As my almost-three-year old daughter, Ciara, prepared for her birthday this October, my husband and I had to think about what to do for her birthday party. In the past, we have held all of the kids’ birthday parties at home, and we figured that we would probably do the same thing this year, but our daughter’s interests led us in another direction. As she and I were walking through Macy’s on our way into the mall one day, Ciara became entranced by the women getting their makeup done at the various makeup counters. She approached the M.A.C. counter and very earnestly asked the young woman working there to do her makeup. The woman gave her an odd look and continued talking to her adult customers. This was one of those lightbulb-over-the-head moments. My daughter, who is as in love with makeup and dressing up as she is with dragons and ninjas, should have her birthday party at Libby Lou.
Since she couldn’t get an adult makeover at Macy’s, I figured that a kid makeover at Libby Lou would suffice. In fact, I imagined it would be a much more fun experience for her since the place caters to young girls specifically. We went down to the Libby Lou in our mall and I let her feel it out. Did she like it there? Did she seem comfortable? She was certainly attracted to the sparkly jewelry, the makeup and the bubbly staff, and I was sufficiently convinced that this would be an innocent, fun activity appropriate for a just-turned-three-year-old. We checked out the prices: Most packages ranged between $30 and $35, which was fine as the only person she wanted to invite was her cousin, Deanna. We arranged for a Saturday party and waited.
The big day arrived about a week later and Ciara was very nervous. She was scared that the girls were going to cut her hair, not just style it, or that Deanna would be mad at her for some reason. When we got there, though, all fear was erased. She grabbed Deanna by the arm and they ran into the store. The girls who work there were very sweet and friendly. First they led Ciara and Deanna into a changing room where they were able to pick out a dress-up outfit. These were just to wear during the party, but if we had wanted to, we could have purchased our own to take home. The girls changed and then it was off to their chosen activity. The package that Ciara chose was the charm bracelet, and both she and Deanna got to pick out three charms to put on their bracelets. They both seemed to really enjoy this. The charms available were really cute: dogs, little purses, hearts etc.
Next, they went to another area of the store to get their nails, makeup and hair done. First they chose nail polish. The shades available were light pastels: purple and pink mostly. The girl who was doing their makeovers very gently painted their nails and then put a little bit of light eye shadow on them. Then she applied little silver stickers to their faces. Next, she did their hair. Ciara chose the princess hairstyle and got a little updo with a tiara. Deanna chose the “Dance Diva” hairstyle and got a funky ‘do with a fake pink hairpiece. Then they were each given a few squirts of sparkly spray in their hair. They both looked adorable and were obviously pleased with their transformations.
Last but not least, the girls got to choose either a fashion show or a dance to do. I didn’t realize this would be done out in the mall and chose the chicken dance, thinking it would be the most fun for my silly little three-year-old. Little did I know that I was going to be flapping my wings with them out in the middle of the mall as I tried to make Ciara feel a little bit more comfortable about dancing! It was fun though.
By that evening when we attended a family birthday party, they were both back to their normal selves, but I think the experience was a very positive one for both of them. I was a bit reluctant at first to bring Ciara there because I thought it might be too flashy and sexualized as many things for young girls are these days, but ultimately, it seems harmless. She got to dress up and be a princess for an hour, and who doesn’t like to do that once in a while?
