of entitlement, but it is also expresses insecurity about her looks, so I try and handle it gently. But if I have to listen to her rattling on about how "pigmented" a flipping highlighter is, or how "buttery" her next eyeshadow obsession is, I am going to take her to the doctor and get them to check for lobotomy scars! Anyone else??? Got any ideas on how to re-focus her on the stuff that matters???

OP I think this is a stage you will have to go through. A LOT of young people are very anxious at this kind of age. Girls often aid themselves by "putting on a mask" to face the world. They all try out belonging to different groups: Grunge, Preppy, Punk, Goth etc.
Has your daughter always had strong interests? If so this is probably just the latest one. At least you know more than me and can talk to her knowledgeably. I would also let her know about the good but cheaper brands (Bourjois rather than Chanel etc.)
Also encourage her in any sport/outdoor activities that will distract from make up. Make up free days are good, even if they will only happen in the wilds.

My almost 13 yo thinks v expensive hoodies and joggers are wonderful and worth spending all his money on. I think it's that age... he wore a lot of 2nd hand clothes when small so overall the wastefulness is not as bad as it could have been.

Makeup is so expensive! It might be worth googling 'dupes' of the makeup she likes and trying that out instead, half the time it is a quarter of the price and does the same job!

It's easy for kids to get sucked into the Youtube makeup world but I think if you find her cheap dupes it might keep the spending down?!

It may also be worth getting involved and watching some of the videos with her, maybe find someone who does natural makeup..

@EmilyChambers79 he mainly likes Superdry, Jack Jones, Vans and Adidas ones.

Meh. I loved it all at that age and 13 years later I still do! Better than a crack cocaine habit

Another with a make up obsessed teen DD so I totally understand what you are going through OP. What makes me feel sad is the fact that my beautiful, smart, funny girl will now not leave the house without a full face of makeup and has become totally obsessed with how she looks. This generation of girls are under so much pressure to look like perfect models 24/7 in a way we have never seen before. How many slightly photos of pouting young teens looking older than their years have we all seen on instagram? They are then judged by their peers and no matter what you tell them about being beautiful on the inside, sadly it’s only the likes or approval from your peers on social media they really care about.

*slightly dodgy

This is my 13 yr old DD also. I’m quite envious of her skills to be honest because I’ve never been good with make up.

Last week was Hallowe’en and then she developed an obsession with creating scars and bloody wounds all over herself. It was utterly disgusting but incredibly well done, she taught herself from You tube. Last week I took her out to buy more liquid latex and after a conversation with the lady in the shop my daughter was offered the opportunity to learn face painting and then become part of their crew. Pay was shocking! (I’m in Canada, min wage here for students is $10.90, face painters start at $20!!