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Overboard
How Much Makeup Is Too Much for Your Teen?
By Rachel Weingarten
Before you give up on ever seeing eye to heavily-made-up eye with your teenage daughter, here are some helpful tips to help you and your teen reach common ground:
Educate yourself.
Don't blame your teen if she's trying to copy the heavy makeup and skimpy clothes that she sees on MTV. Teens find it hard to distinguish reality from the stage and are unaware of the fact that Britney and J.Lo have stylists and makeup artists choosing definitive looks that will be the most recognizable on stage – but not appropriate for real life. Pick up a few teen magazines, and show your daughter pictures of girls that you feel are dressed appropriately or are wearing their makeup in a way that you feel is acceptable. Know the difference between teen icons. Show your teen that her world is important to you, and that you're willing to try to understand her without crowding her or trying too hard to be cool.
Set some ground rules.
Decide with your husband just how much makeup is acceptable. Bear in mind that your husband may have no clue what 
lip liner is, and he may not really care. Presenting a unified parental front will head off the inevitable: "But Daddy said that I could wear fuchsia glitter lipstick and black nai polish on the first day of junior high!"