Little girls and make-up are a truly horrid combination. There’s nothing spookier than photographs of pre-teen beauty queens, their clear skin smeared with garish colours, their still-infantile limbs twisted into unnaturally adult poses. I can’t bear it when I see five-year-olds wearing nail polish, or toddlers with bracelets clamped around their chubby wrists, or sequined hair-bands in their wispy hair. I even find face-painting off-putting.
That said, there comes a time when make-up becomes an undeniable rite of passage. Exactly when this happens depends on the child, but happen it will. As a mother you have two options: bury your head in the sand (which will only result in your daughter doing her make-up at the bus stop instead of in the safety of her bedroom); or acknowledge the reality and retain some, however tenuous, form of maternal involvement.
Besides, if you take an interest, you stand a chance of being able to help avoid some of the more common teen make-up horrors, such as tide marks, over-plucked eyebrows and wonky eyeliner (unless, of course, you end up with a teenage daughter like mine, in which case badly blended foundation will be the least of your problems). And you might even have some fun together.
So it was that my volunteers, Mary Anne and her teenage daughter Rosa, found themselves in the capable hands of Bea at Bobbi Brown in Harrods (call 0800 0746905 for your nearest Bobbi Brown counter). Bea had no idea her efforts were going to be in print, and yet she made a huge fuss of Rosa, who was having her first make-up lesson as a birthday treat. Without being patronising, she started by giving her a few basic tips: use a brush for foundation and work from the middle outwards and downwards; smile before you apply blusher and start from the apple of the cheek; look down your nose when you’re applying mascara.
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Then she encouraged Rosa to try some stuff for herself, like putting on eyeliner. “I think you did that like a true pro,” Bea exclaimed, making Rosa (and Mary Anne) flush with pride. After that, Bea took Rosa through two basic looks: a barely-there one for every day; and a glammed-up party look.
Bobbi Brown is an excellent brand in general, but as an introduction to the joys of make-up it’s perfect. The tones are natural, so a doddle to apply, and no one ends up looking like a clown or a tart. And while it’s not as cheap as some brands, the lesson is free, and a few well-chosen products go a long way.
Next stop, the Aqua Sana spa at Center Parcs (08705 200300), where they have just launched a package tailor-made for Rosa’s age group. First up was the “totally teen” facial (£22), using Elemis products. It began with a little lecture about drinking lots of water, eating healthily and using a proper cleanser rather than shower gel or wipes (“they just spread the dirt around your face”).
The natural, fruity products were a teenager’s delight. Rosa’s face was cleansed with camomile, toned with apricot, massaged and moisturised with lavender and exfoliated with roses. After a mask made of strawberries and kiwi, Rosa emerged with glowing skin, and was delivered to Julie for a “pretty hands” manicure (£22). This included a finger bath, a hand massage, cuticle treatment and varnish. Rosa even got to keep the pot of polish and a nail file: the stuff teen dreams are made of.