My teenage daughter wants to wear makeup, but I think she is too young. She says all her friends wear makeup and she wants to, too. Read how we came to a compromise both of us can live with.
The good news is that teen-driven cosmetics are becoming extremely popular in today’s cosmetic market, and there are so many great ways to compromise with your daughter when it comes to what she wants and what you think is best. The first thing I would suggest is the world of oh-so-fabulously harmless lip-gloss – also known as lip-glazes, shimmers, sheens, etc.
Lipgloss is really a wonderful thing for so many reasons. While staying with a youthful, not too mature look, there are some amazing glosses out there that will make any girl look super pretty, polished and perfectly sweet.
They not only create a feminine finish, they come in so many subtle yet sublime colors and tints to satisfy young girls who are itching to dive into the world of makeup.
Some of my favorites are Eyeko Fat Balm in Raspberry (super sweet and yummy $13 at Sephora.com, Pinkie Swear Cutie Pie Color Wheel 2 (an amazing line geared towards all ages at Sephora.com) and for a very nourishing treat Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm ($6 at Sephora.com).
The wonderful thing about these lipglosses is that they can contain so much more than just sticky fillers, if you get the right ones. Look for ingredients such as Vitamin E, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and any other natural butters and oils.
These rich ingredients not only help to create a perfect pucker, but they moisturize, protect and nourish dry lips – something that is so important to start at a young age, when the lips are exposed to sun, wind, cold, etc.
If the fun lipglosses aren’t enough to satisfy your daughter’’s need for glamour, perhaps you can try adding a few other subtle yet pretty elements of makeup into her routine. One item that I also believe girls should start using at a young age is brow and lash gel.
The perfect thing about this is that it comes just like mascara, with the same brush but the formula is clear. She would use this each day to tame brows by brushing the gel onto her brows in the direction they grow, to keep groomed and in perfect place. This gel also doubles as clear mascara, which gives lashes a pretty finish while still shying away from dark colors and dramatic looks.
My favorite brow and eye gel is Cover Girl CG Smoothers Natural Lash & Brow Mascara (approximately $5 at most drug stores).
Finally, one of the best types of products I can recommend would be some of the fun yet highly nourishing body, hand and foot creams out there. This is a perfect option for both you and her because no age is too young to start really treating your skin.
Teenagers love it (actually all girls love it!) because the packaging is cute, sassy and feminine yet the product inside is preserving and treating your skin from head to toe. Some of my absolute favorites are Lush Dream Cream ($21 at Lush Stores everywhere, or lush.com), Body Shop Blueberry Body Butter ($14 at Body Shop stores worldwide) and Bliss Spa Lemon Sage Silky Milk ($28 at Sephora.com).