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Nowadays children grow up so fast, you blink and you miss the most important events in their lives. Young girls want to appear all grown up as soon as possible, want to make themselves beautiful. One of the tactics' available to them is make-up. And the question parents need to ask themselves is when exactly should they allow their daughters to wear make-up.

The problem is, while you might be adamant about not permitting your daughter to wear full make-up, you might allow a lip-gloss that is subtle and with very little coloring. Unfortunately, once you allow one thing, your daughter will be demanding more and more.

So how young is too young?

Well it all depends on what you understand by make-up. Some people think that it's not make-up if it doesn't include foundation, eye shadows, lipstick and blush. For some the lipstick alone is enough.

Nowadays, cosmetic and toy companies produce lip-glosses targeted at girls as young as 7 years old. They are usually pink, with glitter and are exactly like those that Barbie uses'. And what parent can argue with that?

So if your daughter is dead set on getting a lip-gloss like that and you're worried how that will affect her future behavior (not to mention her complexion) be a bit sneaky.

Make a big deal out of getting your daughter's very first make-up product. Tell her how it should only be used for special occasions, suggest it might be magical and if used too often the magic might wear off.

When your daughter reaches around twelve years old, she will probably start thinking about getting lip-glosses and lipsticks for grownups'. And it's okay; she's discovering herself, not to mention that the peer pressure is starting to set in as well.

As for wearing a full make-up, I think girls less than fifteen years old should be allowed to wear it. But then again, I'm very old-fashioned about it. Girls that age desperately try to appear adult and in most cases they do so by applying excessive amounts of make-up. And because of their inexperience, it never looks good.

I actually think fifteen is just the right age for you to start teaching your daughter how to apply make-up without it looking unnatural. Because while it's very unlikely for you to be able to stop your daughter from applying make-up when she reaches a certain age, it's better for her if someone who actually has some experience shows her the basics.

Not to mention that it could be a very good mother-daughter bonding moment. I know I really appreciated it when my mom took her time to explain to me how to apply foundation for it to look natural and what colors to use to compliment my type of beauty.

But then again, this kind of decision if up to you as a parent. You need to remember that make-up is something inevitable. Your daughter will start wearing it sooner or later, and wouldn't it be better if you had some control over it? If instead of an enemy, you were considered a friend in that matter?

Learn more about this author, Jane Rutherford.
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