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Parenting

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Original poster

Wearing Make up rules for Little Girls, if you allow it at all

28 replies

ragged · 03/10/2010 08:44

9yo DD spent most of her birthday money on makeup. I let her wear it right away. But I need to set down some rules about when to wear it, in future.

I don't wear makeup or care for it, so I can't teach her how to wear it subtly and not obviously; she'll need more practice than average to learn how to wear it subtly.

I know some people will be horrified at any make up ever worn by 9yos, so let's take view as legit and understood. However, if you do let your 8-10yo girls wear makeup, what rules do you follow about when and where and what?

TIA.

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MumInBeds · 03/10/2010 08:53

My dd is 7 and only has lip gloss that she doesn't really bother with but I do have the idea that when she is more interested in make up I will be taking her to a local beauty place that offers make-up lessons for girls of that age so an expert can tell her how to use it in a subtle way.

Other than that my rules would be weekends only and then only if she can show me she is sensible about using it and removing it carefully.

Original poster

ragged · 03/10/2010 08:56

Oh heavens, on that point-- removal, what's the best thing for a 9yo to do? I realised this morning she hadn't removed it last night. Is a flannel and warm water enough or should she use something else, especially for mascara and eyeshadow?

Make up lessons sound cool, I bet there's NOTHING like that around here,but I will ask.

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alittlebitshy · 03/10/2010 09:09

this is such a timely thread. my dd who is 7 is just getting into makeup. I am SO not a makeup wearer.
Part of me wants to stop her, but i know that when i was her age and wanted to experiment my dad clamped down on me, so i think i will let her.

she knows only weekends. but argh - i had not thought of removal. was presuming that dh scrubbed her face in the bath .

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ValiumSingleton · 03/10/2010 09:14

my dd is allowed because she is 7 and she's just daubing herself with an unsteady hand!!

It makes her look like a child who's been playing.

When she's about 10 or 11 and can put on make up with a steady hand, that accentuates her features etc... I'll be in trouble. Can I say no to make up between 10 and 15 when I said yes to it at 7??

kreecherlivesupstairs · 03/10/2010 09:27

Our DD was bought a hideous make up set from Claires. There is nothing subtle about it at all. She went out yesterday with a bit of pale yelow eye shadow and some lip gloss. The eye make up was not really noticable and the lip gloss was OK. She isn't really interested really, I think she takes her cue from me

alittlebitshy · 03/10/2010 10:25

my dd has blue eyeshadow that i had to use on her for her ballet show (hideous idea - little girls made up en masse) and is wearing this right now. erm. subtle? not in the least!

TheButterflyEffect · 03/10/2010 10:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

muggglewump · 03/10/2010 10:31

DD wears it sometimes, and has for years, but only for playing, whether at home or in the street, or parties, and since it's kids stuff it barely shows up anyway so I just let her get on with it.

Once she's a bit older-high school age-I'll show her how to apply it properly.

She's starting to go through puberty and her interest in that stuff has lessened bizarrely so I don't see I've anything to worry about for a while.

Dancergirl · 03/10/2010 10:41

A big no to make up here. Make-up is for adults and I see no point in letting children wear it. I suppose once they get to 12/13 a little bit for a party is ok, but make up for a 9 year old is just weird imo!

seeker · 03/10/2010 10:51

Inside only til about 10/11, then for parties. Apart from mascara. Dd has red hair, so transparent lashes, and wears glasses so I have allowed her to wear brown mascara since Year 5.

Her school allows subtle make up - I reckon they thought with 1440 teenage girls banning it was an impossibility.

I would be very careful with a 9 year old, though. If you do let her wear it out, watch for any signs of not wanting to go out without it, or not wanting to do things in case her make up runs.

JustDoMyLippyThenWeWillGo · 03/10/2010 11:03

I let my dd (8) use makeup at weekends and holidays, if she wants to. I love make up, and help her to apply it subtly and so it doesn't look noticeable.

She is quite happy not to wear it, and I agree that that would become a problem (tho bit rich coming from me, but she knows it's playing for little girls even if mummy wears it everyday)

Sometimes I like her wearing mascara tho, as means she can't cry when having diva-ish tantrum.

I help her take it off with my Neal's Yard stuff.

I do agree about dancing shows tho - once we had to do full make up for a show: didn't like that, she looked like girl in creepy beauty pageant.

seeker · 03/10/2010 11:06

But I do hate the messages we are all sending to our girls if we allow them to wear make up.

JustDoMyLippyThenWeWillGo · 03/10/2010 11:12

I let ds wear it too, if any consolation?

TheButterflyEffect · 03/10/2010 11:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

seeker · 03/10/2010 11:27

There's make up, as in dressing up and playing being a grown up make up, and there's proper going out having make up lessons so that you can put it on subtly at the age of 8 make up. And they are, in my mind, very different things indeed.

TheButterflyEffect · 03/10/2010 11:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MadAboutQuavers · 03/10/2010 11:43

Agree with seeker

No way should a 9 year old be wearing make up out of the house. Not until they're about 11/12

And i'm big into make up, wear it every day

hmmSleep · 03/10/2010 11:45

My Dd, 4, had two friends to play last week. They came downstairs after playing in her bedroom wearing make-up from Dds 'girls world' head. They all looked most offended when I burst out lauging, they looked like little clowns and I just couldn't help it. It was actually quite cute, but I still made them wash it off before going outside, and felt the need to own up to their Mums'!

At nine I think I would let her experiment around the house, but would still feel uncomfortable with her wearing out of the house.

FoundWanting · 03/10/2010 11:53

DD is 9 and plays with make-up she was given by her older cousins. She particularly likes to have a model. DS2, if he'll sit still, or me. Better than 'Girls' World'.

She did ask to wear lip-gloss last time she went to a party, but it's really still a toy for her.

alittlebitshy · 03/10/2010 14:11

As i said above my dd has some eyeshadow and a couple of toy makeup palettes (you know, the pinky shiny almost invisible stuff) and some lip glosses (again mostly invisible).

BUT she came home from a play date last week telling me her friend has mascara, eyeliner, lipliner. my mouth just dropped.

there is a huge difference between experimenting with go faster stripes basic play stuff and going full on warpaint.

Original poster

ragged · 04/10/2010 14:48

I guess the "indoors only" rule would be very unfair from DD's perspective because she does many activities out of the house so she would very rarely get to wear it for more than an hour if we said "indoors only" (she hasn't been invited to a party in years, either). She'd spend more time taking it off than wearing it!

Maybe a weekends only thing, and never at competitions either (which are weekends) until she can learn to apply it invisibly....

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KittyFoyle · 04/10/2010 14:52

Not for children. DD (7) wears face paints for dressing up but not real make-up.

Skin so gorgeous and fresh until teen spots. I teach my girls to enjoy their natural beauty. I don't know ANY children who wear make-up and even my neice who is 19 only wears a bit of mascara if she's going out.

amethyst79 · 04/10/2010 14:52

Well, personally my 10 y/o will wear a bit of vaseline on her lips as all her peers have the wee pots in thier schoolbags and it seems quite "cool"

My rules are, no lippie or nailvarnish at school, but they can get dolled up if going to parties or having makeovers at sleepovers etc

KittyFoyle · 04/10/2010 15:10

My mum let me wear vaseline on my eyelashes and lips when I first got interested (aged about 14). Then I bought some 'zit cover' from Boots and later electric blue mascara. Hideous.

Original poster

ragged · 04/10/2010 15:36

Someone told me that vaseline is terrible for clogging poors and encouraging facial hair growth?

Pah, this make up nonsense, this is why I never got into the habit of wearing it in the first place!

One of the things DD bought was electric blue nail polish; I quite like it, actually -- or is someone gonna tell me that's a sexualised thing for her to wear, too?

Her 2yo brother is wearing it on toes and fingers today.

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