First make-up for a teen

[HHMcG]

I'd like to get my almost 14 year old DD some make up for Christmas but I don't know where to start. Currently she has/wears nothing. I'm pretty low maintenance and only wear mascara and some tinted moisturizer (if anything) so I'm not very helpful. I see these 'kits' but to me it looks like 50 eye shadows and that seems crazy. Can anyone recommend a few items to get my DD started or maybe a kit that has some real basics.

I just want something that will make her comfortable with wearing make-up if she wants to.

TIA

 

[LynnTH]

Don't start out with cheap make-up.. My DD18 still does not wear a lot of make-up. She has a lot of freckles and she does not like to cover them up. So, mostly she just wears Mascara and if she wears eye shadows it is more a neutral palette(like the Naked Palettes by Urban Decay). Lots of those at places like Ulta or Sephora. If she does wear foundation she has used Bare Minerals powder foundation. I would recommend something like that as it is more natural looking.

 

[RangerPooh]

I have a 14yo who likes to experiment with make up. When it comes to holiday gift sets I get her the ones with neutral pallets, nothing too outrageous (although she has some of those too). She's also received a few brush sets, dabbers, etc. One option is to get her a make-up box/bag with a gift card to Sephora or Ulta to pick out some. She could have a person there assist her with locating products that she might like.

 

[mjkacmom]

I like the idea of an ultra or Sephora gc. The Naked Palettes above are a great suggestion. My oldest was clueless, but the next two were competitive dancers and were doing stage makeup at 12, and were really good with regular makeup by 14 (dd18 was very busy during formal and prom seasons). It really helps to be taught. There are also lots of tutorials online.

 

[1st*toright]

Don't start out with cheap make-up.. My DD18 still does not wear a lot of make-up. She has a lot of freckles and she does not like to cover them up. So, mostly she just wears Mascara and if she wears eye shadows it is more a neutral palette(like the Naked Palettes by Urban Decay). Lots of those at places like Ulta or Sephora. If she does wear foundation she has used Bare Minerals powder foundation. I would recommend something like that as it is more natural looking.

100% this. A few years ago I found an Estee Lauder christmas gift set that had a ton of different kinds of products for DD to play with, and I bought her a makeup application instruction book. I'm not a lot of help - I pretty much never wear makeup! She spent some time playing with stuff, and she came up with a "fancy" makeup regime looks very natural, but put together. She still wears nothing but lip gloss for a regular day.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

I would consider taking her to your local MAC counter and see if they can do her makeup for her. Like color match her and teach her how to do her makeup. Thats what my mother did with us and we still use some of the same products from our first little makeup kit.

 

[wishuponastar1984]

I would maybe focus on getting her a good brush set and a neutral palette. Having decent brushes can make a world of difference. I have been seeing the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette at my local Nordstrom Rack. The original UD Naked palette is over $50 and might be out of your price range. There are plenty of drugstore products that have solid reviews. I would look at getting a set of Sonia Kashuk brush sets that they have during the holidays. These are good brushes at a reasonable price.

https://www.target.com/p/sonia-kash...n-complete-makeup-brush-set-10pc/-/A-52717469

 

[HHMcG]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

[DLgal]

I also recommend Urban Decay Naked palettes. I think a gift card to Sephora and a session with a makeup artist there would be a great gift to introduce her to makeup.

 

[AgentMama]

I think taking her somewhere like Ulta or Sephora to have her color matched is a great idea. In addition to Urban Decay, I like Too Faced products, and they generally have a 20% off coupon for first time web orders if you sign up for their email. As a general rule, I tend to avoid brands sold primarily at lower end stores, I find they make my eyes and face irritated and I don't have that experience with the more high end lines.

I would also avoid ordering from Amazon. I have twice ended up with counterfeit products that I only knew were counterfeit because I know the typical quality of the packaging and pigment of the better products.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

I think taking her somewhere like Ulta or Sephora to have her color matched is a great idea. In addition to Urban Decay, I like Too Faced products, and they generally have a 20% off coupon for first time web orders if you sign up for their email. As a general rule, I tend to avoid brands sold primarily at lower end stores, I find they make my eyes and face irritated and I don't have that experience with the more high end lines.

I would also avoid ordering from Amazon. I have twice ended up with counterfeit products that I only knew were counterfeit because I know the typical quality of the packaging and pigment of the better products.

Slightly off topic but Amazon sells a lot of fake beauty products make up is a big one but I've gotten tons of fake shampoo and conditioner off of Amazon as well. So I would avoid buying anything you put on your face/body from Amazon.

 

[AgentMama]

Slightly off topic but Amazon sells a lot of fake beauty products make up is a big one but I've gotten tons of fake shampoo and conditioner off of Amazon as well. So I would avoid buying anything you put on your face/body from Amazon.

I think the issue is primarily Amazon's third party vendors. They really aren't vetted in any substantial way by Amazon, other than if they pay the percentage of sales required for listing items. But yes, I agree, it is very easy to accidentally get fake products from Amazon (I've even accidentally ended up with knock off name brand clothes) and probably good advice to avoid anything that is ingested or applied to your body.

 

[TnTWalter]

Check out Bare Minerals. My girls are now 18 and 20 and started with Bare Minerals. They still love the bisque [for break-outs]. It's mineral based.

 

[sharona]

Go to Marshall's or TJ Maxx in the beauty aisle you'll find lots of higher end eye make-up, blush, countour and brush sets. They're packaged nicely and usually half the price you'd pay at full retail. Another option would be to get her a gift card for Ulta (if they have that in your area) because she can have fun browsing with her friends and picking out what she likes. The consultants there are usually very low pressure and helpful.

 

[verleniahall]

go to a mkaeup counter and have them match her - i suggest bare minerals - then let her get some of the basics - at 14 i had alreayd been wearing at least masscara and loss for 2 years

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Agree with others on several points. I would get a brush set from ulta or Sephora that has good reviews, a neutral palette, and then maybe consider giving her a gift card so that she can go to the store and choose what might interest her. She can also get color matched at the same time, try samples, etc. and ulta and Sephora both have great return policies if she doesn’t like what she gets or if a shade isn’t quite right.

 

[SwanVT2]

If you are near a department store go to the clinique counter. A nice mid range makeup brand to start with and subtle colors. I find sephora to be overwhelming. Clinique can figure out the right shades for her. Laura mercier is a nice brand too

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Quick question - if she wears nothing and is happy doing so, why do you want to get her started on makeup? Let her go barefaced if that's what she's comfortable with. Not all women wear makeup or want to.

That said - a brand that I think is great for young people is Glossier. They have very subtle products that are easy to use, and they sell them in kits so you can try a bunch of different products in one go. I'm a fan of their boy brow, concealer, and lip generation g sheer lipstick.

ETA: Glossier is having a rare sale right now. 20% off everything and up to 35% off sets. I just stocked up on some of my favorites.

 

[crisi]

Another idea is to get her an Ipsy subscription or another subscription service. She'll get to try a lot of different things, and will have the fun of getting something each month. My daughter has an Ispy subscription and when she went to college I got my own, I missed the surprise in the mail. She probably won't get foundation (its hard to match via subscription) but over a few months she'll get various brushes, eyeshadows, lipstick/tint/gloss, eyeliner, mascara, blush, etc. to play around with. The problem will be if you are a picky parent, you might not like the strong eyeshadow or strong lip she gets in some of the bags.

I started my daughter with Bare Minerals because the powder foundation isn't thick and gunky, and she got a powder, blush, a neutral shadow and a neutral lip tint. She could wear a little light makeup without her face screaming "MAKEUP!" By the time she graduated high school though, she could apply winged eyeliner, a red lip, and pull it off very well.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

IDK maybe I'm in the minority here but unless DD asked of makeup I probably wouldn't get it for her. Maybe she has no desire to wear it and then you are spendingmoney on something she may not even want; especially when you said you wanted it if she wants to start wearing it. Maybe don't do the makeup thing for a Christmas gift. Just ask her if she is interested in it whenever you could fit it into a conversation, might be months from now even and if she wants to start then you have some great options on where to go.
But if you do decide to buy her something, I'd also recommend what a lot have said; stay clear of those big box things of makeup (pretty much crappy), stay clear of Amazon as could be counterfeit or you don't know if they were stored decent so could could be legit and could be all dried out. I'd go with the Urban Decay Naked palette and the Bare Minerals powers.