I submit to you that makeup is not for little girls.  Neither is red nail polish, nor short shorts with “volleyball” or whatever written across their backsides.  …in my humble opinion of course.  Having said that, there will come a day when your pre-teen wants to start wearing makeup.  This post will feature a few age appropriate products.  I believe this measured yielding to her powerful girlie will may help you stave off a full on black eye liner driven revolt.

Start her off with skin care.  Mario Badescu has a line of cleansers, toners, treatments and moisturizers that are plant based, effective, and best of all inexpensive.  Sit with your daughter and read through the product descriptions online, the two of you can make an informed purchase together based on her needs.  Having your little princess begin a skin care regimen now sets up a great life long habit and will help her avoid problems in the future.  In addition, she’ll feel a bit more “grown up”, which is really what all this is about, isn’t it?

When it comes to actual makeup, I’d make the trip to the cosmetics department alone.  There are far too many bad decisions to be made and potential arguments just waiting to be had if you make the trip together.  Think of what some of the makeup artists look like and what your daughter may think is “cool”.  Almost certainly NOT age appropriate.  Surprise her with a little goodie bag of your choosing.  If she never saw the sparkly blue eyeshadow and black lipstick, she won’t be disappointed with what you bought.  In fact if she didn’t even know you were going, she’ll be thrilled.

Sephora makes a gloss called “Fresh Gloss”.  It’s perfect for a young girl.  Sheer, shiny, pale and shimmery.  This is a color that will look good on any complexion.

Mascara is honestly something I would try to avoid.  Grown women who can’t help but touch their eyes look like a hot mess at the end of the day.  Imagine your pre-teen, after P.E.  Not exactly the sweet fresh faced look we’re going for here.  Instead, how about a little bit of a soft brown eyeshadow, like Cork from MAC, smudged into her upper lash line?  She’ll be able to see the color and it will enhance her lashes.

I would leave it there on the makeup front.  How much more does she need really?  A couple of other things you might want to throw in her little goodie bag to distract her from the lack of makeup are perfume and nail polish.

My daughter is absolutely in love with Harajuku Lovers Fragrance by Gwen Stefani.  The packaging is fabulous and the fragrances are lovely and varied.

OPI makes a great long wearing nail polish.  For the name alone, Prinesses Rule! is one of my favorite colors for a young girl.

So there you have it!  Put everything in a cute cosmetic bag and hand it over.  She’ll be thrilled and hopefully you’ll have kept her a little girl, for at least a while longer.

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