Stage makeup for 6 year old?

[Quietoldlady]

Does anyone have any advice about what makeup to use for a six year old who will be performing on stage? As she’s so little it hadn’t occurred to me that she’d need makeup for the performance, but apparently theatre lights make them look washed out.

I wear very little makeup myself and I’m a bit clueless about it all! Any recommendations and makeup tips would be most welcome.

Thank you!

You definitely need some.
I would think your best bet is to ask another more experienced Mum to help do your DD too maybe? What they need for ballet may be very different than for drama perhaps?

Yes, good plan, I’ll try to catch some of the other mums at their next rehearsal. Should have said - it’s musical theatre.

Ask another parent or the dance teacher. She will look like an oompa loopa when not under the lights and it's pretty heavy and cakey. Good idea to have some baby oil in to get it off easily.

I am like you and don't do makeup. I definitely used other mums before DD was old enough to do her own.

Haha, she’ll love that, she’s a big Wonka fan! Good tip on the baby oil, I’ll add to my list of things to get. I

definitely ask teacher/other parents for help and advice. I am the same as you and DD had help from others when she needed stage makeup. Going forward, I encouraged and supported her to learn how to do it herself! I don't think I ever had to do it for her past the first show.

Eyes and lips are the most important. She probably won't need foundation unless she is very pale. A little bit of blush, pale pink/rose/peach.

We used to use a neutral beige shade for the eyes with brown mascara (less harsh than black) and rose coloured lipstick.

For glitzy dance numbers then some like to have blue eyeshadow but I never liked that look.

I'd just use ordinary make-up, nothing special for stage. Foundation, powder, eyeshadow. Maybe mascara if she won't rub her eyes??

My DD(8) does several performing arts. As PPs have suggested ask the teachers what they suggest.
I am not a dance mum by any means. It all blows my mind, but she adores it and seems to be pretty good so I'm honestly winging it! But generally, for musical theatre shows we tend to use:

• hydrating primer
• a liquid blusher applied with a damp blending sponge
• a medium brown eyeshadow crayon
• setting spray over this, then
• waterproof brown/ black mascara
• long lasting lipstick (maybelline superstay matte has been great past few shows!)

I will occasionally use a brow pencil depending on how professional the show is/ stage size lighting etc - she has white blonde hair so they are non existent
Plus a really good oil based cleanser to shift it off as soon as possible, no7 cleansing balm or body shop balm are great.

She does have quite a pale complexion so maybe I do need to think about some foundation. I think she’ll be delighted with some rose coloured lipstick too, she’s been pestering me for makeup for ages. Thank you for the tips, much appreciated.

Excellent, thanks for so much for this, I’ll be off to Boots tomorrow to spend my points 😅

Stage lights are very different to how they used to be and 6 year olds don't need make up. I have big theatre and dance kids and the max (apart from specific character make up) has been eyeliner and pink lipstick, but not at 6!

We just said we'd prefer not to when DD was little. Actually on stage I didn't even notice a difference, they look so little from the audience anyway.

Eta but if your DD actually wants to that's different.

I think stage make up for kids is a hang over from days of old fashioned lighting where they looked washed out without. My DD was in a professional show a few years ago and they said no make up for the children. I looked back at a recording of it the other day and she looked lovely, not washed out at all! But for all her dance shows we've gone the whole hog with lipstick and blue eye shadow! 😂She always loved it! She does her own make up now for shows - minus the blue eye shadow! We always got regular make up from Boots. We were once served by a lovely assistant who also acted and she was brilliant at picking out appropriate products.

My daughter has been in a few professional productions, including West End. Aside from actual costume makeup for specific roles, she wore an excess of blush, a smudge of eyeliner with a slight flick at the corners and a dark rose lipstick. This was done by the MUA on the production. Under lights she looked like her normal self but a bit more polished. There may have been some powder too, but I didn't notice it when picking her up at the end of the performances, so it wasn't unnaturally dark.