Having Fun with Makeup: Young girls?

Jan 25, 2013

Ella S.

When a younger (I mean under sixteen) girl here asks for makeup advice, all she receives is a barrage of "look natural" "you already have flawless skin" "just mascara and lipgloss, honey" etc. What age can girls start having fun with makeup? As long as a woman (of any age) is capable of properly applying makeup, I don't see a reason to restrain them from the appeal of purple eyeshadow and red lips. I'm fifteen and love switching up my look at school - from no makeup to subtle but shimmery shadows, to teal or purple eyes, then scarlet lips the next day. What's your take?

Jan 25, 2013

Brittne B.

I started playing in makeup at 8 lol. But I didn't actually get to wear it in public until I was 14. I've always been intrigued by color so I've always tried to play with purple blue etc and I wore my first red lip at 15 so I started early. I don't think that there should be a specific age for having fun I think it's about whatever he/she is willing to try.

Jan 25, 2013

Lex M.

I person think if your parents are fine with you wearing makeup then other people's opinions shouldn't matter , like you said as long as you know how to apply it correctly ! I started wearing make up out of the house at 10 but it was only mascara, I didn't start wearing full makeup till I was 12, but YouTube helped me alot!

Jan 25, 2013

Brianna A.

My mother has always allowed us playing with makeup since a young age(It was literally a treat for us!) But I wasn't allowed to wear actual makeup in public until 8th-9th grade. I sort of went crazy with it. Now I do a mixture of natural and fun looks! I think girls should be able to play with whatever color you want! Sometimes you just want to do something for a fun night out. I'm 17 and I absolutely get annoyed when people tell me to wear my makeup natural. I get their point, but what If I like to wear color eyeshadow? Purple brings out my eyes. I think once you hit high school, you have a sense of what is too much and what is not. And I think if they start earlier and experiment, they figure out what looks good and what doesn't on them! 

Jan 25, 2013

Alexis W.

I think any age over 10 is acceptable. I started wearing makeup when I was like 7 and I would mainly just play around with it and do all my friends makeup but it was mainly just eyeshadow and lipcolor. I started wearing full on makeup when I started to get acne in 7th grade and I went thru a lot of experimenting with makeup (some not so great lol) I remember I asked my mom how to do makeup and she told me no that she wouldn't help me because I needed to find my own way of doing my makeup which she said is the same thing my grandma told her back in the 60s so long story short I sucked at liquid eyeliner and ended up just coloring my whole lid in black (I was in a gothic phase at the time so it went good lol) but I'm glad my mom made me experiment myself so by the time I went to high school 2 years later i was really good at it.I had made so many mistakes in 7th and 8th grade that I got all of that out of the way and was absolutely amazing after. I love colors so I've always used every color of the rainbow since I started at 7yrs old I've never been a plain person so why would my makeup be? So if u like color absolutely DO IT it's your face and you know what looks best on u. 

Jan 25, 2013

Pearl H.

Little girls are always curious about make up and I truly think that its harmless. My mum never wears make up, period, and growing up as a ballerina with out your mum doing your make up for you for shows, I had to learn as early as 7 on how to do it. (luckily, mum owned a second hand book store and she always had fashion magazines coming in, so, a lot of help came from those! lol) But she let me do what ever I wanted and let me build my collection. I never wore it beyond shows until I got in to adulthood and I still don't wear it all that much, unless its for work or for an occasion. But truly, childerns curiosity in make up is harmless and its fine to experiment, its just when I see 13 year olds look 20 is what I find concerning. 

Jan 25, 2013

Kimberly S.

I just do t think its necessary for anyone under the age of 16 to want to wear a full face of makeup. You younger girls will realize when you're older that you just attract the wrong type of attention and you have the rest of you life to be a woman. Enjoy being young while you still can it goes by so quick and then you're 26 like me and wonder where all the time went. Makeup is great, but I personally think a full face is not necessary nor cute for someone under 16.

Jan 25, 2013

Tanya G.

Yea it depends upon your parents if they allow or not. In schools of India NO makeup is allowed and also usually parents dont allow for a really young age.I'm 14 & For daily i just wear lip balm and mascara,kohl for parties. 

Jan 25, 2013

Erica L.

I guess I kinda agree with Kimberly. It would be one thing if you magically understood at the age of 13 what is considered excessive or not but lets be honest- it just doesn't work that way. I believe there's an exception to most every rule and this is one of them. In my experience, I've seen a lot more inappropriate makeup on younger girls than not. If you know how to apply color at a young age without looking cheap, go for it. If not, stick with practicing at home. Oh, and secondly, I see a lot of young ones wearing too much color which makes them look "older"- here's the thing; yeah, you look older but it's still evident that you are a wee thing and it's honestly a tad creepy. We live in a crooked world and to draw attention to yourself at such a young age to look "older" is almost... Dare I say.... Begging for the wrong attention.

Jan 25, 2013

Emily W.

It is unfortunately true that young girls draw inappropriate attention with makeup, because it is associated with sexual motives. Makeup on a grown woman is designed to emphasize "attractive" features: sultry eyes, lips, contoured cheekbones, etc. On a child it is just out of place and not appropriate. 

Jan 25, 2013

Pamela R.

I think better advice would be "Use it appropriately." Play with fun colors but don't try to look like a grown woman. Use it to express yourself and have fun with it. But not to draw the kind of attention that Emily and Erica are warning you about. Use your purple shadow and sparkly gloss. But stay away from "sexy." Be young! Don't try to grow up too quickly :) You'll be an adult soon enough.

Jan 25, 2013

Jaina M.

lily you are so pretty!

Jan 25, 2013

Ave M.

I personally find girls under 16 or even 18 wearing too much makeup make them look like baby hookers. Yes have fun with makeup but don't be surprised to get ridicule for it.

Jan 25, 2013

Emily W.

At that age it can be easy to become "dependent" on makeup--self esteem can be a fragile thing. I have known girls who started wearing makeup young and their idea of beauty became so entangled with it that they cannot leave the house without a full face on. Heck, look at the threads on here asking how to be confident, or all of the people who admitted they can't leave the house without something on.

Beauty is inherent in every single human being, but you have to learn to see it. If you get taken in by fake images of perfection, it becomes harder to see that beauty (especially within yourself).

Kids should just be kids! Sparkly lip gloss, colorful nail polish, and dress-up clothes... Youth is beautiful without augmentation! 

Jan 25, 2013

Stephanie W.

that's pretty bad cos im 13 and can't leave the house without it :(

Jan 26, 2013

Bia R.

I started wering make up when i was ten, but it was something more natural, i started having fun with it when I was 13 or 14. Now Im 16 :)

Jan 26, 2013

Alexis H.

I started wearing makeup in fifth grade so around 10 or 11 but just a simple mascara and gloss now I'm 13 and wear little bit of concealer under and around my eyes then mascara and gloss although when I'm at home I enjoy playing with my eye shadow and trying different looks but I don't go out in public with them...

Jan 26, 2013

Mia H.

I'm 16 and honestly i just started getting into makeup i really just wear mascara and I'm interested in eyeliner i want to learn how to do a cute smokey eye look but thats it.

Jan 26, 2013

Raianna G.

I'm 14 and I love makeup, but I don't depend on it. I can leave the house without makeup and I do. I like to experiment with it and have fun with it, I don't use it to mask myself. Some girls at my school PACK it on their face and it just looks horrible. No one should use makeup to mask themselves, only to enhance what they have or to like I said have FUN. 

Jan 26, 2013

Tealy A.

Perfectly said Emily W. although I am guilty of some of the things you mentioned, I completely agree with you.

Jan 26, 2013

Ema D.

My ten year old daughter turns eleven on May 7th of this year and has zero interest in makeup of any kind or even playing in mine. I'm actually kind of grateful cause I feel she is too young. I didn't start with makeup until age sixteen and then only lipgloss and lining my lower lash line. My skin was great back then and I really didn't need makeup.

Jan 26, 2013

Ema D.

I do realize however that not ever girl has great skin when coming of age so I feel it reasonable for them to use something to even out their skin if their parents approve.

Jan 26, 2013

Yanna R.

Oh my.... I started wear makeup when I was 28!!!!! Shame on me

Jan 26, 2013

Ema D.

@Yanna R. I wore eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick onlu up until about maybe two years ago. I'm 36 and will be 37 on April 1st of this year so it's not really a big deal.

Jan 26, 2013

Naiie G.

well i would like to share that i started to wear make up at 13 age and well one friend of mine showed me how to put on the eyeliner with a pencil.. Then Lip gloss... after years Of practice and looking for different looks and colors i started to wear lipstick and foundation.. Powder and some blush