Hamburg  - Observe the girls standing around any school yard and you get the feeling you are a spectator at a beauty contest.

Done-up girls walk around looking like they will soon be celebrating their 18th birthday, when in fact they are only in the seventh grade. It's not only their trendy clothes that make them look older, it's also their make-up.

There are differing views on whether powder, rouge, eyeliner and lipstick actually look good on 11-year-old schoolgirls and whether eyeshadow is even appropriate at school. Boris Entrup, a celebrity make-up artist from Munich, views it rather casually.

"From time to time you see a girl who aged six using her mother's lip gloss," said Entrup, who's done the make-up of some of the candidates on supermodel Heidi Klum's television show Germany's Next Top Model. In his opinion there's no predetermined age from which girls can put on make-up. As far as he's concerned, lipgloss and mascara are acceptable for 12 and 13-year-olds.

Monika Ferdinand, a make-up expert with the German association of cosmeticians, however, advises against applying too much colour.

"Less is more," said Ferdinand, adding that make-up can be used to help a girl underscore her personality. "A bit of powder with a touch of rouge on the cheeks combined with a bit of gloss on the lips is better than a colour orgy on the face."

Make-up trends, such as the smoky-eye look created by putting shadow around the eyes, are a bit trickier, said Anne Friedrich, a makeup artist in Berlin.

"That makes it look like the girl is spasmodically trying to look older using make-up to be allowed into a disco," said Friedrich.

There's no need for girls to plaster their faces with centimetre- thick powder or foundation, said Entrup.

"Young skin is naturally pretty. If there are places where it's shiny because of oil, they can be covered with powder, resulting in a perfect complexion," he said. There are special products recommended for girls. "The rouge, eye shadow and lipstick colours are more restrained," added Ferdinand.

Entrup advises girls to choose products without preservatives and perfumes, and he says natural products are most suitable for their skin care. Make-up that is specially developed for girls is different from that developed for mature women.

"Mature skin can withstand more than the skin of a girl," said Entrup, adding that girls who have no experience in selecting a product should have get some advice before buying.

Friedrich said make-up should never be applied to skin without first putting on a moisturizer. Also, removing make-up before going to bed is a must, she said.

"If you don't thoroughly cleanse the skin, you risk blocking the pores, which can lead to skin impurities," Ferdinand said, advising young women to select mild cleansing products.

Girls who occasionally get pimples should be especially careful, advises Entrup.

"The most important rule for girls with that problem is to keep your hands off, don't press, squeeze or otherwise interfere with the pimple in any other way," he said. Make-up can help even out the skin tone and cover up redness. "But open acne is very hard to conceal and three layers of makeup simply doesn't look good."

The less you do, the quicker the pimple goes away, Entrup said. And then modest make-up looks all the better.

To prevent aggravating pimples from occurring, make-up should be removed at the end of the day. In addition, excess oil and dirt particles also have to be removed. Specials products such as cleansing milk are helpful. Washing the face just with water is not enough. (dpa)