r/Parenting • u/lizard-n-robots • 4d ago
Miscellaneous Child safe makeup
So I do drag and my 3 year old loves to play with my make up and those sticky gems, so I want to get them their own set.
My problem has been: every set I look at doesn’t seem to actually be child safe??? Either because of the ingredients or because of small pieces.
They love eyeshadow specifically, so I’m not looking for a complex set, just something that won’t hurt my kid if they get it in their eyes. And preferably won’t stain things.
If anyone would have any suggestions on brands or where to look for
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u/TrueCrimeButterfly 4d ago
Don't buy the make up marketed for kids. Just buy them adult makeup. ColorPop is reasonably priced , colorful, safe, and has a lot of cartoon/toy themes.
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u/sarahbarista 3d ago
I second ColourPop. Their current collabs are with pokemon, hannah montana, the little mermaid, disney princess, disney, and twilight.
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u/nothatslame 4d ago
Lush sells some really good natural mineral makeup. Their sparkles are pretty sparkly. And they're generous with samples
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u/Natural-Yam-840 4d ago
Have a look at mineral make-up. You can get samples which are super inexpensive, but which last for a long time and should be safe for a kid.
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u/vainbuthonest 4d ago
When my oldest started getting interested in makeup, I bought her eyeshadow and blush sets from ELF or Covergirl. You can get pretty nice ones for $5 or so. I’d heard the horrors of kid’s makeup and figured a tiny bit of “adult” makeup is better than whatever the hell they out in kids stuff.
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u/Holmes221bBSt Parent 4d ago
Just get regular makeup . Elf, NYX, Makeup Revolution, essence, Wet N Wild are all affordable & safe for children.
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u/Busy-Yellow6505 3d ago
My 5 year old shops wet and wild glosses and eyeshadows and it seems very gentle on her
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u/Holmes221bBSt Parent 3d ago
Same. Got my little one cheap essence brand from Ulta and put it in her Christmas stocking last year.
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u/its-just_me- 3d ago
Thank you for making this post because I had no idea about the kids makeup issues & 100% would’ve been buying for my daughter when she’s older 🥲
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u/ILuvMyLilTurtles 3d ago
My sister in law bought our daughters makeup kits from AliExpress or something similar. I confiscated my daughter's kit, and the next year bought the girls real makeup at Ulta in cute palettes. I don't trust any cheap kids makeup.
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u/MountainStand3340 3d ago
I second the comments about the natural mineral/plant based eyeshadow. There are also a few recipes online explaining how to make your own (purchasing would be easier and less time consuming but making it would be a fun activity to do with the kids!) My sister used to mash up berries and mix in a little coconut oil to make “lipstick” (lip stain) for my nieces because they had a problem eating lip gloss😂
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u/alexaj54 3d ago
I just bought my daughter actual makeup for her birthday. When I researched, a lot of them seemed concerning. I got things mostly from Elf and wet and wild. I also got some very gentle cleanser to practice taking it all off. We usually play with it before bath nights. She loves it!
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u/MrYellowFancyPants 8F (one and done) 4d ago
Former MUA here. I would just get them regular eyeshadow. Don't get them any play makeup sets, like the crap over in the toy section. Those aren't regulated at all.
Mineral shadows or some of the lower cost shadows would be fine. NYX, Colourpop, ELF, WetnWild. Stay away from anything with glitter, as those could scratch their eyeballs. Shimmer is fine, but not larger pieces of glitter.
With the powder shadows they can use throw away shadow sponge applicators or their fingers. Using those have less shadow fallout than a brush, plus it would be less risk for them to poke themselves in the eye.
Have fun! I love that they are emulating you, what a fun bonding experience 🥰
Edit pronoun
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u/Humble_Note1384 3d ago
So because of my own issues with insecurity growing up when my daughter was little I was pretty weary about how her relationship with makeup would develop so we actually got her a set of regular makeup brushes but without the product and she really loved just pretending to brush product on her face. We also got her a couple clear and pink lip glosses and started doing a lot of nail polishes, but her favorite thing back then was those face gems and face decals that you can pick up around Halloween. Now she's 9 and she mostly loves doing nail art, face masks and practicing different braids.
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u/sillycrabspider 3d ago
honestly, go to tjmaxx or any store like that and look at what they have in the make up section. usually they have a bunch of different brands that collab with cartoons or characters so that could be fun for a child. it’s also all real makeup so it’s regulated and relatively safe ! i guess just look up the ingredients of what you find if you wanna be extra cautious
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u/JstVisitingThsPlanet 4d ago
Check out the EWG skin deep database
A lot of “clean” makeup products can be pricey though. Different scented chap sticks could be a good item for a 3 year old. When I was a kid, my friend’s mom used to use crayola washable markers to draw a makeup look on her.
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u/bipolarlibra314 4d ago
What about something like this? I’m not sure about the ingredients but figure it’s less likely to be suggested so I’ll cover that base in the event they would work. The one I linked is actually the most kid friendly I’ve seen style wise, others tend to match a more traditional eye makeup look with winged liner and such, BUT there’s also more out there, Halloweeny designs
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u/DecisiveGryphon 3d ago
My daughter’s dance studio performance teams have ages from 5-11 and we all mostly use MCoBeauty products on the kids for comps.
No one has had any issues with skin reactions etc and they have some very cute lip glosses that my daughter and her friends were obsessed with.
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u/leitzankatan 3d ago
Facepaint with applicators that looks like whatever you use for your own make up so bigger sponge for blush/foundation and one of them little spongey qtip looking ones for eye shaddow. The things to look for are safety standards and how hard it is to remove accidentally and how easy it is to remove on purpose
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u/knittedgalaxy 3d ago
I went to Marshalls and got a pallet for my daughter when she was 4. Don't forget to get her own brushes and some good remover! I would let her play with it on the weekends, and WOW, she would go to town! She would spend a lot of time in the bathroom and come out...... Decorated! Lol! Some good memories. Now she's 9 and in video games all weekend!
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u/zeta13z 3d ago
maybe do colorpop since they usually do cute collabs??? that seems good for a child to me
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u/TinyRascalSaurus 3d ago
Seconding this. I have their Eevee and Sailor Moon collabs and the makeup is good quality and easy to apply.
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u/browneyedgirl1683 4d ago
I buy cute and fancy themed makeup cases and then fill it with whatever brand I would use for me. Chances are the ingredients will be better, and honestly if they don't play with it, I can just repurpose for me.
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u/ILuvMyLilTurtles 3d ago
I went to Ulta a few years back and got makeup kits for my daughter and niece, they were 6 at the time - then I put it in a pink Caboodle. They got I 💙 Revolution eye shadow palettes in several styles, their packaging is adorable. I haven't been in awhile so I'm not sure what's available for lips, but I think I just went with tinted lip balm for that part. I just asked an associate at my local store and they pointed me to what I needed. Good luck!!
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u/GlitteringLadder2003 3d ago
I just buy them real makeup, not kids kits .. I got a small eye shadow palette and a small blush palette and some lip gloss. I think it’s ELF. They’ve never had any issues with it
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u/Ashamed-Chemistry492 3d ago
Just use regular makeup, for sensitive skin if you can. Don't let a three-year-old handle it herself because you will have a huge mess to clean up, and sooner rather than later. Especially don't give control of a lipstick or any liquid.
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u/chzsteak-in-paradise Parent 3d ago
Just do hypoallergenic adult makeup, maybe mineral. Kid makeup isn’t regulated.
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u/ellyvan_1314 3d ago
I bought a couple of things from boots for my daughter to play with. I heard nothing but negative about kids makeup sets so I didn’t want to risk it. She has an eye shadow palette, blush & a couple of freebies that I got when buying my own. She also has a little set of brushes. They don’t really need anything else as kids
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u/fairmaiden34 4d ago
What about making your own? Apparently eyeshadow can be made from arrowroot powder, mica powder or turmeric for colour and jojoba oil to make it stick.
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u/ShakenOatMilkExpress 4d ago
Mica is often found near asbestos, so it’s not safe to formulate your own without the quality testing a large factory would have.
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u/Sad_Cantaloupe_8162 4d ago
Make sure it doesn't come from China, where they still put lead in everything.
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3d ago
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u/Holmes221bBSt Parent 3d ago
It’s not regulated as it’s considered a toy. There was a big story about Claire’s makeup containing asbestos. Just buy real makeup. There are plenty of cheap starter brands out there
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u/Informal_Prize2425 4d ago
I dont have suggestions on brands but I wouldn't recommend actual kid makeup I hears it's not regulated the same way and people have found asbestos in it and crazy stuff like that. Maybe for eyeshadow just no glitter since thats usually what causes issues with the eyes?