My daughter has always wanted to be just like me, especially when I’m getting ready in the morning. She reaches for my brushes, my palettes, anything she can get her little hands on. So thanks to a little scrolling, I found a simple project that gives her makeup of her very own, and it cost me almost nothing.
If you have old or empty makeup palettes sitting in a drawer, this one’s for you.
The Project: Pretend Makeup From Real Palettes
The idea is easy. You take an empty or used-up makeup palette and paint each pan with a different color of nail polish. Once it dries, you’ve got a pretend makeup set that looks and feels like the real thing.
Here’s how I did it:
- Gather your palettes. Use empty ones, old ones, or that expired eyeshadow you’ve been meaning to toss. The packaging is the part you actually want.
- Clean out the pans. Scrape out and wash or wipe away any leftover product so you have a fresh surface to work with.
- Paint each pan with nail polish. Pick fun, bright colors. I’d recommend reaching for a nontoxic nail polish, especially for younger kiddos. I found pouring a little in, then spreading it out with the nail brush worked the best.
- Let it dry completely. Give the polish plenty of time to set before handing it over. It did take a while to dry, I let it dry overnight.
That’s it. The result is a colorful palette that looks like grown-up makeup but is purely for play. Make sure you gift them with a brand new (but cheap) set of makeup brushes. We don’t want to spread our germs to them! <3
My daughter loved it. There’s something special about having a “real” palette that’s hers alone, and she happily swirled her brush around in it just like she sees me do.
Why It Makes a Great Budget-Friendly Gift
Here’s something I love about this project. It’s one of the cheapest birthday gifts you can put together, and it still feels like it has such a personal touch.
Ask friends and family to save their broken, old, or expired palettes for you. Those castoffs are perfect raw material. Scrape them out, wash them, paint them up, pair them with an inexpensive set of brushes, and you’ve got a gift that any little one would be thrilled to unwrap. You’re spending next to nothing, keeping packaging out of the trash, and giving your kiddo something they’ll genuinely adore.
Would You Give It a Try?
This little project was a hit in our house, and I have a feeling it would be in yours too. So tell me, would you try turning old palettes into play makeup? Or have you already made something like this? I’d love to hear how it goes.
My Kiddo Friendly Cleaning Routine
Where there are toys, there is mess that needs to be cleaned up! One of my favorite ways to teach kids how to clean (and make it less painful) is using my Cowboy Cleanup podcast routines. They guide kids through cleaning using themed audio shows and weekly routines — and they actually make it fun.
I have free episodes you can try, and I’ll link those for you.
