May 17, 2010

Musings of the Day: How Old Were You When You First Started Getting Into Makeup?

Meet MissConverse97 (found her while randomly procrastinating on youTube).

Going by her nick (and her sweet little face) I’m going to make the assumption she’s about 13 year’s old and already quite the little beauty guru on youTube. With 1,897 subscribers and a quite a few “beauty” videos under her belt she’s way on her way to gaining her membership into the beauty junkie club we all know and love.

Which got me thinkin’…..

How old were you when you first got into beauty?

Jump for my answer!

Well I hate to admit it but 1. I’m considerably older than many of you which means I came from an entirely different generation and 2. I think I was a late bloomer when it came to makeup.

First off, kids are REALLY different. I mean I’m not that old but I was incredibly different from what kids are like nowadays. I have three cousins who are so incredibly far out there that I’m absolutely gobsmacked at the going ons in their life. They have computers, the internet, laptops, netbooks, iphones, xboxes, playstations, piano lessons, ballet lessons, swimming, baseball, softball, trips to the mall, parties, dances…etc….

Ok, fact is I SO did not have that kinda insanity in my life when I was 13-16 years old. Most days it was about rushing over to my best friend Audrey’s house after school and hanging out with a few friends and doing our homework together. We had occasional school dances, v-ball, and a few other odd bits in our life but it sure wasn’t as busy as my cousin’s lives. When do these kids sleep?

Mostly important was how quickly one of my cousins got on with makeup. I believe she was like 11 when she just started getting interested in smaller pieces of cosmetics. Mind you it wasn’t anything from drugstore, she was all about picking up pieces of Sugar Cosmetics at the local Sephora (when they carried the brand).

As for me it seemed to have taken ages….

I was probably 14 or so when I started with cosmetics but nothing dramatic to be honest. Those were the days of wanting to own every single flavor of Bonnie Bell lipbalm and maybe a blush or two.

I was pretty late getting into the big wig brands and I’d say it was as old as 20 (or more?) before I started making bigger purchases. Some of my first were probably from Benefit and soon after the love of my life, Urban Decay, became an important part of my makeup life.

How about you?

How old were you when you got into makeup?

Started collecting it?

Share it!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Rena

    If Chapstick and Bonnie Bell are included as cosmetics then probably around 12. But I didn’t get into the whole makeup thing until I started working a full time job…late bloomer =/

    • the Muse

      late bloomer too rena 😀 drugstore purchases here and there but nothing major until I was at least 20? Or maybe even older! EEP!

  • Kristina

    I was 13 and in 8th grade the first time I wore makeup in public. I remember that I wore brown eyeshadow and got lots of compliments from my classmates. It was a defining moment in my awkward pimply faced life. I can be pretty!
    It was just eyeshadow or liner at first. Within a year I added lipstick and blush. It was like 1994 and I had my bangs poofed up to there, lots of black liner and dark lipstick.

    • the Muse

      LOL kristina ahhh the poof….I didn’t have one LOL I was actually trying HARD to grow my bangs out at the time 😀

  • Anitacska

    Aaw, she’s so cute! My daughter is only 4 years younger than she is (if she’s 13) and I can’t imagine her buying and wearing make up in 4 years time! :O I’m not going to forbid her or anything, she’s just genuinely not interested.

    Me on the other hand, I’ve always been into make up. Didn’t wear it when I was a child, obviously, but I was always attracted to it. I remember my Mum had this gorgeous golden brown lipstick that she never used (she doesn’t wear make up) and I kept trying it on at home. I also had a 12-colour very very cheap (in both meanings of the word) palette that I used to try on at home. I’m a magpie and I love shiny colourful stuff, so make up is perfect for me. 🙂 I actively got into make up when I was about 14-15, we’re talking colourful mascaras here, nothing major. But by my late teens I was properly into it.

    • the Muse

      anita isn’t it a little scary to think about it? 😀

      See my mum was so no nonsense. Not much into makeup and such so I was never super tempted by it 😀

  • Jennifer

    Definitely a late bloomer here: just a few months ago at 23! I bought most of my things from the drugstore the first month (after scouring Youtube for “best of drugstore” products), and have very gently branched out since then. My first non-drugstore purchase was a Stila eyeshadow quad w/ free lipglaze and my first haul during the UD F&F sale (you were witness to that!).

    Since then, I’ve managed to restrain myself and only picked up a few more things(a NARS blush, Viva Glam Cyndi, more drugstore lipstick and drugstore dupes for UD 24/7 pencils). However, I completely fell off the nail polish wagon when the Zoya exchange program came up in April 😡

    • the Muse

      aw bless jennifer 😀 a baby 😀 hehe!

      LOL so how is your makeup life after all these purchases? 😀

      • Jennifer

        Hahaha

        My makeup life is full of lemmings and being a bad influence on my friends (to spend money).

        I guess I never got into makeup around the same time as my friends because 1) I’m Chinese and only had white friends, so I had no idea how to put eyemakeup on without looking GOD AWFUL and 2) my mom is very low-maint so there was never any makeup in the house to play with.

        Plus, I feel a bit embarrassed to be preening in front of a mirror in front of my parents! I just know if I had done that in my teens I would get lectured and told to hit the books or practice piano LOL… Though ever since I moved out (6 years ago?) I do all sorts of things that would have yielded lecturing… such as staying up late, eating ice cream before bed, and sitting at the computer all day bwahahha…

  • Kate

    Oh geez, way to early! Probably starting at 12-13 I would stockpile makeup while on trips (so much my mom finally had to tell me to knock it off). I would only sporadically wear it though–mainly because I had rules and could never keep them straight.

    Me: Ok could I wear eyeshadow when I turned 14 or 15. Ack, its too hard to remember! lol

  • Ally_D

    I didn’t really get in to makeup big time until earlier this year. Before that I just wore it on “special” occasions, like 5/6 times a year! I’m definately a late bloomer cos I’m ****hangs head in shame**** 31!

    I totally feel you about it being a different time now to when I was younger – we used to have to go to the library and use encyclopedias to do our school work and our essays were written by hand! Kids nowadays don’t know they’re born.

    Now, I’m off to retire to my rocking chair and slippers… 😀

    • the Muse

      ha ally we are around same age 😀 It’s strange because we aren’t THAT OLD jesus…it’s not like we are 70 but it really is an entirely different generation. I just remember spending more time outside with my bike and such. Kids don’t do that anymore 😀

      Hell I had a word processor and thought I was the sh*t! LOL that alone was super technology back than :_D HA! me too!

    • Hithlain

      Yeah well when I was in Jr. High they used to actually ask us if we had computers at home to write our papers. About half of us did!

      Now all my college homework is online. If the internet doesn’t work or you don’t have a computer, tough cookies. The labs are always full!

  • Nunu

    I went to a strict fuddy duddy English school where it was absolutely forbidden to wear a single stitch of lipgloss never mind the whole nine yards. Then in University I was far too lazy and couldn’t give a care to my appearances, so I’ll have to say I only started when I began working after University. It’s still a learning experience and to this day, I have my moments where my blusher looks clownish >_>
    What amazes me about kids nowadays is where the heck do they get the money to buy their stuff?

    • the Muse

      nunu *raises hand* DITTO! ;-D I went to all girl’s school and it was pretty much an unspoken rule we could not go around with gobs of makeup on our face 😀 a little blush or gloss yes but full on makeup would say get you a lecture.

      Amen sista LOL where the FREAK do they get the cash!?

  • Ciambella

    I would wear eyeliner for class photos beginning in middle school, and always wore a full face for special occasions (prom) or stage performances (other than orchestra; you can’t see the violists behind the conductor!). I eschewed daily-wear makeup until college. And then all hell broke loose. I love wearing makeup now; it makes me feel really put together, and it’s fun as heck to put on! But I must be pretty old-fashioned, because if I had a daughter I don’t think I’d let her wear or buy makeup until she’s left my house and gone to college, at which point she’d be an adult. Special occasions, sure, and maybe mineral foundation so long as she knows how to wash her face properly, because it did seem to help my acne when I finally discovered and started wearing EDM in college. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there because I don’t have any kids at all yet, but my feeling is that 11 (or even 13) is too young. Different strokes for different folks!

    • the Muse

      ciambella you aren’t alone. I think it’s way too young as well. perhaps 15 but not 11 not 12 and not 13..that’s just a little too young. maybe smaller items like a little lip balm and such but never full on cosmetics!

  • Marina

    Okay, so I’m still pretty young. I’m 17. But I have been gradually getting into different aspects of makeup.
    Time line time!
    10: I started using chapsticks/Lipsmackers glosses. That was the extent of it all.
    11-12: very little eyeshadow and clear glosses.
    13-14: mascara, more vibrant shadows, clear glosses
    15-16: more complex looks, liner, mascara, colored glosses and on a RARE occasion, lipstick.
    Present: I’ve finally started using blushes and foundations. Previously I had left my face alone, but I have such Bipolar skin that I’ve resigned that I need to do something about it. As for other makeup, obviously at 17 I don’t have much money coming in. On occasion I get an allowance, other times I get money from odd jobs. So I can’t exactly go to Sephora and buy everything (though your posts do tempt me, haha). But when I get something new, I try and get something that is practical and that I have many uses for. That’s one thing I’ve seen progress: I used to just say “Ooo! A pink liner.” But realistically, pink does not bode well on me. It makes me look like I’ve been smoking something I shouldn’t be. So I’ve become more thoughtful about my purchases, hence me reading your blog and watching YT gurus.
    And you are so right about life being more insane for teens! I try and stay out of the drama I just don’t want to deal with it…but it can get crazy. And electronics have become so essential to life nowadays (though it is debatable…) that it’s hard not to find someone who isn’t hooked up to one. They make life become a blur…we’re all so busy with electronics. They make life a breeze, so we must cram in more and more into each day. Give it to a kid who has to focus on schoolwork and you’ve got a ton of stress. I know I just finished my A.P. tests for this year, and when this past Friday came, I slept for 12 hours. I never sleep more than 5 or 6.
    So anyways, rambling done. I have to thank you for your blog, because not only has it entertained me, but it has helped me grow as a makeup user and connoisseur.

  • Phyrra

    I started wearing makeup when I was probably 14-15, but wasn’t really into makeup until about 2 years ago, when I started blogging.

  • LINDARRAGNAR

    Oh muse I am such a late bloomer!! to be honest I think because I bloomed so late I only wear really good makeup (good brands and it looks flattering, usually you will see a 12 year old with the typical blue eyeshadow and glittler lipstick and crazy blusher.)

    I got into makeup 2 years ago when I was 14, It made me more confident and showed me that I could transform and be different. Idk it sounds corny but I think Every lady who uses makeup feels better with it on.

    Even though I only got into makeup like a year ago I love it and have started a deadly craving for expensive and
    LE items. 🙂 <3

    • the Muse

      I agree Linda. Makeup gives alot of confidence :_D well said for someone your age!

      ha! Where do you get your $$ to buy stuff? Totally a nosy ass question but I always wonder where kids get $$ for makeup nowadays 😀 of course you really don’t have to answer either, as that is a rather personal question!

  • Smirking Valet

    I suppose I always thought I was more mature than my age. I remember wearing garish, dangly earrings at 9, and carrying a purse instead of a bookbag at 11. But for makeup, it was definitely 12 that I got into it. Estee Lauder had these holiday sets, I think they were called the Coloring Box. They looked so pretty, so every Hanukkah I’d ask for one! I would rock bright red lips everyday, but couldn’t do a smokey eye to save my life!

    I’m impressed this girl has the techniques down! More power to her!

  • Imogen

    I’m about to turn 16, and I’ve just recently started getting interested in makeup. Up until now my friends and I have never really noticed or cared, but now that we’re a bit older we’re starting to get into cosmetics and such.

    In response to your $$ question for Linda, I attend a boarding school where most girls can buy upscale makeup without thinking twice about the price, so they can easily afford to buy whatever they want. But as a girl on a scholarship, I can’t randomly buy any product that catches my eye, so I have to exercise a lot of self-control in my purchases. I have a wishlist of products I’ve seen/heard great things about, and then I save money from my school job, babysitting, etc. and spend it on whatever I need most. It takes a lot of moderation, but in a way I think it’s important that I have to watch my spending now because when I grow older and get a larger income I’ll know not to blow it all on pretty-looking cosmetics!!

  • jonnie

    I don’t remember how old I was… remember the drugstore line that came in baby pink compacts? I think it was a Maybelline thing… anyway, that was the first makeup I lusted over… maybe 8th-9th grade? I was always jealous of my friend Megan’s Clinique stuff, but my family couldn’t afford that kind of thing… college was when I first got into other brands. I think other than finally getting to buy someof the coveted Clinique I got into Origins and Shiseido, and from there just kept trying more and more until I discovered Sephora and now… 😀

  • Hithlain

    haha, yeah I just got into it last year (age 20!) when I started watching Michelle Phan on youtube. 1 mascara for thanksgiving break and 6 months later I’ve got an entire collection!

  • Jayme

    I did not get into makeup till last year, that being said though i still do not wear all that much makeup or wear it every day.

    Up untill i was 19 i really only wore makeup for special occasions. Now i do wear it more offten and know more about what i am doing, but i do not wear nearly as much as that 13 year old.

  • mercedes

    7, yep i was seven. I started getting makeup sets for christmas and birthday presents and i just fell in love! i collected them until last year when i came to my senses and realized how much germs must be on four year old makeup,so i threw everything out and bought some new stuff. Then i started reading bobbi brown books and i decided (i first came up with this idea when i was 8 ) i wanted to be an MA, i loved how cosmetics could make a women feel bautiful when you put it on right,not going crazy with pink eyeshadow and glitter (totally me) but now i have a TON of diffrent brands,including higher end (yay!!) oh and i case you’re wondering i walk dogs in a fancy scmancy neighborhood. Def brings in the dough!

    • the Muse

      lol mercedes damn girl! I think that’s awesome particularly walking dogs…how cool! :-D!!!!!!!!! You should proud of yourself missus!

      • mercedes

        haha thanks! it quite a workout..but i feel super responsible and proud of myself when i walk my babies (thats what i call them). Even though i LOVE,LOVE makeup i love archeology more and i hope to become an archeologist first and foremost, and also happen to be a MA on the side. Not hardcore celeb thing but something that gives me joy.

  • Lillian

    Ok having read everyone elses comments it seems that i was an insanely early bloomer! I started being very interested in makeup at around 10 years old, though i didn’t start wearing it properly until i was about 13. Before that i just played with it on occaision but i loved it and wished i could wear it everyday (we werent allowed to wear it at school until over 16 and i was a little nerd and feared getting in trouble :P). I remember stealing a red lipstick from my mum and wearing it around the house feeling so pleased with myself. And putting a full (albeit horrible looking) face on and jumping up and down on my Mum’s bed to David Bowie, i wanted to be Ziggy Stardust you see :P. By 14 i had started my huge collection including Mac and loved experimenting with really over the top looks… some things never change.

  • Lucky

    Old enough to know better! 13?!? Cheesus Crisp, what is this world coming to?!?

    Sure, at 15 or 16 I dabbled in the odd lipgloss and liquid liner (which my mother -disturbed by my complete lack of femininity – had dragged me to the Lancome counter and forced me to buy) but even I didn’t buy my first foundation or powder until I was 18 (once again, Lancome). I discovered my first Sephora at 21. I only developed a full fledged MU addiction at the ripe old age of 24! Kids these days!

    This is too much for my poor old ticker; I need a glass of warm milk and long nap!

    • the Muse

      LOL Mandy. I was lucky enough never forced 😀 I don’t think I wore foundation until I was 25 LOL! got you beauty.

      ha!

  • Heather / Eyeconic

    I always wore a lot of black eyeshadow in 7th and 8th grade, and then I didn’t wear any makeup until I was around 16, because the L’Oreal HiP colors came out and I was so excited to have neat colors, of course not knowing about anything like Urban Decay or the indie brands I shop at. I’m not gonna lie, 16 was also when my friend taught me how to shoplift, so I started hoarding makeup that way. Of course I am a good girl now and I pay for my things :3

  • grace

    Before i ever bought makeup I always wanted to buy makeup but i never had the money because i always thought food > makeup… so i spent all my money on food. i still think that way.. but i guess as i got older i had more money to spend.

    So i started at age 14 when i bought my very first makeup thing. It was a concealer because i had this massive pimple on my face and i wanted to cover it. Later that year i bought a powder foundation and an eyeshadow duo from maybelline. a few months later i bought the mac studio fix fluid foundation.. Then a month later i started to drugstore cosmetics once a week.. Like 6 months later i won a $500 gift certificate to benefit cosmetics. And after that i just went crazy hauling several times a week from drugstore and department brands. so at the age of 16 i had SO much makeup.. For christmas i got a LOAD of sephora gift cards… So i started to buy a lot of higher end makeup.. and now im still 17 and i have a massive collection.
    its a little strange when you’re all into makeup and your friends arent.. like they have what they need. and i have what i need and A LOT more.

  • angelicbb

    I bought my first piece of makeup, a cheapie Maybelline eyeliner last year and I was 16 years old 🙂 I don’t wear makeup everyday but I’ve amassed quite the collection :X I have some younger cousins who are 13 who wear heavy eye makeup everyday to school…. *shrug*

  • Taylor

    Mmm, I started sneaking cheap drugstore eyeshadow when I was in the fifth grade, and definitely playing with it around the house when I was at least in the fourth grade. By the time seventh grade hit (12-13) I was wearing multiple products regularly.

  • Ashley

    Honestly… I am not a fan of those 13 year old girls (and boys) going crazy over make-up on Youtube or blogs. At such a young age, they should not have to worry about appearances or feel it is necessary to smack something blue & pink on their face to get noticed!
    I find it really wrong but that’s just me :\
    I started using chapstick & lip gloss when I was 13 though. I stopped cause for the life of me I have no idea why I ever enjoyed gloss on the lips. I ate it right off!

  • Lauren

    I was about to scoff at this 13 year old beauty guru but then realized my baby sister is 12 and partakes in my make-up obsession >.>

    Though my baby sister got into make-up more as a way to hang out with me (I’m 20) so there’s a bit of an age gap between us. But she’s more “oooh pretty colors” and doesn’t wear it outside or at school. Even though the little munchkin somehow lifted my ud alice palette she’s pretty tame and doesn’t spend all her lunch money at the drugstore only when she’s with me and mummy at sephora or the cosmetic company.

  • Ra-jin

    I started when I was 16 and that was just light eyeshadow and some eyeliner and mascara. Nothing else really. ahhaha and then more dramatic stuff when I was 17 like full bright colored eyeshadows. I never used drugstore makeup, it looked cheap and smelled weird. I started with MAC and then came to love MUFE and Urban Decay etc. Now that I’m 19, I just got tinted moisturizer, no foundation ever loI just don’t think I need it. Also, just got into skincare. I used to just use water (bad, I know!) but I never had any pimples or acne or anything even with oily skin. So, I guess its not really late but not super early either. ^_^

  • Robyn

    i played with eyeshadow/lipgloss etc from 11 havent been out my house without foundation since i was 13 and only without eyeliner and mascara when i needed to feign illness to get outta class currently im 17 lol

    i know many people might think thats to young to have a full face of make up at 13 all i can say is blame the bullies kids nowadays are rather cruel and its even worse now the 1st years at my school (11/12) are as orange as oompa loompas (in the original and best charlie and the chocolate factory) its a shame but a must unless you intend to be fed to the lions

  • Sarah

    Im actually subscriber to her! She’s 12 years old, its shocking haha. Im 14 years old and started wearing real makeup the beggining of 8th grade so 13ish and lipgloss and smackers like 8 and up maybe.

  • Tinkerchelle

    Oh My God. That girl was born the year I graduated high school! Is that even possible?!? I totally know what you mean about a different generation. Until middle school I did reports on my mom’s old typewriter! It had a cursive typeface and everything, LOL! I wore makeup in high school, but it was always the same- heavy black eyeliner and blood red lipstick. *shakes head* I didn’t get into high end makeup until I was in my 20’s and the real obsession with it began only within the 3 years or so. I’m not even sure how it started. There are simply to very clear cut eras in my life- BMU and AMU. 🙂

  • Rachael

    :O Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for putting me on your blog! I was messaged by one of my subscribers! Thanks so much. 🙂

    xoxo
    Rachael

    • the Muse

      aw my pleasure rachael keep up the great work 😀 you must be the youngest beauty guru on youtube 😀

  • DivaShop

    I’m definitely a late bloomer. I’ve always had some makeup since I was about 14, but it wasn’t really something I messed w/except occasionally for special occasions & even then I didn’t do it that much. I didn’t really get into it until about a few years ago, & I’m 35! Lol.

  • teresa

    i hate to admit it with all of these people saying that they are late bloomers but i started to wear makeup somewhere between the 4th and 6th grade and i started to really love it when i was 13 and keep in mind that im 15 right now so im very musch younger than most of your followers(not being rude just saying)

  • Heather C.

    I didn’t really get into make up until…probably 20ish.

  • Lauren

    I didn’t really get into makeup until I was 23! Before then, then only thing I knew how to do is put on black liquid eyeliner. It’s still one of my favorite looks though, and I’m surprised by how many experienced beauty enthusiasts still don’t know how to use liquid liner. That makes me feel good. 😀

  • Vera

    I remember in the 11th grade when a girlfriend I didn’t normally hang out with invited me over and introduced me to EYELINER!!! I always wore it tactfully (not trashily thick or anything) and I remember my mom breaking down one day a few months after, crying because she just didn’t know what was going on now that I was wearing eyeliner and all. haha So I stopped wearing it for a while and I just wore CLEAR MASCARA. Yep. In my senior pics all I had on was clear mascara. I didn’t even curl my lashes! I’ve always had chapstick. I think I was about 19-20 when I finally decided to wear mascara and eyeshadow. Not til 2008 did I even wear foundation (and it was bareminerials). So, yeah I’m in the same boat as you. My cousin has a touch phone. She is 10. I don’t even have one of those. I don’t NEED it. I’m 23. Maybe I should need it…..

  • Melissa

    I started wearing lipgloss and mascara in the sixth grade at age 11 but not to school only for fun.. My dad had one rule and one rule only. If I was gonna wear girly crap (aka makeup) I had to do it right. No daughter of his was gonna leave the house looking like a clown or a whore. So by the time I was in the 8th grade I knew how to wear dad approved eye makeup. I didn’t get into MAC until senior year of high school and it was down hill from there. Or maybe it was uphill.

  • nekosan

    From the comments so far, i win on “late bloomer” – that is, if this makeup experiment even sticks. In the last few months, i’ve worn foundation for the first time, looked at makeup at a mall store (Nordstrom’s and Sephora) the first time, worn makeup for two days in a row for the first time. I’m 38. (I mistyped that as “28” the first time. *sigh*)

    Up till now, i’ve been a “wear makeup once or twice a year, if that” person, usually limited to eyeshadow (browns) and mascara. (Lots of makeup smells/itches/makes me break out). I’ve kinda figured out blush now; I’ll wear tinted lip gloss now but lipstick still baffles me, and i have no clue how people do what they do to their eyebrows. Le sigh. I find makeup absolutely fascinating, but I still feel like a total outsider. It’s like i missed some vital stage while growing up; when the other girls were saying things like “that guy has a cute butt” or “oooh, look at this makeup magazine”, i was listening to classical music and having fun doing number theory. =?

    • nekosan

      Hmmm. If it’s okay to get personal here – i think part of the reason I’m so scared to go out in public with makeup is that I was made fun of how i looked as a kid. (Weren’t we all?) But really, when I was in 3rd grade, people made fun of me for “wearing mascara”, “wearing eye makeup”, and “wearing lipstick”, when i just have bad allergies (so allergic shiners, which means it looks like i have two black eyes, and long eyelashes) and perpetually chapped lips (so, very red – and peeling, and bleeding sometimes). In middle school, it was “wearing too much mascara” and “doing eye makeup funny”; by high school it was “not knowing how to use a lip pencil” and “not knowing how to apply lipstick” (still naked faced; still just bad allergies and chapped lips, though less so through religious use of clear chapstick). Oh, and “not brushing my teeth” – from teeth stained yellow from antibiotics i was given as an infant.

      I’m old enough that people act better now, though do get occasional comments that I respond oddly to. (“I really love the lipstick you’re wearing today! It’s very flattering, you should wear that shade more often.” “Uh, i went hiking over the weekend; this is wind chapping with a touch of sunburn through the SPF. No lipstick. Just clear lip healer.”) I feel extremely obnoxious when i wear mascara; i feel like i look like I’m wearing bad false eyelashes. *sigh* Why should colored dirt feel so complex?

      • the Muse

        aw nekosan I’m so sorry to hear it. kids can be CRUEL! 🙁 *hugs* but hey at least your naturally beautifully chapped lips draw attention haha it’s actually kinda flattering that they think you have lipstick on and you don’t eh?> 😀

  • Ceriene

    Lol, this is going to be embarrassing. I didn’t really get into make-up until I was around 17 (I’m 18 now), but when I was 11 or so, I randomly bought one eyeshadow (some bronzy color from the Body Shop of all places) and liked to swipe it on my eyelids on a daily basis. Then my emo years came along, and cheapo black pencil eyeliner I used to wear all the time. It smudged, and I left it there, because I thought it was ‘grunge-y’, god forbid.

    It does throw me off when I see little kids getting manicures and putting on a full face of make up though. Whatever happened to running into sprinklers and just being themselves?

  • Gia

    I remember the exact date. Well not off hand but it’s written in my Princess Jasmine Diary from when i was in 4th grade saying “my dad is going to let me wear nail polish, light colors only, and lip gloss” *badly spelled of course* And then the next page i did swatches of all the nail polish colors I had bought. I was excited. lols. Always a dork

    But other than lip gloss I didn’t start wearing or even knowing something beyond a drugstore until I was 13 and my dad took me to the Clinque counter for face wash and i got to buy a blush and eyeshadow too!! I still have them even though they don’t work and are over 12 yrs old.

  • Chellet

    DAMN. 13 is so young. They don’t need foundation! I guess eye liner is enough, but still iffy on it because they should look as natural as they are. If I had skin like I did in 13, I would never spend so much on foundation as I do right now (to cover up stupid acne). Actually, I think if I didn’t have acne at all, I wouldn’t be into makeup… maybe some eyeliner and black eye shadow… lip gloss? but that’s it. I just want nice skin again… 🙁

    I started makeup when I got into college which is 3 years ago. Soo… I’m a late bloomer too I guess. I had a small phase of drugstore items, but since I’m in college and get financial aid, I splurge on high end brand stuff. Woot woot. 😀 I like Nordstrom’s a lot. lol.

  • Bora

    Ah, I completely empathise with this girl because I was an early starter with make-up. I bought my first drugstore products when I was 11 and got my first MAC Lipstick at 13 (Twig, after reading about it in Vogue). This was all behind my parents back, lest anyone thinks I’m from an ultra relaxed family. I wasn’t allowed to officially wear make-up until I was 17 but that didn’t stop me hauling it and sneaking it on whenever I could before then. I also bought Shu Uemura, Benefit and loved hanging around the department store counters as teenager, begging the sales assistants to have old perfume bottle testers to collect. I think I was lucky that most of the counter staff in my area were really nice and encouraged me rather than treating me like a shop lifter!

    Growing up in London all the high-end and niche stuff was readily available so I was immersed in it from a young age. I also had lipsticks and lipglosses from Poppy King’s first lipstick range many many many years ago. THAT’S how old I am.

    • the Muse

      bora you are so NOT old 😀 *hugs* lol!

      I don’t think my ‘rents had any special rule set for makeup really but I remember being really late to the ballgame as I recall it…it’s all fuzzy, must be old age LOL I do know I was heavily obsessed with drugstore crap makeup considering my first job as a teen was at CVS, ah the glory days!

      Do you still have the 1st lipstick from Poppy King? LOL!

  • yuki

    I’m 100% a late bloomer too!! hahaha… Up till now, I only wear BB cream, loose powder, lip balm, and some blush… these are the only makeup I wear everytime I go out… unless I have to attend something formal, I’ll put on some lipstick, mascara, and a little eye shadow… haha… I’m quite lazy… I just turned 20 (1.5 years ago lol)… Started wearing some foundation (my only makeup last time) 2 years ago… I’m amazed at the students in my campus who have the time to wear FULL makeup so early in the morning (class starts at 8am). I”d rather use that time to sleep =)

  • Petra

    I was very much attrackted to makeup even as a little child, I’d say I’d put on eyeshadow and liptsick for play at age 4, but never in public. That was just part of playing dress up, when putting on mom’s heels. 🙂
    Then I kinda lost interest, and it all started with concealer, which my mom bought me when I had one really bad pimple which took ages to heal, and made me incredibly selfconscious (you know,the one pimple that you’ll always remember, it was so bad :)). No, wait. By then I may have already started to wear mascara and some eyeliner, but both sparingly. I remember that me and my friends started wearing these around aage 13-14,and one of my friends only wore mascara, the other only liner, and I wore both. 🙂 Then in highschool came the powder, blush and eyeshadow, too. Only drugstore.
    I started wearing highed end when I started working during college, and at this time our first MAC opened. It’s a slippery slope from there. 🙂 (Btw, I’m 24 now)

    • the Muse

      lol petra that was an awesome story 😀 and I totally know the really bad pimple, the one you’ll never forget, hell I have the scar to prove it LMAO

  • Stephanie

    I cannot remember at all. Possibly middle school. My ten year old stepdaughter is already in to makeup! Thankfully she just keeps it to lip products. She is constantly snatching my lipsticks, stains, glosses . . .

    • the Muse

      omg steph ten!? wow! I swear kids are so different from my youthful days!

  • dangster

    I think I have everyone beat in terms of age–I never really got into makeup until last year–when I was 25, LOL.

    Well, ok, I started buying my first pieces of makeup (just lip smackers and the like) when I was 18, but I never was actually into it until long after I graduated from college and had lots of money to blow. I used to have plenty of storage space in my bathroom, but now it’s positively stuffed!

  • Kiera

    If you consider lipgloss makeup then I probably started back when I was 13, but that was about it… I was a happy gal with my lip smackers watermelon flavored gloss.

    Then when I got to highschool, probably when I was 15 I started to use eyeliner everyday, and blotting powder to get rid of the shiny-es of my face.

    When I got in collage, at 18, thats when I started to use makeup in a regular basis

  • Marsha

    I got into make up after going to MAC to get my make up done for my senior pictures, at the time I 17, that was 10 months ago. Now I’m 18 about to graduate from high school in 3 weeks. I’m a total MACaholic now.

  • lalala309

    hmmmmm lets see, when i was 8 my japanese friend gave me a cute hello kitty compact with eyeshadow gloss and blush….. man i thought i was the bomb….. but that was it with me and makeup till the summer after 6th grade(i was 12), on vacation i read a ton of makeup books and got relly into makeup…. ive been adicted ever sense (im 14 now)

    • lalala309

      haha and sry ive always been a lurker but i had 2 share my story hehe 🙂

    • the Muse

      ha lala that damn hello kitty will do it every time 😀

  • Megs

    My mum was really strict and I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup but when I had my school ball at 17 mum took me down to the shops and got me my first set of makeup. It was all Revlon, colourstay foundation, blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, lipliner. I was so happy with them. I went through this phase o wearing makeup everyday but I wasn’t very good at putting it on so stopped wearing too much. Since I started working as a flight attendant I have taken a big interest in makeup and have got a little collection started. I’ve become obsessed with blushers and bronzers and can’t stop myself buying them!!!

  • Colleen

    I started wearing light make-up when I was 9…just like powder it seems crazy to start that young but make-up has always had a special place n my heart, I probaly ruined about a 20 of my moms lipsticks by drwing with them all over my face when I was really little lol. NowI am 14 and I am totally obssesed with make-up and i am into big brands like Urban Decay and MAC!!!

  • Bonnie

    When I was about 20 and took a job at a bookstore in a nice mall. Then I made friends with the girls who worked at the Chanel and Origins makeup counters, and I was done for! 🙂

  • Bonnie

    Also, I am shocked by how young these girls are wearing “real” makeup…I wasn’t allowed to wear anything but lip gloss until I was 16. And even then, Mom wouldn’t let me wear foundation–she thought it would ruin my “natural beauty”. That’s Mom for ya!

    • the Muse

      I agree bonnie 😀 ha! I gotta say 11-12…I wasn’t into makeup..I think I still had a barbie doll LOL

  • Jenny

    Egads! I’m always late to the party but I started with makeup really, really young. My earliest recollection is when I was around 3. I’m not sure where I got it, but it was a blue cream eyeshadow in a lipstick tube-esque applicator. I thought it was lipstick so I put it on my lips and my aunt said it was for my eyes. So I tried wiping my lips off on her carpet. 🙂 Then, I got one of those cheapy kits with garish clown colors for girls. Every girl in my neighborhood came over and got their half blue/half pink eyes done. My mom was never into makeup but she did have some. I remember a gorgeous gold/pink lipstick that I thought was so cool. So I’d put on her heels and wear the lippie. I was around 8 or 9 then. My mom was also not pleased when I wore makeup in my grade 6 photos. Lipstick(tasteful and matched my skin tone perfectly) and mascara, only. I was around 15 when I started wearing eye makeup heavily…literally. Black eyeliner alllll around my eyes. It still looked good, but it was just too much. I couldn’t afford nice things until about 6 years ago…my boyfriend is the one who introduced me to Sephora! He doesn’t know we’ve had a love affair ever since. No, he does know, and bribes me with trips to Sephora…then I started working at a CCO…oh Lord…I’m 27 now, and I can’t see me ever not loving makeup. I’ve had an appreciation for beauty out of the womb. I’d buy makeup waaaaay before I’d buy clothes…always have, always will. I love makeup!