What Age Should My Daughter Start Wearing Makeup? I Let My Oldest Start in 8Th..

One thing that I learned when I was growing up, Madison, is that the girls who started trying to act older when they were at this age, wearing a lot of makeup, high heels, older teenage clothes, etc, had nothing to look forward to when they got older. They also got bored really easily.

Gamma is exactly right about makeup getting into the pores and causing blackheads and the beginning of teen acne. Take it slow, and wait before going the route of a lot of makeup.

Show her images of skin, up close with the pores, so she can see what her skin looks like and then how makeup can enter those pores and cause her to have break outs and stuff. She needs to keep her skin clean as long as possible. Also let her know that at age 12 she's really not in to keeping her hands off her face, not rubbing her eyes if something gets in them, etc....I'd probably give her a little leeway though. Most girls in middle school are wearing at least a little bit.

I personally started in 6th grade. By college I decided it was too much work, and now I rarely wear any at all. I say this to point out that just because a girl experiments with make up or different looks in middle school doesn't mean that she's going to go crazy with it forever. It's a phase.

However, if she does start wearing more, make sure you teach her good skin care, because wearing more make up during the early teen years is a recipe for breakouts if she doesn't also wash her face every night with a good but gentle cleanser.

I started experimenting when I was 7 or 8, but I didn't wear it to school until 12 or so. I can tell you, that if you limit it too much, she will borrow her friends' make up and do it without you knowing and then wipe it off before she comes home. It is a developmental stage that a lot of girls go through.

Teaching her how to wear makeup, apply it so that is tasteful, and how to care for her skin is all vitally important. I felt like makeup was a mask so that people didn't get to see the real me. It offered a little barrier between me and the outside world. It was also professional as women who work usually wear make up. I knew that by 8th grade, and it was important for me to dress for the job I wanted. I know most kids aren't like me, but there are some who are. So maybe ask her why she wants to wear it. Is it because everyone else does? Does she just want to try it out? is it what she is supposed to do?

I rarely wear make up now, and my husband says I gave him "false advertising" because I wore it all the time when I met him. I was also in a professional job, starting my career, and wanting to do it all "right". Now, I am older, have 2 special needs kids, and am allergic to most cosmetics. I really have very little desire to wear it, but when I as 12 or 13, I needed it. please keep the discussion open with her.

It depends on your definition of makeup. My daughter (9) is asking too. I told her she can wear lip gloss to school when she is in the 7th grade. Right now she is wearing chap stick which she is ok with. Since she's one of the oldest in her class I may let her wear it in 6th grade it will depend her grades and attitude. I don't know about mascara. I didn't wear it until I was 18. Lipstick and blush probably 10th or 11th grade. Oh boy, I'm not ready for this. Good luck to all you tween, teen moms!!

I let my girls start wearing make up in jr. high; 7th grade. They looked like drag queens at first but figured it out along with their friends.

I started wearing makeup in 9th grade (high school), but even then, it just included pink lip gloss and blush (the blush was my mom's insistence because I was so pale, otherwise). I would see other girls wearing tons of makeup (like Kim Kardashian) and would be shocked about how old they looked. Boys would snicker and say they must be ugly without makeup if they must wear so much, and being in Florida with the sudden summer rains and heat and humidity, well, all that makeup was not so pretty by the end of the day.

I don't see why a girl with nice skin needs anything more than some blush if she is extremely pale, and some lip gloss. Perhaps I would allow her to wear some eyeliner if her lower lashes are very pale, but a very subtle line, not raccoon eyes. A girl with splotchy skin would do fine with a slightly tinted moisturizer to even out her skin tone, but all this primer, and three layers of contouring stuff is extreme.

I guess I am lucky that none of the women in my family wear a lot of makeup, and that includes my daughter's 17-year-old cousin who just wears mascara on her upper lashes and clear lip gloss. If we did, she may want to emulate us so as of right now (she will be 10 next month) she does not like makeup and thinks celebrities wear way too much. Many times after seeing a celebrity without makeup or with a natural look, my daughter has said they look much better now than they did with all the makeup, and has asked why they put on so much makeup when it makes them look so different.

I don't think taking your daughter to a makeup artist is a good idea, though someone suggested it below. Every time I have gone to one of those counters, be it Lancome, Chanel, or Clinique, I have looked ridiculous, gaudy and they made me look old. When my own mother could not recognize me after one of those makeovers, I knew they had gone overboard.

I let my daughters wear makeup after 8th grade. My oldest is 25, she still hardly wears makeup and I will actually be shocked if she wear full makeup for her wedding this fall. This is just my personal opinion and worth nothing more than that but girls that wear a lot of makeup, dress older, do things to attract attention to their physical appearance have low self esteem. Just something to think about. I sleep better at night knowing my daughters are just not boy crazy.

So anyway, your question, what should you do. If I were you I would make sure that your daughter is well aware of everything she has going for her. Her mind, her talents, her interests. Her physical appearance is not the only thing she has going for her.

When she is old enough to have a job so she can buy her own.
It can be an expensive habit.
She'll make better choices about it if she has an idea how many hours she'll need to work to earn the money to afford what ever look she's going for.
Mascara at 12 - really?
That would never fly in my Mom's house.
I couldn't even get my ears pieced till I was 16.
You're the parent - jerk her chain - just say 'No' - and accept no backtalk about it.

Some of the girls in my son's 5th grade class would bring makeup to school and put it on, and I admit it made me sad in a way to see them trying to grow up so fast. I think 8th is perfectly reasonable, but in my opinion 12 is too young.

As long as it is done tastefully I think it is fine. (My girls started wearing makeup at 10 but they applied it so naturally I don't think anyone would have known.)

Btw...decent quality makeup will not clog pores or cause acne. Talk to a dermatologist and get the real facts. Blaming a teenager for their acne is just wrong on so many levels. Obviously, it is important to wash all makeup off before bed however.

Does she want you to buy it for her? I wouldn't forbid it, but I would also expect it come out of her own allowance, or own money (birthdays/Christmas, etc). Makeup is expensive. Certainly at 12 it's a want, not a need.

ETA: My daughter got into my makeup bag on a class trip to Austria when she was in 6th grade. A group of moms got together and did a quickie makeup session with all the girls and we had a blastl. I decided to teach her how to apply color and to get colors that went with her skin tone and not mine.

Original: Take a trip to the makeup counter in a good department store. Have the consultant do a face for her and let her see what and how things are applied. Spend some time with your daughter at home doing a makeup together. Discuss nicely how to do a day time and a night time look. Also suggest some ways to look nice without a lot of extra color or drama and that the colors match her skin tone.

Do remember to advise the daughter to keep her skin clean and to use good quality products. Washing with a cleanser or gold old fashioned soap and water to clean the skin is good as well. I have used real soap not a detergent on my skin for many years and it is soft and smooth not the tight feeling you get when you wash your face.

Welcome to the world of the teen.

My daughter rarely wears very little make up now. She does have a drawer full and can apply for the occasion if necessary.

the other S.

So, how old is she now? She *was* 12... how long ago was that? I assume she's somewhere in between 12 and 14, since most kids hit age 14 in/by 8th grade, an you let your oldest start in 8th. (however long ago that was.)

Start small. Tinted lip balm. Powder.
Take her to a professional, at a make-up counter with good quality makeup (discuss in advance with them what you are looking for--minimal "made up" look for a young girl who just needs to learn some technique and understand how to put it on properly and how to remove it, etc). Let her choose an item, or maybe 2. Discuss the cost of it. And using it minimally to make it last. Let them show her how to apply it and how to remove it. Make sure she has remover as part of her purchase (or already have it on hand at home).

I wouldn't change the "rules" for her, compared to your older daughter necessarily. But I don't know if you actually had rules for your older daughter. I really haven't had to have any with my daughter, she isn't a big make up wearing person. She is almost 15, and most days is good with eyeliner and mascara, maybe a little shadow... and that's within the last year... before that, maybe mascara and some liner. And she had no interest in much of any of it until about 7th grade. Even then, she didn't bother with it most days. But if you're older one was really into it, and you sort of turned it into a coming of age thing, with age restrictions, then I wouldn't stray far from the same path, or you'll have arguing over that. At 12, I'd be reluctant to allow full makeup. I really would. Except for really special occasions. (not going to school every day)
Maybe a pressed powder compact that works as a foundation. Clinique has a product like that. And some light eyeliner (soft brown)? Unless she's going to the 8th grade Formal Dance or something...
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ETA: Any good makeup artist at a make up counter in a department store should be able to do a good job without making you look like a clown or over done and unrecognizable. In my experience, they do what you ask, and if you don't specify, they will go all out and yes, you might look VERY different. But if you tell them what you are looking for, they are very good at providing what you are seeking. I wear very natural looking makeup, and that's what I asked for when I took my daughter. She looked beautiful after, and just like herself, only slightly enhanced. Not a stranger with a face covered in schtuff.

Eta: Any professional who makes someone look gaudy should not be in the business. The idea is less is more.

If you choose to allow her to wear more makeup, you should educate her in proper facial routines to maintain good skin. A trip to the dermatologist is a good proactive measure.

I was blessed with good skin and I also credit my mom for educating me about the importance of less is more and taking care of my skin.

I still do not use any foundation, just moisturizer and loose powder.

Original:
What is a lot more to you?
A lot more varies due to personal opinion. Are you talking about so much that she looks like a clown or the other extreme of thinking eye shadow or liner is a no no?

In any case, you should take her to a good makeup counter such as Clinique or a favorite of yours and have a professional show her how to wear makeup. Sephora has professionals who can help as well.

I think the main thing is that she finds a balance between too much and just mascara.

i didn't wear makeup until i was graduating high school. i didn't even do my eyebrows until college. i think my skin thanks me for it now. i wear some makeup now but 90 percent of the time i go makeup free. my kids are almost 12, and have not expressed any interest in makeup, only nail polish. i think when they asked for it, and were 14 or older, i would take them to a place to learn how to use minimalist makeup. knock on wood, thus far, they don't have skin problems, and i would hate to think they use makeup which would clog their pores. but anyway, my vote is 14 unless there is skin problem, then i would say yes to concealer.

I was in junior high. I started small and my mom was ok with that. I assume I will be the same with mine. What do you mean by a "lot" more? Just have her start small when you are comfortable.

I agree, if not cleansed off properly at end of day, just leads to breakouts.

Hi Mama,

I'm answering this rather late, so I hope you get this response.

I am the proud mom of a strapping boy so I'm in no position to answer this from personal experience. But! I am friends with a really cool mom who has one of each. She took her daughter, I believe she's in 7th to see one of the mom's friends who is a makeup artist for a lesson in the art of makeup application. She did the good, the bad and the ugly. A wonderful time was had by all and at the end of it the daughter learned first, that less is more, especially at her age, and second, that makeup, just like clothing should be applied depending on the environment. One look for school, one look for a party, and so on.

If you google makeup artists in your local area, I am sure you could hire someone to come over for an hour and show her some really great approaches. If not, you could just take her to the Estee counter at Macys or Nordstrom's and have them do an age appropriate makeover, or in her case make under. You'll probably have to buy some product but the experience would be worth it and how much fun would that be for a mom/daughter bonding day? :-) S.