Thrifty Thursday: Pretend and Play Make-up!

posted by 7 Comments
I am so excited to share this with you today!  What little girl wouldn’t love her own “play makeup”!  My girls have had the so called “play makeup” from the store before… only it caused stained clothes and a goopy mess.  
The eye shadow found here is meant to be “pretend’.  The nail polish and hair glitter gel is just a mixture of hair gel and glitter… so easy and so much less mess than the conventional “play makeup”!
I used my old make-up and old nail polish, but there are tons of cheapy makeup items at the dollar store if you don’t have these.  This tutorial is very versatile… I am sure that once you get your imagination rolling you will find other make-up items to re-purpose!

What you need: 
Nail Polish to paint with (different colors if you have them- you can find them at the dollar store also) $1 or free
old eye shadow case (one you don’t use anymore or dollar store)  $1 or free
Nail Polish bottle (one you don’t use anymore or dollar store) $1 or free
rhinestones for decorating (optional) around $2 for 42 found at most craft supply stores
travel shampoo bottle around $1.50 found at most discount stores
eye shadow brush (optional)
disposable plastic cup
empty ribbon toll or cardboard
hair gel- price varies
glitter – price varies
nail polish remover- price varies

It was hard to estimate the cost of this project since I didn’t buy anything for it… but you are looking at a Total cost around $3.50 – $10.00
(I have a feeling that most of us women have an abundance of these things we could use- if not ask a friend!)
Take note that this would be for ages 3 and up.  Directions:

Get out all the nail polish you own and then wash out your old or cheap eye- shadow box.

Once it is washed paint (with the nail polish) the individual boxes and let them dry.  I used a generous coat of each color.  I just happened to have a little shadow brush that wasn’t used so I put that in… you could have your little girl pretend with her finger too!
Time for the nail polish that will be used for the pretend polish.  Use a disposable cup and an empty ribbon roll or cut cardboard to fit inside with a hole.  This will hold the nail polish upside down in order for it to drain any excess out.  You will want to leave the opened bottle upside down draining ALL night… it should be dry by morning.  Save the top with the bottle brush… use a little nail polish remover to get rid of excess paint on the brush. 

Use a mixture of hair gel and glitter for the “pretend nail polish”  This will give the appearance of real glitter polish, but you won’t have to worry about it getting on most clothes!  You could also leave it as is without the glitter gel and just have them pretend there is polish… up to you!  Filling the bottle is a little tricky… I used the travel shampoo bottle and squeezed it in. 

Here is a pic of the “polish”.

Next fill the travel shampoo bottle with the same glitter and hair gel mixture.  I just mixed the gel and the glitter up right in the bottle!

This pic doesn’t do the glitter justice… it looks really pretty in her hair. 

Now just add the rhinestones to the exterior and you are finished! Watch your little girl play all day with her new makeup… and don’t worry about the mess- it is washable on most surfaces.
Happy Creating!
Don’t miss out on the awesome giveaway I am hosting found here!!!

© 2011, Rachel Rockwell. All rights reserved.

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Comments

  1. Crystal :
    Feb 24, 2011 at 11:04 am

    Very cute idea! My oldest LOVES her lipgloss! It's a go to gift idea for her! Unfortunately she has dabbled in some of my more expensive makeup! We've had many chats about getting into mommy's makeup!

    Reply
  2. M* {Daydream Believers} :
    Feb 24, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    Great ideas Rachel, thanks for sharing! :)

    Reply
  3. Jen :
    Feb 24, 2011 at 10:26 pm

    You posted this at the PERFECT time for me. My 2 year old loves to stand in the bathroom with me in the morning and put on her "make-uk." I just gave her a little brush, mirror, and sponge to play with, but now I can make her even cuter stuff that she'll love! Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  4. Jenny :
    Feb 24, 2011 at 10:41 pm

    These look so fun. I would've loved these when I was little! Someone gave my daughter some cheap glittery lip gloss for Christmas. It was made in China and didn't have an ingredient list. No way would I give her makeup of that sort, especially ones that would go on her mouth! She is sort of a tomboy anyway and doesn't really care much about makeup. Maybe I'll do this project if it turns out my younger daughter is girly!

    Reply
  5. Diane :
    Feb 25, 2011 at 4:59 pm

    Awww, how much fun a little one would have with this idea Ÿ

    Reply
  6. Mrs. No-No :
    Feb 27, 2011 at 11:14 pm

    Wow! What great ideas! My little one would love this!!! I can't wait to surprise her with it! …so original…thanks!
    Found you from the 3 Jewels In My Crown blog – she spotlighted you! :)
    Carla

    Carla aka Mrs. No-No
    Mrs. No-No Knows

    Reply
  7. Kimberly from "bugaboo" :
    Mar 9, 2011 at 4:11 am

    Cute! I'm totally going to make the eyeshadow for my niece!

    Reply

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