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Post in Besides Beauty
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How young is too young?

Every now and then when I walk into Sephora I see young girls buying makeup (Well, their parents buying it) Personally, I feel like there's nothing wrong with girls playing around with makeup, but I feel like it's a different story with more high end products. Everyone is raised differently but honestly, I feel like once you have a part time job & start making your OWN money that's a good time to start. Do you remember feeling the need to wear a full face in elementary? I don't 😕 

Re: How young is too young?

I think it’s important that girls are taught how to use makeup properly more than anything.I think that around middle school (say 13) is a good time to start. I was allowed to wear mascara- on the weekends. This was for the purpose of me learning how to use mascara and other products I ended up using properly.

Anonymous Insider

Re: How young is too young?

From having a 20 yr old daughter and knowing her friends ( my daughter is not a label hussy but many of her friends are)

Everything is about LABELS! Some of these girls I met would buy knock-offs knowingly JUST to have a name that says NAARS, TOO FACED, KVD - You name it.They will also save up and buy a real Palette and change the pans with ones from the dollar store when they run out. IT REALLY IS CRAZY!

( Thankfully, my daughter just bought what she could afford and thought was pretty- she never cared about a name,she does not even care anymore to borrow my hi end make up or Perfumes..She wears BBW Perfumes and the original Blue Bottle Perfume by Brittany Spears that she buys at CVS or Wallmart ! )

Re: How young is too young?

I agree with you. For young girls buying high end make up it's less about the quality and more about the labels. I was never into labels for anything, clothes, shoes, make up because growing up you get what you can at the thrift store. It showed me how to be fugal and appreciate what I have. Now that I'm older and can afford it, I do have expensive hand bags, shoes, make up because I can and I take great care of them. If you have to have your mommy buy your expensive make up then it's not for you.

Re: How young is too young?

My husband and I have four daughters ages  14, 14, 15 and 17 we do not allow full make up until the age of 16 and even then we don't allow anything extremely dark/bright . At around 14 we purchase them their first foundation ( Sephora brand press powder ) , first lipstick/ lip gloss in a light color and then for Christmas we normally buy them one light eye shadow palette and one light blush and clear mascara. 

 

 When they turn 15 we purchase them another palette, blush and lipstick and continue to purchase small items until  they turn16 at which point  they go to Sephora or Ultra with me and their dad on their birthday and, they get a full make over and we purchase some of the items that was used in the make over and a few other items of their choice. They also get their first brown and black eyeliners and mascaras as long as they don't go to crazy we allow them a bit of leeway.  

 

Mostly all of our children have respected these rules but we do have one daughter that likes to buck the rules and finds out really fast mom gives and mom can take away. I know that our rules are "unpopular" with a lot of parents and teens but they are our rules. We purchase the make up and will say when we feel they are old enough And mature enough to not only take care of the skin care and make up but also respect and wear it correctly.  

 

We also take it teen by teen, our 15 year old will be 16 before the summer is over and is allowed to wear eye liner and mascara in light brown already. One thing they each know 100% is that they will not walk out of our home looking like a clown and I make sure to take the time to teach them the correct way to wear and take care of their products so there will never be a question of how to wear it , what's to dark etc.

 

I take great pride in making sure that our daughters know quality over quantity. We allow them to make their own choices re: brands but I do try my best to teach them about issues I believe is important ( animal testing etc) not every product I own is animal friendly (not tested on animals) but I do try to purchase brands that are known to be but I leave it up to them when they are old enough to choose whats important to them. I have showed them that you can still buy good quality make up for a good price and still hold onto your values. I also try to make sure that they know that just because something is expensive and has a big high name brand doesn't mean the product is a good quality product.  As far as skin care I buy all of their skin care products that I believe that they need until they are old enough to work and at that time if they decide that they want a different brand or product then we buy them , then they must purchase it with their own money and I don't "loan" money for skin care or make up simply because they forgot to budget it and want a different brand or product then I would of purchased them. We start buying them Skin care products when they start Aunt Flo unless they need it before then.

 

We are also the "mean" parents that do not allow dating until 16. I mean I know and understand they may have a "boyfriend" at school but no going on dates etc until 16 and then the dates are supervised until we ( the parents and the boyfriends parents ) all agree they can be trusted to go on a one on one date in a public place. We also don't allow them to date any boy if the parents refuse to meet us or if the boy refuses to meet us. I figure if you want to date my daughters then you should have nothing to hide. They are my pride and joys and I'll be darned if I am going to allow them to just hop in a car with just anyone. Our oldest son is married and our youngest son 15 is handicap and likely will never date , so just our four girls and dating left. Some call us over protective .. I say if you don't know who your children are hanging out with or where they are then you are under protective. I'll be darned if there is ever a time/chance where a person can ask me where my child is and I answer I don't know. If I don't know it's because they have been dishonest with me. Oh and knock on my door, if you pull up and honk my child won't be leaving with you.

 

we have same rules when it comes to going to someone's house or staying the night. Unless we know their friend and have met their parents they are not taking my kids anywhere. Maybe it's because their dad see's how horrible the world can really be at his work everyday but whatever it is , I want my kids to be protected and know we love them enough to want to know who they are hanging out with and where they are. They get their privacy and time with friends, good ones that we know . If a parent refuses to meet us before we drop our kid off for the night then I see no reason to trust they will protect my child when I'm not around. 

 

Our 17 year old obviously has more freedom then her younger siblings but she has also earned it and when her siblings are her age , I'm sure that they will have earned it also. I have really fantastic great children. I'm lucky! That being said, it doesn't mean they are always happy with the rules , or always respect them. They know with respect and with being honest and following the rules you get more trust and freedoms. i am lucky, lucky , lucky that mostly all my children give me little to no reason to not trust them. They are teens though so obviously they at times end up with their head in their rear end lol 

 

edit to add. I don't consider fingernail polish make up , when our daughters was younger we bought children friendly fingernail polish That had no bad products in case fingers went in mouth. Now that they are older they have a giant collection of nail polish of all brands. Hmm... now that I'm thinking about it I bet together they have more then I do in fingernail polish but yet they are always borrowing mine lol smart girls lol. 

 

I don't allow the girls to borrow any of my make up as I am not allowed to share makeup or skin care products with others but even if I was allowed I would still not allow them to borrow. I have taught them it's best to not share or loan out their makeup,don't borrow or use a friends hair brush etc. I keep extra brushes, combs, tooth brushes and sample of make ups etc. for when they have friends over and they forget items at home.  The rest of samples are hidden away for their stockings.

Re: How young is too young?

Personally, I started wearing black mascara, eye shadow, and foundation at 11.

Re: How young is too young?

Great comments! There should be more parents like you. Instead they try to be their buddy instead of a parent and when the child gets into trouble they expect society or Dr. Phil to fix them.

Anonymous Insider

Re: How young is too young?

Never in Elementary School ! I remember in Elementary School being able to wear the old "Bonnie Bell" Lip Glosses and Light make up ( no eyeliner, mascara...a little blush and a little shadow ). As a Parent of a 20 year old, My daughter was the same way. She wore the "Bonnie Bell" and in Jr.Highschool we slowly added different make up with a bit more color and neither she nor I wore regular "Make Up" until Highschool and we both moved into it gradually. I agree, a full face in elementary, especially if it is the price and type of Make Up that we,as adults wear?

 

 

......And then parents wonder while their girls have gone wild at such a young age....It is NOT MUSIC, TV, MTV, or POP CULTURE - it is HOW they are BEING RAISED BY THEIR PARENTS! So if the parents are allowing their kids to grow too fast for their own good, they need to stop blaming the world and start accepting the BLAME on THEMSELVES!

Re: How young is too young?

If my daughter Ashley's skin is anything like mine, I'll probably have her use Clinique skincare to start out with when she's old enough.  Her skin is fairer than I am (and I'm Porcelain in Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer, plus most other lines are too dark for me), so we're definitely going to make sure when she's allowed to wear makeup that she's color matched correctly.  If she's really lucky, she'll have hit the genetic lottery like I did and have clear skin!

Re: How young is too young?

Elementary school days...all we cared about was our loose & missing teeth to show off!

Re: How young is too young?

In elementary, my main goals were trying to remember to get my parents to sign my field trip forms and figure out long division and using fractions.. Things have changed since then......

Re: How young is too young?

i was beating up boys. 

Re: How young is too young?

LOL Oh dang! I got the cootie shot, so I did not have to have a lot of unnecessary interactions with them.

Re: How young is too young?

My daughter will be 12 in a couple of weeks, and I let her play with makeup at home. She's only allowed to wear nail polish, lip products and sometimes blush outside the house. She does have a few blemishes, but since she's not super uncomfortable about them, I don't encourage her to wear concealer. But if she does become uncomfortable with her pimples, I'll allow her to wear concealer. 

 

This is a tricky ground for me because my ex-husband's wife is much much more conservative than I am. And since they are married, my ex basically agrees with whatever his wife says. It was a challenge to get my daughter to be allowed to shave her legs (I had to pay for all the razors and shaving cream and if she cut herself, she wouldn't get any sympathy from them). But my kids, I also have a son who is 10, have had painted nails since they were probably 3. My son no longer enjoys having his nails painted (we used to get pedicures as a family) but he did for a couple of years. It's weird, because I don't even consider nail polish to be makeup. 

 

I do buy my daughter mostly drugstore stuff. She is allowed to try out BB creams when I get a sample that matches her skin, but we've never bought any. She gets a lot of products from me that are high end (when it's sanitary of course). She understands the difference between drugstore and high end. She does get nicer skincare (Clinique, Murad, Ole Henriksen, Origins, etc.) partly because she has combo to oily skin and some blemishes. And partly because I understand the value of investing in high quality skincare. If she wants high end cosmetics, she'd have to buy them herself when she's old enough for a job. But she does get to use a lot of high end nail polishes, because I let her use mine. 

 

It's not my place to say what age is appropriate for a child to buy or wear makeup. I think that is a very personal choice for every parent. And some schools have rules about what girls can wear to school. 

 

I didn't start wearing makeup to school until my freshman year in high school. So I guess I was 14. I get flushed very easily, so my cheeks would get red when I was hot, embarrassed, etc. So the main reason I wanted to wear foundation was to cover that up. And my mom never wears makeup, save for a wedding or funeral. I learned how to apply it myself. But my daughter has had the pleasure of having me apply makeup to her a lot when we are playing around at home. Once she is allowed to wear makeup in public, I'll make sure it's applied correctly and looks age appropriate. I might splurge on a nice BB cream or foundation for her, but everything else will likely be from the drugstore. 

Re: How young is too young?

I know I was about...well idk 10? I wanted to wear my moms makeup..but she never let me wear the full thing, or lightly let me wear lipstick. Until I got play makeup. I was so happy...I used those two lipsticks till it was gone!...idk I've never seen teenagers/kids in mine...expect for the stroller kinds. I guess it all depends.

Re: How young is too young?

I have a 10 year old daughter that is nearly obsessed with makeup, and has been for some time.  I've only recently let her start playing around with eyeshadows and lip glosses, although she can't wear them outside the house.  She knows 13 will be the year when she can wear the makeup she's been wanting to wear.  I will buy her some concealer earlier if she develops bad acne.

 

I felt similarly obsessed about makeup when I was little, but I didn't have the benefit of a mother who helped and supported me.  I had to teach myself everything, and I don't want that for my own daughter.  In this vein, I've always offered her guidance, and have focused on skincare a lot more to foster good habits from an early age.

 

I will absolutely not buy her high end makeup until she is in her later teens.  I want her to appreciate the difference between low and high quality makeup, so for now, everything she gets is from Ulta.  I feel it is the perfect middle ground.  I imagine by the time she's 16, she'll be a big Sephora shopper with her mama.

Anonymous Insider

Re: How young is too young?

Yikes, a full face of makeup in Elementary School?!  I remember going to my older daughters school on Halloween a year or 2 ago (5th grade), and the girls were all putting on mascara & lipgloss!  I made sure to express to my daughter & her friends, that they shouldn't be sharing cosmetics, especially mascaras 😞

 

While its kind of unconventional & almost inappropriate, I do want to say that you never know someones story.  I just bought my own daughter a TON of high end stuff from Sephora and shes in middle school.  I dont promote excessive makeup for kids, but while I'm buying my child a brow mousse, lip & cheek products & someone is secretly judging me, you dont know that she is losing her hair & eyebrows because of something medical.  Now while my circumstance is unique, be kind is my point 😉  You just never know!

 

But on the flip side... my 5 year old isnt even allowed to wear nail polish 😉  Her dad refuses & says shes too young!  Who knows when he'll allow her to wear makeup....

 

xo, Mia

Re: How young is too young?

I do agree with you 100% about not judging. I tell my daughters this all the time. 

Re: How young is too young?

I am in my 20's and my dad still thinks I'm too young for makeup..

Re: How young is too young?

Lol same here! My dad says I don't "need it", because my mom never wears any makeup and already looks perfect 😛

Re: How young is too young?

I definitely did not wear makeup back in Elementary School! It was the last thing on my mind. I usually spent my allowance on drugstore makeup when I was 11 and 12. I remember my mom taking me to the Clinique counter when I was 13 and her treating me to a tinted moisturizer and sunscreen. She always said that it was best to invest in skincare and foundations and things going directly on the skin and I suffered from acne, so she didn't want me putting drugstore foundations on my skin. It was definitely a treat though and only happened once a year! 

<3, Randee
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