Has anyone any experience of this please?

[chancer2014]

For the past 6 months, dd (14) has been smearing what I now think might be make-up over the mirrors in the house. I've asked her about it (she denies) and I've got her to clean them (she does it grumpily). It is definitely her. She has some slight tics which appear every now and then. I have no idea how to manage the smearing. She's doing really well at school both academically and in sport and has a good group of friends. We have a reasonably good relationship (along with the typical teenage tantrums we hug and say we love each other regularly). Has anyone had any experience of this at all?

No sorry, no experience of make-up on mirrors but we did get tics from DS1. We consulted school and they allocated a TA he could go and talk to at lunch time - it became apparent he was anxious and so they referred to school nurse. She did a number of sessions but it didn't improve so they referred to CAMHS. DS1 had an assessment session and they gave him a 6 week block of sessions with a teenage counsellor from RELATE (nothing to do with split family - they use them for other stuff too).
So please contact school to ask how she is presenting and share your concerns - she will be 'smearing' for a reason and the tic behaviour could well be anxiety.
If no joy with school, ask to see school nurse yourself and have chat - she may be able to signpost support or go to GP - they can also refer to CAMHS.
Short term talk about how the mess makes you feel - what can you do to help? Would she like you to buy some cleansing wipes - so she can 'smear' on them instead? This might be rubbish idea - just thinking aloud!!

She doesn t seem very anxious really. Her father has had tics and a touch of OCD (are they genetic do you know?).

CAMHS would look at that too

My DD now 16 has had some tics since she was 8. She is aware of them but I don't think most other people are. Sometimes she rubs her fingers together so much they have callouses on them.
I was told not to worry unless they are affecting her day to day life.

She isn't the middle of GCSE' s at the moment and they don't seem to be getting worse or anything.

As for the mirror smearing, can you give her her own mirror or some glass
( picture frame) so she can smear in her own room ?

Well, I asked her again about the smearing of makeup. She said it was when she was putting her makeup on, it was on her fingers and she wipes them on the mirror as it's convenient. Am not sure I go for that really. I suppose it might be true but am struggling to see why she wouldn't just wipe them on toilet roll or wash them.

Could it be that she has a problem with her appearance and she is trying to minimise it by looking at herself through a haze on the mirror?

It's not a tic, it's something lazy teenage girls have done for years.
The mirrors at school were like this 10 years ago. Better than just putting the extra on their faces

That's interesting -about the lazy girls (though she does have mild tics definitely). Her room is a mess so it may be that. Don think it s the haze mirror thing as she'd just use the same smeared one instead of moving to a clean one (and smearing that)

Is she inspecting her pores really closely once she's put make up on? Honestly my phone is grim sometimes if I forget to clean it,you don't need much makeup for a mirror to look a mess.

And what catswiththums said !

Chancer - I ask ds why he doesn't hang wet towels up after showering, how he manages to shower without actually washing his face, why he drops clothes on the floor when he has a laundry basket in his room, how he can forget to do something when I have asked him a hundred times etc etc The answer is simple, he's a teen and has FAR more important things to think about