When my daughter was 6 years old, we had a "Big Girl" makeover and tea party .  First, the girls were told to come in old clothes and the invitation notified parents that their girls would not look like themselves upon their return.  We started by taking "before" pictures with an instant camera (a regular will work if someone is willing to do a one hour development run.) All girls were individually photographed as is.  Next, we had a clothing rack filled from clothes from second hand stores (Goodwill, etc.) I purchased mostly prom and party dresses and all sorts of accessories- shoes, necklaces, hats, and wraps.  The girls got to pick their own ensemble and then we did makeovers. I had my friend's two girls who were pre-teens help me and we did hair, makeup and nails on all the girls (own brushes of course). I purchased these items at a Pic-n-Save (Big Lots) and got all sorts of clips and makeup at very low prices.  We painted nails as well. Then we took "after" pictures of the girls made over.  Toward the end, we then had a "tea" party with cut up finger sandwiches, punch and birthday cake.  Then we opened presents. When the parents arrived to pick up their girls, they were amazed at the transformation and the girls had a ball showing off their new looks. The before and after pictures were sent home with the girls as a memory of the party as well as a party bag filled with "beauty" items.  The girls were sent home in their new ensembles as well to add to their own dress up boxes.   This is the perfect age for this activity as they are still into dress-up but want to emulate their moms. Some of the girls kept their photos with them and showed them to anyone who looked.  We had a blast doing it and my daughter had a very memorable party that was all done at home with items from thrift and discount shops.