The Purely Pro Cosmetics Blog by founder Margery Krevsky - Founder

By Margery Krevsky

Young girls have been playing with makeup since cosmetics were created. Ancient Egyptians put kohl eyeliner on their children believing it would improve eyesight. Royal children from China wore nail polish, which was forbidden to the masses. In the toy industry the girls’ market has exploded, for it is filled with plethora of toys which involves playing with hair and makeup.
Give a toddler lipstick, and she knows what to do with it. Paint herself or the wall! Present her with blusher, nail polish and perfume, and she is enchanted and curious. Children want to copy their stylish mothers as children are naturally attracted to the bright, glittery and grown-up behavior.

Pretty in Pink - Young children are naturally attracted to bright colors

This natural interest in color and “dolling up” is being supported by toy manufacturers and cosmetics companies alike. Mattel makes stick-on painted fingernails. Next to the pencil boxes at the local drug store are rows of inexpensive eye shadow, blusher, nail polish and lip colors. This is a playground for teens and curious children also. Maybelline’s bubblegum-flavored lip gloss goes nicely with a mouthful of “Bubblicious”. Tinkerbell has sold fragrances, lipstick and nail polish to little girls for 38 years, refusing to make eye shadow and mascara because they didn’t want to tell young girls to look older. Nevertheless, the company is now strongly considering bringing out a more complete line of makeup under another name.
Girls from the ages of 12 to 17 experiment the most consistently with cosmetics. They start out playing with lip gloss and nail color. Then they move into blusher and eye shadow. What is the correct age for a teen to wear makeup every day? Personally, I think 15 is a good age to wear eyeliner and mascara. I also think there are two things a girl can never learn too soon: make up and money. If a girl can handle the concepts of balancing a checkbook, saving, and investing, she has the thinking skills to handle makeup.
Fragrances are also being blended for children, and even infants. Tartine et Chocolat, a citrusy fragrance by Parfums Givenchy, is designed for babies, and on up to 12-year-olds. The classic Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Powder is available in Lavender and Citrus.

Even before they are able to spend their allowances at the cosmetics counter, young girls are playing with makeup and fragrance. This year, the big seller is Li’l Miss Makeup, from Mattel. The doll resembles a girl that is 5 or 6 years old. When cold water is painted on, she springs eyebrows, colored eyelids, fingernails, tinted lips and a heart-shaped beauty mark.
Grandmothers - especially those who came of age in the 1950s, when cosmetics were just being made for the public - may be horrified at these young makeup enthusiasts. But note big dollars are spent on after school dance classes and recitals and creative theatre and clown schools where children are being taught the craft and art of makeup. Disney does a booming business at Cinderella’s Castle creating magical hairdos and soft glamour makeup for tots before they attend a Princess breakfast to meet the glamorous: Snow White, Jasmine, Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella. Wanting to look like their animated movie idols
Like many other things, the decision to wear makeup may be reactive. Your mother wears it, you don’t and your daughter does - painted to the hilt at 6 years old.

A young model smiles after a pampering of makeup application and a hairdo

Girls love our Crushed Mineral Shadows - Click here to buy!

Girls love our Lipgloss Quads - Click here to buy!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 8:34 am and is filed under Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.