When was the first time you wore makeup? How did it make you feel?

Mid-teens, when my best friend put it on me (I totally wasn’t actually allowed to wear it!), and I loved it, but part of that might have been that it was forbidden at the time, haha.

— Christine

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Lily Kelley Avatar

Before i began High School my mom took me to a Clinique counter and we tried some makeup and bought what we thought looked good. Have loved it since then.

Nina Avatar

I loved going to the Clinique counter. I still religiously buy the eyeliner intense Plum. My holy grail lipstick for years was Guava Stain then poof gone. Funny how we associate those things we did with our mothers and continue them. Ahhhh the Clinique white lab coats. Memories 🤍🤍

Ana Maria Avatar

Maybe when I was a little child I might have dwelled in mom’s lipsticks (she never wore a full face of makeup, she maximum had lipstick, mascara and eyeliner). And in kindergarten photos one of my teachers might have applied lipstick on my cheeks to make them pop for a picture.

But the first official time I got “makeup” done was at the end of general school (before entering highschool), at the banquet (kind of a prom). Girls are that time in my hometown rarely wore makeup, but if it was a wedding, banquet or other special event, you “had to”.
I clearly remember mom buying me a cheap eyeshadow palette for a Turkish brand (or something like that) and me wearing blue eyeshadow. 😅 Sincerely, most likely I wasn’t even wearing mascara and if I had something on my face it would have been concealer to cover my acne spots (one of those Avon or Oriflame stick concealers with a green side and a beige side). On my lips I would have had one of those tiny samples from Avon.

Wearing makeup at that time felt special in a childish way, made me feel a little bit more mature… but it was like putting a white shirt for a job interview. I did it because I was “supposed to”.

I barely wore makeup 2-3 years after that. I didn’t really get into makeup until my second year at university.

Amanda C Avatar

First time was for 6th grade pictures. Blue eyeshadow and pink lipstick 😆 It wasn’t cute but I felt so grown up at the time.
Also Christine, what eyeshadow are you wearing in the post for this? I’m obsessed!!

BrandiD Avatar

I was so young, I barely remember! I know I started wearing makeup regularly around 12, but I had some even before then; my mom always bought Clinique or Estee Lauder, so I would get the free gift colors that she didn’t want. She is very fair and blue eyed, while I’m darker and have green eyes so I could wear the brown tones much better. I didn’t start wearing foundation until I was closer to 14 or 15? About the time I started to break out. I did wear lipstick regularly however, and I remember my mom putting lipstick on me for formal photos when I was maybe 8 or 9.

Fey Avatar

6th grade, on the schoolbus: some girls were curious that the shy girl (me) was wearing makeup. (I had put in on in secret at my bus stop at 6 am.) It was a Cali-themed bronze quad and sheer navy sparkly lip gloss from Wet N Wild. 2004? I realized the makeup brought attention to me, and I rubbed it off my face using my shirt sleeve. By 8th grade, this shy girl had a full face of goth eyeliner, purple eyeshadow, white face powder, and black lipstick! That continued to be my look for the next 10 years! (still shy though)

Deborah S. Avatar

I was 13 years old. The determining factor was the age that the Pastor of our church allowed his daughter to wear makeup and so as soon as I turned 13 my mom said I could start. It would have been 1966 or 67 so hey, blue eye shadow all the way! I applied it all the way up to my eyebrows. Thank heavens there are no pictures. Oh my gosh, drugstore lipstick tasted terrible back in the day. I over drew my lips since I have no upper lip. My one claim to fame was my lashes and skin. I had beautiful skin and long, thick lashes. Fast forward to chemotherapy and both of those things went to pot.

EAdele Avatar

I did tap dance in early childhood, and my mom always did the MOST stage makeup for recitals. It made me feel like such a professional lady. I didn’t get into makeup properly until my mid-20s, but I’ve always loved the sensory experience of having it done.

Nina Avatar

Hmmm probably around 13 years old for a wedding, I was a not quite old enough to be a brides maid. But I was in my first wedding 🤍 Some sort of powder my mother had. And a sheered out teeny dab of Revlon Cherries In The Snow. That was eons ago and I still buy a fresh tube of Cherries and remain a Revlon lipstick devotee to this day. IMO no one does lipstick like them. The other Revlon products *yawn*

Debbie Avatar

It was for my 12th birthday. My mother let me get some CoverGirl Clean makeup, some blush and a lip gloss. I remember the look she gave me when I asked for some eye shadow, it was just not going to happen, at least not for a couple of years. I liked what little I was allowed to wear and it gave me a bit of confidence.

brendacr1 Avatar

13 we lived near Toronto and we had all the new and upcoming bands from Toronto play at our high school dances, we went all out with the makeup. My father didn’t allow me to wear makeup so I would wash it off before I came home. I would go to my girlfriend’s house in the morning before school and put my makeup on there. My Mom didn’t mind at all, she sold Avon when I was young so I got to play with all the samples. At that time they supplied her with books and pamphlets on skincare I soaked up all that information and that is when I started taking care of my skin and it has payed off tenfold.

Lisa Marie Avatar

I was pretty young, grade school age I think, and I talked my mom into putting some of her liquid eyeliner on me. I loved I Dream Of Jeannie reruns on TV and so even though it was a little outdated by then I loved the look of that style of eye makeup. After she did it I was just overwhelmed by how different it made me look and I couldn’t stop looking at it, I didn’t want to wash it off! Of course I bugged her constantly after that to do it again but she never did.

Genevieve Avatar

The first time I wore makeup (full on face) was for my Grade 6 concert and the girls were asked to wear some makeup (which was fairly adventurous for a Catholic school waay back in the mid sixties). Anyway, I absolutely loved it and really never looked back – although it was quite a few years later when I was able to purchase a few of my own products (I had a part time job when I was 15).

Claire Renee Avatar

When I was 14 I wore eyeliner & mascara I think. For sure eyeliner. This was 1975 & I looked to my older sister who had Yardley liquid liner, liquid frosty blue eyeshadow & frosty green eyeshadow. By 15 I was applying full face of foundation (Max Factor), Erace concealer, using a lash curler then 2-3 coats mascara (Revlon Natural Wonder I think). Plus eyeshadow, liner, blush & lipgloss. I really loved makeup. At nearly 63 I’m more into skin care & light/natural looking makeup.

Helene Avatar

I got a red lipstick when I was very young, seven perhaps. I only used it at home, and I loved it. My mother did a full face makeup on me when I was around twelve, I think. Pale pink lipstick, blue eyeshadow and mascara, I think it was a cake mascara, I’m that old! 🙂 I felt very grown up. I have a very complicated relationship with my mother, this is one of the few times I can recall her doing something fun with me, without appearing to dislike it or just doing it for appearance. So the memory of it isn’t a happy one, to tell the truth, it should be, but it saddens me as she was, and still it such an egoistic person.
My maternal grandparents were my foster parents, and they gave me a very happy childhood, so not really complaining.
I think I may have been around thirteen when I bought my first makeup, from Rimmel, I looked at photos and read the very few how to articles in magazines to learn how to use it.
The first photo I have of me, with makeup is from maybe when I was fifteen, I had mascara and a grey eyeshadow and probably a gloss or a very sheer lipstick, I also had a grey top on, so I guess I had colour coordinated for the photo.

Sorry this became so long and contain half my life story. 🙂

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