ZF - not a big fan here, but I will say that its probably because an IVF Buddy of mine has a 4 yo who is into calisthenics and dancing and is often made up like a grown woman with eyeliner, full foundation, lipstick etc and frankly it makes me feel a little sick. Her daughter who is very pretty naturally but is obsessed with looking 'beautiful' - I see a life of low self esteem ahead for her as she is already obsessed with making her self beautiful with makefup. It really frightens me should this next baby be a girl that I'd have things like this to worry about.
I'm a bit old fashioned though - I want to keep my kids as kids as long as possible - they have time for all that adult stuff later! I don't mind pretend play but I wouldn't actually purchase makeup at this age.
To me play makeup is no different to dolls, playing house or any of the other things. It's a form of mimicking. DD had play makeup as a kid, she also had plastic makeup and she loved it. Now at 10 she doesn't wear makeup, she's not obsessed by it or anything like that. She loves perfume more than she does makeup.
I never purchased it for her, it was always presents from other people. And like someone else mentioned I was a little funny about some of the cheap and nasty stuff due to chemicals etc.
She never wore it out. Just as she never wore her play high heels etc. And just like she doesn't ask for high heels now, she has "tween" makeup lip gloss etc and she doesn't wear it.
To me it was all part of the pretend play phase. It wasn't sexualising her no more than pretending to clean the house, or playing mums & dads.
My DD likes to put on eyeshadow and lipstick when I am putting make up on. She has her own lipsmackers lip balm & that was b/c she was helping herself to my makeup! I don't have a problem with putting on that sort of make up but I wouldn't allow her until she was in her teens if she was going to wear more of it & only for special occassions.
I have NO issue with it for play time (which is what you are suggesting). It's just another part of the dress up box right? No different to getting dressed up as a Lion and having your face painted for that.
My DD (5) is right into playing hairdressers and beautician and so a make up kit fits in with that for her. And that's all she is interested in it for. She loves to put on lip balm when she is out and about or some pretty gloss (purple mind you!) when she's going out - but that is more a reflection of me doing that (I swear I should get shares in the stuff!). I'm sure if I wore more make up she would mimic more of the make up process.
But like another PP, I don't like the cheap make up kits aimed at kids. They are usually full of nasty stuff and I figure if I wouldn't wear it - why should DD? A part of that also stems from DD having sensitive skin and me not wanting to aggravate it.
DD does dance and last year I bought her a full make up kit from the Body Shop which I let her play with components of (the rest I either use for work or have put aside for the concert this year). Mostly DD likes to put the make up on me - she has no burning desire to make herself up all the time. She usually likes to inflict her beautician skills (and hairdressing) on Mummy
Girls have make up here. Not sure when it started. I used to rarely wear make-up, but now I do every work day. They always want some on as well (even when I wore it rarely), so they get a pat of translucent powder and some neutral lip gloss.
They have nail polish, lip gloss and some sparkly stuff that I think is meant to be blush. My main rule is not outside the house (except for the neutral stuff, that you cannot even tell they are wearing).
Sometimes they do pretend makeup with a paint brush, DD2 loves to do my face.
To be honest, I am choosing my battles these days with the girls and this is one battle I am not having ,except for the not outside the house rule. It is minor compared to the other things I am going through with them.
I used to have some of my mums old makeup to play with when doing dress ups I think she used it as an excuse to get new stuff for herself I had blush, green and blue eyeshadow and lipsticks. It hasn't scarred me for life or affected my self esteem I say go for it!
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I think she used it as an excuse to get new stuff for herself 
I say go for it!
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