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Makeup, not just for kids anymore
Categories: Kids 5-7, Development
I am not a big fan of wearing makeup. I realize that my 40-something year old skin may look better covered with it, but I just don't like the feel of the stuff on my face. I sometimes put on a little powder and lipstick if I am going out in public, but that is usually about it.
Ellie, on the other hand, loves the stuff. She's six years old and somehow has amassed a large box full of lipstick, powder and blush. I personally have never purchased anything brighter than lip balm for her, but she has received lots of makeup as gifts. She and her friends will spend hours in the bathroom giving each other makeovers. They usually come out looking more like clowns than little girls, but what they see reflected back in the mirror is positively stunning.
I don't have a problem with Ellie playing at home with makeup. It's all part of the dress-up game that most girls enjoy. But when she applies some bright red lipstick before heading out the door, we have a problem. If she's already got the stuff on, I usually let her wear it in the car and have her wipe it off before we reach our destination. My husband, however, is sometimes blind to her shiny, red lips and pink eyelids and on several occasions has let her go to school that way.
I don't know exactly where Ellie's fondness for makeup comes from, but I try to discourage it. I told her recently that I sometimes wear makeup because my face is older and doesn't look as pretty as her young face. After a long pause, she agreed. She then went on to compare my skin to that of an old tree, whose bark is cracking and coming off. I thought about that for a while and decided that maybe I should put on some makeup.
Ellie, on the other hand, loves the stuff. She's six years old and somehow has amassed a large box full of lipstick, powder and blush. I personally have never purchased anything brighter than lip balm for her, but she has received lots of makeup as gifts. She and her friends will spend hours in the bathroom giving each other makeovers. They usually come out looking more like clowns than little girls, but what they see reflected back in the mirror is positively stunning.
I don't have a problem with Ellie playing at home with makeup. It's all part of the dress-up game that most girls enjoy. But when she applies some bright red lipstick before heading out the door, we have a problem. If she's already got the stuff on, I usually let her wear it in the car and have her wipe it off before we reach our destination. My husband, however, is sometimes blind to her shiny, red lips and pink eyelids and on several occasions has let her go to school that way.
I don't know exactly where Ellie's fondness for makeup comes from, but I try to discourage it. I told her recently that I sometimes wear makeup because my face is older and doesn't look as pretty as her young face. After a long pause, she agreed. She then went on to compare my skin to that of an old tree, whose bark is cracking and coming off. I thought about that for a while and decided that maybe I should put on some makeup.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Amanda 3-30-2007 @ 10:33AM
I'm cracking up over here :)! I don't think you can keep girls from wanting to put on makeup. I remember growing out of my phase and then later on, around 13 or 14 wanting to wear makeup and my mom took me to the mall for a makeover at the department store and the lady 'taught' me how to wear neutral shades just to 'accent' my features. Mom probably called ahead :)
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Christine 3-30-2007 @ 12:23PM
OOH! I dont allow red lipstick or black eyeliner/mascara.
But I know.. I have pictures from my daughter's 7th birthday of the girls at the slumber party doing "makeovers" and looking like clowns... but they thought they were beautiful... and my daughter was the best "blush girl" so she did everyones.... SUCH a HOOT!
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Stephanie 3-30-2007 @ 1:17PM
My daughter loves makeup. She's just 4 and loves to play with it. She doesn't get it from me - I wear makeup less than once a year.
But I'm with you - I'm starting to look in the mirror and think maybe it's time to consider it a bit more often.
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travelmama 3-31-2007 @ 6:58PM
Oh goodness, I laughed so hard when I read this. My daughter is not so into makeup yet, although she does like lip gloss, which she has only received from other people, not me. I can tell you, there is NO way my husband would not notice her wearing makeup - he would have a stroke if she left the house like that,he can barely take her playing with it indoors although I've explained that this is part of being a girl. I myself don't feel the "need" for makeup all the time, and I make sure when I do put it on that I explain to my daughter, if she's showing interest, that makeup is for fun and not a necessity. There was a time (pre-baby, of course) when I wouldn't dare leave the house without it. Now, with barely time to slather on some face cream let alone makeup, I've actually grown to appreciate my face (and I'm lucky enough to have clear & wrinkle-free skin despite nearing 40 - thank you, genes!). But there have been days recently where I have felt very plain Jane and I try to oomph it up a bit, both for myself and hubby. At the end of the day, I THINK I have a healthy attitude towards the stuff and hope I can pass that on to her.
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Ann Adams 3-30-2007 @ 4:21PM
I'm not even sure where my only lipstick and compact are. Probably in the bottom of a purse which I also don't use often. I jam my wallet and keys in one jeans pocket, my cell phone in the other, and I'm out the door.
The two younger girls though are a different story. They love makeup. They are now allowed a little lip gloss for school but nothing else. Next year they'll be in seventh grade and I'll decide then how much is too much.
Most of the girls in their 6th grade classes wear mascara, liner, shadow, blush, and bright lipstick which to me is too much too soon.
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SKL 3-30-2007 @ 7:48PM
I always tried to convince the young ones that they are more beautiful the way God made them than all painted up - at least as long as they have that youthful glow, which in my mind lasts at least well into the teens. However, other kids' moms were encouraging them to wear makeup as pre-teens, so it was inevitable that their lovely childlike faces would be painted away by the mid-teen years.
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