I have a little princess at home, who’s 4.5 years old and needs to have everything just like mom. She’s been asking for lipstick since she was 3, even before she could completely pronounce the word “lipstick”. And she regularly borrows my beauty blenders, brushes, powder puffs and so on - anything she can reach, really. One time she gave herself a peanut butter “face mask” while I dared to use the restroom alone - never a dull moment. So last Christmas season my dad asked what to get the kid for a present. And “play makeup” naturally came to my mind. I started looking for that online and could only find either a) fake plastic stuff that of course doesn’t feel like my products and wouldn’t fly with the kid or b) obnoxiously neon-violet-glittery-full-of-parabens things that would likely end up all over my house surfaces.
And then I had an idea - why not get her some “grown up” Korean skincare items in adorable kid-approved packaging? I had time to wait for shipping as we started holiday shopping early.
My criteria: no parabens in the ingredients, preferably non-crazy colors (red lipstick on a 4 year old doesn’t seem too appropriate), a “real” feel, and a total under $30 (dad’s request). I’ll put the ingredients at the very end of the article.
Apologies for the pictures - before Christmas I could only take pics in packaging, during Christmas she wouldn’t part with the items, and by now the lipstick has been used up.
The Christmas princess kit included:
1. TonyMoly Magic Food Banana Hand Milk
Available on eBay and Amazon, this hand cream is shaped like a banana with a pronounced banana aroma. I knew that she would love it, because she always asked for my mango cream by the same brand (review here). I didn’t want to buy her the same one, so I got the banana variety. It actually moisturizes pretty well (I’ve tried it, willingly and otherwise, a few times now). Another bonus is it comes out in a thin ribbon, it’s not hard to squeeze out but does take some effort from small hands, so she can’t pour out the whole tube at once.
2. TonyMoly Banana Lip Balm
Sticking with the banana theme. I didn’t even know this wasn’t a regular twist lip balm. It’s a soft squeeze product with an angled application tip sold on eBay and Amazon. Another bonus - the kid can’t squeeze out too much at once herself. Of course, she slapped some on me on various occasions. It smells like bananas and does a fine job making the lips soft and smooth. No taste (a plus for me).
3. TonyMoly Cat’s Wink Clear Pact
Ladies and gentlemen, a “real”, functional powder in a cat case that snaps closed - again, can be purchased on eBay or Amazon. At first she needed help opening it, but now she learned. We all got to test it - me, my husband, my dad… the kid likes trying to spread her makeup joy to the whole family :) It’s colorless and we’ve had no adverse reactions. I can’t speak for its usefulness in actual daily wear, but it seems fine and definitely amazing as a toy. My mom wants a powder like that for herself purely based on the packaging.
4. Etude House kitty loofah
Staying with the cat theme this time, I ordered this adorable bath loofah (available on eBay and Amazon). Nothing too special, but it’s held up even now and does everything a loofah is supposed to do. The kid is in love with it.
5. Cosmetic bag for the new treasures
This is adorable and so cheap on eBay. It fits everything (except the loofah, of course). To my huge surprise, all the stitching and zippers are still completely fine and operational, and the kid diligently puts her makeup back in the bag when she’s done, so the treasures have not been lost.
Needless to say, grandpa was super popular last Christmas (of course, I do all the work and he gets all the credit) - the kid hung on his neck squealing in delight. I think it’s good to teach kids from the young age to care for their skin. And it can start with cats and bananas, but she also doesn’t mind when I put sunblock on, unlike some of the other kids her age.
After the Christmas season, I have added some Puttisu products to her collection. You can read those reviews here.
What are your kids into? Share below or post in my Facebook group. Also check out my Instagram and Pinterest accounts.
TonyMoly Magic Food Banana Hand Milk ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Butylene Glycol, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract, Urea, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Milk Protein Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate,Phenoxyethanol, Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 6 (CI 15985).
TonyMoly Banana Lip Balm ingredients: Petrolatum,Polybutene,Silica Silylate,VP/Hexadecene Copolymer,Diisostearyl Malate,Tocopheryl Acetate,Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891),Fragrance(Parfum),Polyethylene,Dehydroacetic Acid,Polyglyceryl-2Triisostearate,Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140),Silica Dimethyl Silylate,Musa Sapientum (Banana)Fruit Extract,Ceramide 3,Cocos Nucifera (Coconut)Oil,Milk Protein Extract,Water,Butylene Glycol,1,2-Hexanediol,Phenoxyethanol