BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Cosmetics When your preteen is ready to wear make up!

New article up today, tailored especially to all the Mothers/Guardians/favourite Aunts of preteen girls out there.

When Your Teen Wants To Wear Make Up

I know my favourite thing to do was get my hands on lipstick and eye shadow and put it all over my face when I was little (and every solid surface within five feet). I also recall that when it came to leaving the house, wearing make up was a strict no-no with the exception of Halloween and ballet recitals until I was in junior high.

How about you?

As a teenager myself, I have seen a lot of other teens with unflattering make up. The most common mistake I see people make is wearing a heavy treatment basis that's the wrong shade for their skin. I think tinted moisturizers, mineral makeup and sheer light treatment basics are more flattering. And it is only possible from semi permanent make up.

my daughter is going into the 8th grade and she wears makeup. But she has been wearing it for so long (she was on a comp cheer team) that she is pretty good with it. She got over the excitement real quick fomr having to wear it every weekend and having to wear it so bright and heavy. Now she just wears enough to cover up and bring out her eyes.

For her closest birthday party at the age where it is ok to wear makeup - check with other moms first and do a makeup party with an AVON or Mary Kay lady....or possibly some other company.

You might even want to look up cosmetology students and see if one could come to the house (paid a little for her time, of course) and that would help them with makeup tips, etc.

I think if we try to keep them just with a bit of lip gloss or balm and a touch of mascara it can't do any harm - but let's wait until they are at least about 13 !

Every mom needs to decide for her daughter based on the girl's motivation for wearing make-up. Very young and immature girls experiment with their newfound ability to attract male attention and it opens up potentially bad situations. Other girls need to learn first that their self-worth isn't based on their looks.

Most of the time, girls just want to "fit in" with the other girls or look like the models in magazines and television.

I wear make-up so my face doesn't scare small animals and little children as I walk down the street. (It's a public service.)

But for young girls, make-up is about wanting or needing to feel pretty and attractive. If they want to wear make-up to feel more grown-up, they definitely are *not* grown up enough.

Sometimes as a parent you have to pick your battles. I know a lot of parents were appalled that we let my youngest stepdaughter get gel nails in 4th grade, but it was massively important to her and healthier than the alternative (her buying glue-on nails at the Walgreens around the corner without permission and ripping them off daily so we wouldn't see it, then gluing them back on in the morning.)

In general, we had the best success with expecting the girls to pay for their own makeup but introducing them to quality brands (and getting them started with it for a special occasion.) Because the good stuff (or having your nails professionally done - albeit at the beauty school) is expensive, their budgets tended to keep them to conservative use.

Julie