My precious little Julie is almost 8yo. She is very much a girlie girl and I can appreciate that. My problem is that she loves make up and I want to kind of let her use make up for fun but I dont want her looking like a tart! How do you handle make up and things like girls wanting to grow up too fast?

subbing to this thread (forgot to when I originally posted. duh!)

hmmm thats a toughie. I'd say maybe do it for her a few times and show her how to do it conservatively. Or maybe just let her wear it for special occasions?

I remember being allowed to wear just tinted lip gloss, anywhere but home, but could play with eyeshadow, blush, etc around the house and never mascara as it's too hard to wash off... little rings, bracelets, necklaces, and accessories like little purses are some other ways for a little girl to express her girliness. anyway, good luck and have fun with it. i so hope my dd wants to be a girly girl :)

I struggle with this one with my TWO year old. In the morning when I am getting ready for work my DD will hang out in the bathroom and watch me put on my make-up and fix my hair. She calls almost everything in the bathroom "pretties." If I put lotion on she wants "pretties" and if I put lip gloss or mascara on she calls it "pretties." Basically I pretend to put some on her. Maybe it is wrong but it avoids a huge battle in the morning. I rub a little lip gloss on her lips and she is satisfied.

Perhaps allowing her to wear "mommy approved" make-up wouldn't be that bad. I don't see anything wrong with allowing her to play with a compact of simple powder and lip-gloss. I remember always walking around with tubes of lip balm from Avon and such and thinking that I was so beautiful once I put it on... :oops:

What kind of make-up is she wanting to wear? Obviously there is a concern about eye liner and mascara because at that age it is too easy for them to poke their eye. I just think something simple and conservative wouldn't be too bad.

Sara

My dds are 15 and almost 12. The older is allowed tasteful makeup.(yes, I've had to tell her to wash her face many times :roll: ) The younger is allowed tinted gloss and mascara. They both wanted to wear make up early as well. We let them start around 8 to wear clear lip gloss for special occasions. Then they could wear clear gloss anytime at around 10. Colored lip gloss and mascara came around 11 1/2.(not every day, just sometimes) :D

I concur with the others. My older girls are almost 11 and 9. Almost anything goes in the house. They often have "makeovers" with one another or their friends.They can wear clear and light colored lip glosses outside. They now can use polish and do their toes and nails in any shade. This has helped them to express a little creativity (if we had a special occ. I would make them fix it if necessary). We are now fighting the earring battle as HUGE hoops have come into vogue at our school. I've reluctantly let her wear some on no PE days but I will not buy them- she must use her allowance. What's hard for me is that I have a younger daughter (5) and one due in May. I'm so careful now about the precedents that I set because I know I'll be asked to use the same guidelines for everyone. On a few very special days (being in a wedding, etc.) I have helped them to use bits of makeup but not in a while. It seems in this house that "treats" become "habits" very easily. Hope this helps!

Thats exactly what it like in ours, treats become habits. Its the old saying 'give them an inch they will take a mile'. Thats where the problem has arisen. They got into my make up (which I dont wear anyway) and actually ruined it. Just the blush and eyeshadow. I didnt forsee the issues Id have with Julie just lopping a ton on when Im not looking (a friend of mine gave her some make up yesterday, Ive had to confiscate it). Im just having to set some ground rules and boundaries now. off to pray about it and everything else! lol. ttfn

gen

Not sure what's going on over the ocean, but my 10 yo feels very seems satisfied with an occasionaly trip to Bath & Body works. They have some some American Girl products that smell nice, but mild. She loves using different bath washes in different smells. We also let her get her ears pierced, and she can wear hands bands, necklaces, and bracelets. However, no make-up until high school. What really helps is that when ever she askes to wear some, her Daddy hugs and says she doesn't need it, she's too pretty :D She doesn't argue with him and seems content with his answer.

I was talking to my dd who was quick to remind me that she didn't get to wear makeup when she was little. :wink: She wore head bands, barrettes, some little girl jewelry, etc. However, I tend to think that there is really no need for a young girl to wear makeup. I love this comment:

What really helps is that when ever she askes to wear some, her Daddy hugs and says she doesn't need it, she's too pretty.

My dd brought up a good point. She said young girls should be glad for their nice skin, but sometimes a girl develops a skin problem at a young age and is embarrassed. A little discreet makeup would help her feel less self-conscious.

My daughter is 10 and we are in this battle now. She can only wear clear (or light light) lipgloss. Next year she will be in 6th grade and I will add a little to it. Some girls her age wear "full" make up and just look silly. There is plenty of time for all of that! :wink: Although, if she wants to just play around and do a makeover with a friend , I don't care, but she will not leave the house!

Gen, I can really relate!

My 8y/o is into make up and polish too, and sometimes well-meaning family members buy things that just aren't appropriate.
Here is what I allow:

Lip Balm. Not gloss, or lipstick. It can be slightly tinted but not an apparent colour. It also nourishes, so bonus points!

Little cheek color-just a hint of rosiness, cuz they already have that. It adds to their innocence. (Tip-buy cheap, cheap, cheap stuff. It has very little pigment, so it barely shows and barely lasts!)

If she insists on shadow, pink a beigy pink colour. Avoid typical blue, purple and green. They look trashy on anyone, and esp. on young girls.

There is such a thing as clear mascara. I don't let Kiwi use it, but if you need the option, there it is.

Also, teach her about skin care and SPF lotion. Satisfies some of that 'I wanna be growned up' but never looks trashy. And talk about how wearing makeup is supposed to make your natural beauty shine through. It is not meant to be apparent or actually seen. And it can attract the kind of attention from the kind of boys she may not care for. It gives them an opinion of what kind of person she is acting like, rather than letting people see the real kind of person she is. It may cause people to treat her like less of a young lady, and more like an object. Sad but true!

Polish is a big thing at our house, and I like to stick to colors like blue, pink and purple. The are fun, fresh and innocent. May a drug store or make-up consultant can try some different products and colors, to find some that work for you both. Bring baby wipes to clean it off though.

PM me if you need a listening (and sympathetic) ear.

Thank you Robynn

gen