Pull the child's hair back with clips or a headband. Wash her face and neck with a gentle facial cleanser. Towel dry and apply moisturizer to the face and neck, avoiding the eyelids. Moisturizer on the eyelids can create puffiness.
Place a dot of base foundation on each cheek, the middle of the forehead and the chin. Massage the makeup into the skin using a makeup sponge. Choose a shade that matches the skin. Blend the foundation into the skin carefully to avoid any makeup lines.
Ask the child to smile. Apply with circular strokes blush or bronzer to the child's cheeks. You can contour the cheeks by having the child suck his cheeks in and applying color slightly under the cheekbone. If the child has a weak jaw line, use a small amount of blush to define the area of the jawbone.
Moisturize the lips and if needed exfoliate with a towel. Trace the natural lip line with the lip pencil. Fill in the lips with the lip color directly or with a lip brush. Boys in general will use neutral colors for the lips, while girls may use brighter pink and red tones.
Dust translucent powder carefully over the closed eyelid with a cotton ball. The goal is to open up the eyes so expressions will be seen from the audience. In the crease of the eyelid trace the natural curve of the eye with eye shadow using a cotton swab or your finger.
Work the point of your eyeliner pencil down on a tissue. Have the child shut both eyes. Carefully hold one eyelid taut and trace the area right above the lashes on the top lid. Do not draw on the area below the eyelashes as the makeup may drop into the eye when on stage. Repeat on the other eye. Give the child a chance to rest the eyes and watch for tearing.
Apply mascara by having the child focus on your chin. Brush the mascara up and along the lash line.
Look for any imbalances, makeup lines and mistakes. Correct and then powder the face with cotton balls or with a clean blush brush to eliminate shine.
Use makeup remover and lukewarm water to take the makeup off post performance. Be gentle around the eyes. Add moisturizer to soothe the skin.