Updated 2026:
I wrote this post years ago, when makeup meant playtime in the bathroom and berry lipstick applied with wild enthusiasm. Today, childhood looks very different. With Sephora Kids, skincare routines on social media, and tiny influencers shaping beauty standards earlier than ever, the question feels heavier: When does makeup stay play… and when does it become pressure?
This post reflects my honest thoughts as a parent — then and now — on makeup, boundaries, and letting kids be kids in a world that keeps pushing them to grow up faster.
My girls keep asking to wear make up but I keep telling them no. Maybe it’s because they still think this is how to put it on!!
*photo taken in bathroom mid renos*
But in all seriousness I’m curious to know your thoughts on make up.
At what age do you think little and/or girls should start to be allowed to wear make up. Do you have set rules and guidelines about this?
I’ve been rather lucky, none of my girls wear much make up so it hasn’t really been an issue. My eldest daughter tried to wear it a little heavy a few times but she was over 16 and experimenting.
My youngest Eden loves to wear make up…she wakes me up with her make up kit first thing in the morning to play…. here is a photo of one such time…
…notice the bright berry lipstick (free samples from Lancome etc that I get and won’t use so I let her play with…and her bruised looking purple eye shadow…lol. ) Oh and please pay no notice my ‘no make up but berry lipstick and puffy eyed face’, k? Thanks.
Also note, Eden is not permitted to wear lipstick outside of the house, ever, aside from clearish lip gloss and nail polish.
I suppose Eden is more interested in make up because she has 3 teenaged sisters and me at home with her.
I think it’s important to teach your girls in the proper techniques to apply make up as well… so they don’t walk around looking like either of the photo examples above!
Thoughts?
Makeup, Childhood, and Growing Up in a Very Different World
When I first wrote this, makeup for kids meant playtime in the bathroom and sneaking lipstick before school pictures.
Now? It’s a completely different landscape.
Children today are growing up with Sephora hauls, skincare routines, “Get Ready With Me” videos, and influencers younger than some makeup brushes. Makeup isn’t just play anymore. It’s content, branding, and identity at an age when kids are still figuring out who they are.
That doesn’t mean makeup is bad.
But it does mean parents have to think differently than we did before.
How I Think About Makeup and Kids (Then and Now)
For me, makeup has always been about intent.
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Is it play, creativity, and curiosity?
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Or is it about looking older, fixing something, or keeping up?
At home, makeup is play.
Outside the house, it’s a different conversation.
That boundary has mattered more to me than age itself. Not because makeup is wrong — but because childhood doesn’t need to be rushed.
A Question Worth Asking in 2026
Maybe the question isn’t “How old should girls be to wear makeup?”
Maybe it’s:
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Why do they want to wear it?
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Who are they watching?
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And what do they think makeup is for?
Because makeup can be art, expression, and fun —
but it can also quietly teach kids that their face needs improving.
That’s the part I pay attention to now.
You can find more thought pieces on my A Broad Perspective Blog at Closer Lives my other website.
I have a seven year old boy and a five year old girl. I first made the rule of “no makeup outside of the house until your 13” rule when my son started getting into my old makeup at the age of 20 months. I allowed him to play with it, but would wash it off if we left. He grew out of that by his third birthday. My daughter also enjoys putting on makeup and I have the same rule for her, but there are , special occasions such as church, family dinner, family pictures that I will do her makeup for her. I was 13 when I started wearing makeup but since my mom never let me experiment at all prior to I looked horrible until about the age of 18.
Hahah me too! My Mom let me wear it but never really showed me how to properly apply everything
(most likely because she was never into make up herself)
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Me too! I love the photos! My girl [now 19] always had makeup fun! She also loves glitter till this day! She actually is better at makeup then I am! But she rarely wears it which is funny because she loved to play with it so much! I think it’s fun to show your daughter all you know about skin care and makeup then when you get older like me your daughter can help you with yours. 🙂
This is very true. It’s a great bonding thing for girls.
At what age did you allow your daughter to start wearing make up outside of the home?
Not till she was in high school! She really didn’t like it by then. Isn’t that funny? She has always worn lip gloss since she was a kid, those little lip smackers like chap stick. The funny thing is I took her to the Clinique makeup counter and then lady helped her pick a shade and then she never worn it because she said it made her feel like she had on a mask. When she started getting pimples then she used it more. Maybe because I was not rigid with the rules she thought of well that’s not something I want to do. I think each girl needs her own set of personal guidelines and definitely not a one size fits all type of thing. One thing we do enjoy is painting out toenails and finger nails. I used to let her paint mine and I had somer really wild looking toes and fingers and wore them proudly. 😉 Sometimes I let her tell me what to wear and OMG it is too funny. My rear sometimes is not fitting in what she thinks. I love when I head out the door in the morning and she’ll say hey mom do you want to wear my new shirt, so I stop and put it on. I get so many compliments and I say my daughter dressed me today! She loves to hear that when I get home that I tell people that. She really has a great style and it’s actually very glamours and simple. I loved it so much I wish I had 10 more girls. LOL
I remember wearing makeup around age 12 / 13, but don’t remember before that. My mom didn’t have any rules about it.
Yes I think I started around that age as well.
I liked the black eye liner and mascara. I remember trying to figure out how to wear it. I like that I have some tips that I can offer my girls but nowadays with You Tube and Pinterest they can find everything they need!
I have a 13 yr old and 16 yr – 13 yr old is allergic and has no desire even if she wasn’t she likes the natural look – 16 is a girly girl – started being ok with it around 14 yrs but then only when we went out for special occassions
Now at 16 I finally agreed but also showed her very natural and not to much – her friends are as well – considering at 14-15 I remember getting to school and the girls went to the bathroom and put it on – then again all “met-up” after school to wash our faces before going home – I figured it was time to say ok. So why not just teach them how, and go with them – when buy it
Yes so true! I remember that too but I would always forget to take it off…lol
It’s awesome that we have You Tube and Pinterest for make up tips and products so the girls can learn how to do it tastefully.
LORD ALMIGHTY is that picture HILARIOUS!!!! My daughter is 13 (going into 8th Grade) and we have dodged the “makeup” bullet thus far. Hope it continues. She has such natural beauty, I’d hate for her to cover it up with gunk. She has the most adorable freckles. She gets those from my side of the family. I will be sad the day she starts with makeup. She still “Daddy’s little girl” for now.
And she still will be with make up on as well..
The photo of Cass and Mandy, they were just up to shennanigans, they think that kind of stuff is silly fun.
They are both fantastic make up appliers, I take some lessons from them now, bit Eden on the other hand needs a little work 🙂
And if you mean the half asleep photo of me…shush!
I have freckles still along with both Cass and Eden. Runs in the family.
I love freckles. “Angel Kisses” is what my Mom told me they were when I was a little boy. I was referring to the 1st pic of the 2 makeup artists! Priceless! I have looked tired in pics ever since my 1st child was born. 🙂