How Young Is Too Young?

I'm curious about everyone's opinions/thoughts on this topic. What age is too young to be wearing makeup? What age did your mom (or parents) let you wear makeup? Was it a big issue?

I'm always freaked out how a lot of these 13 year olds dress and look like they are 18! I find myself thinking "wow my mom woulda never let me out of the house dressed like that."

What are your feelings about all of this? 

My mom wouldn't let me out of the house with makeup on.... period! lol I remember way back when I was in school, right after the dinosaurs died.... girls wearing makeup in the 7th grade.... Definately not before that....

This is a great topic! I recently found out about GeoGirl Cosmetics and wrote about this on my blog. It's an all natural line BUT they are marketing to girls as young as 8!!!!! I have filmed a follow up video for my channel which I will be posting within a week or so but I also asked the same question you did.

When I was young, my mother and grandmother gave me their old make up when they hit pan BUT it was high end make up so I never played with "play make up." I don't think my parents cared about me playing with make up but it's another to put on a full face at a young age. I started wearing make up out when I was in 5th and 6th grade but it was only lip gloss and maybe my mother's old translucent face powders. I started wearing eye shadow and eye liner by the 8th grade but I never wore a bold color. My mother knew I liked make up so she took me to Clinique to pick out a soft brown pencil so I always had a natural look. My mother would never have let me walk out of the house with make up like an 18+ year old. She let me wear make up as young as 12 I guess but she did make sure it was age appropriate and not visible and I will probably do the same if I have children.

I think a girl in middle school with lipstick or even natural makeup is fine (nothing too hootchie!).   My mom started out letting my wear only lipstick in middle school then when I got to highschool I was allowed to wear anything.

My mom let me wear makeup when I was in 6th grade. I just wore mascara and lipgloss. At the end of my 6th grade, I started wearing makeup powder because my friend did. My mom always used high-end makeup herself so she bought high-end makeup for me as well. She also got me started on a skin care regimen around that time so that I wouldn't get breakouts. I used Clinique and Clarins skin care. My mom was a devoted Lancome fan. I think my first mascara was Lancome. I remember my dad freaking out about me using makeup and he was continuously monitoring it so that I didn't have too much on. As I got older and experimented with eye shadows and blush my dad used to lecture me and tell me that I looked like an older woman and needed to take it off.

I think this is a good question because now being a mom and having a almost 5 year old daughter I think about this sometimes. She wants to wear makeup when she sees me put it on so I sometimes will let her put some lipgloss on. I try not to make it a big deal. I don't want her to think that she needs to wear makeup to feel beautiful. I think when she goes to middle school, I'm ok with her wearing some mascara and lipgloss but I want to make sure that she won't think that it has anything to do with boys liking her etc. I want her to feel good about herself without any external help such as makeup.

Our daughter has a dance recital coming up and the makeup instructions are very detailed for the recital. I was shocked to find out that they actually have to wear full face makeup including mascara etc and I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first. I'm still not exactly comfortable with the idea but I guess I'll do her makeup for the recital and explain to her that this is a special occasion only and that makeup isn't something that girls her age wear.

My mom let me wear makeup whenever, she liked seeing how it would come out and compliment me if it looked nice, but I really started putting on makeup here and there @ 13, she's always been okay with it though, she just doesn't like my makeup obsession costing her HER money. xD

You're almost never too young, IMO.

My eldest is in high school, my middle will be this fall and my youngest is in middle school. The eldest is allowed full makeup so long as it's neutrals or pinks, the middle one is allowed but only mascara and lipgloss, the youngest only lipgloss. Full face in middle school is too much.

I know about this brand. I think that some of the news reports got it wrong - they were saying it was anti-aging products for 8 year olds, but when you see the products you realize that it isn't anti-aging at all. I really like the products and I am not even a teen-ager! And, I would rather my daughter use them than 90% of the other products out there, because of the ingredients, packaging and nice colors.

Originally Posted by Peggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I know about this brand. I think that some of the news reports got it wrong - they were saying it was anti-aging products for 8 year olds,

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That's silly lol.

No one ever regulated make-up for me, I don't ever remember someone telling me to go wash my make-up off at any age. =x

I started wearing it at 13. Eyeshadow, mascara, powder foundation and blush. I used to use a lot of eyeliner too.

I remember wearing a dark teal eyeshadow on my lid and a dark purple on my lower lash line with black eyeliner and mascara. This was my staple look, haha.

If I have a daughter I'll probably only let her wear mascara and lipgloss in middle school too. I'll loosen up a bit when she reaches high school but I still wouldn't want her looking older than she is.

There seems to be so much pressure on kids to grow up so fast these days, I wouldn't want her 'playing adult' and missing out on a child hood. Or being deeply affected by all of the pressures from the media that girls need to look and be 'perfect'.

This reminds me of a PSA that aired a lot when I was a kid, I wish they still showed these:

My parents really never said anything because my mom and older sister wore very little makeup. My mother only wears blush, no foundation, nothing. Just blush. I discovered makeup when I was 17. If I had kids, I'd probably say below 12, just because I saw what kids looked like when they wore lots of makeup in middle school, it didn't look that great. Also, I want it to be because they want to do it, not because they want to impress some boy or something like that.

My mom still freaks out when I wear bright sexy makeup when I go out clubbing or so. Haha. "You look like a whore!!!" LOL!

My mom wouldn't let me pluck my eyebrows and shave my legs until I was 13.

I am 24 now. I guess fairly young, but even I agree that teens and preteens wear too much makeup. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I don't mind all natural, clean look, but bright eyeshadows and fake tan is too much.

Balance is key. IMHO.

Originally Posted by musingmuse /img/forum/go_quote.gif


My mom wouldn't let me pluck my eyebrows and shave my legs until I was 13.

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I wasn't allowed to do that either.  I never had much leg hair anyways, I still don't lol.

Lucky! I was a hairy beast.

I'm glad I can shave it all off now. lol

Originally Posted by Bonnie Krupa /img/forum/go_quote.gif



I wasn't allowed to do that either.  I never had much leg hair anyways, I still don't lol.

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i think it's got a LOT to do with friends and mothers. my mum pretty much never wore makeup, she'd wear a little bit of lipstick when she's going out and that's about it. she's always been a soap and water person. Growing up i didnt really experience with make up, other than using her lipsticks as crayons.  I wasn't really into make up either. When i got to 7th grade girls started talking about makeup, i'm not sure whether it's because they couldn't afford make up or their parents didn't allow them to buy make up... but they started colouring their lids with metallic gel pens........

anyway... it wasn't till 8th grade I made a lot of friends who were scene, goth or emo. Raccoon eyes were huge. so i kinda got into eyeliners as well. so i bought a liner and started using it. my dad started commenting about the "crap that's around my eyes" (my dad was really against make up, hes a natural beauty kinda guy), i think they were a bit concerned, since the whole concept is fairly new to them. At my yr 10 formal, i wore a full face of make up for the first time. then i started working with cosmetics at 18.

my friends influenced me a lot too, even till now, they rarely wear make up, eyeliner or mascara tops. personally, i think no make up till sometime in high school.

My mom was never a big makeup wearer so when i wanted to start wearing it im the 6th grade she was totally against it...she started letting me wear it when i was 15

Since I'm 13 I have a more current experience I am not allowed to wear eyeliner nothing I think she barely even knows I wear foundation and concealer and primeri think that a child should be allowed to start wearing natural/neutral makeup in 6th grade but I would never go out like an 18 year old because I already look old without makeup so I don't ever over do it. With makeup the oldest I look is 15

Yah... definitely a parent experience thing... If you mom is really big on makeup, then you get to wear makeup if your mom didn't then you don't.  I make my cosmetics so I'm ok with my daughter trying it out a little (she's 8 today!).  My aunties all wore makeup so they would make me up when we went places when I was little...when I went places with my aunts.  It isn't an indication that I'm going to become sexually active or anything but some parents don't see it that way.  They see it as an open invitation for sex.

Originally Posted by divadoll /img/forum/go_quote.gif

.  I make my cosmetics so I'm ok with my daughter trying it out a little (she's 8 today!). 

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I put eyeshadow and blush on my 2 year old because she loves it.  It's only for fun though I don't let her wear it out.  Happy birthday to your daughter!!

Thanks, Bonnie!  We went for breakfast then got mani-pedi's together.  I had made some lipgloss/ lip stain and blush and a pink shadow especially for her.

Originally Posted by Bonnie Krupa /img/forum/go_quote.gif





I put eyeshadow and blush on my 2 year old because she loves it.  It's only for fun though I don't let her wear it out.  Happy birthday to your daughter!!

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