I don’t wear it and probably never will, except occasionally as part of a cosplay. I’m pretty much of a tomboy and don’t like the idea that anyone expects me to pretty up my face so I can look more ornamental. I actually like the way makeup looks on a lot of people when it’s well applied, and wonder sometimes if I could make myself look better (not prettier–not interested in that–just better) if I wore it. But it always seems like too much trouble and I’m lazy, so…yeah, no.
I virtually never wear make up. Most days I pile on chapstick and lotion for dry lips / skin, but that’s it. I have in the past occasionally used a little eye liner and eye shadow, but it’s honestly been awhile now, and I only ever did that when I happened to be doing out (and even then it was rare).
If I do decide to wear any make up, it’s more meant to be seen, but not hugely stand out. I’m blessed with a very smooth complexion, and never had an issue with acne and rarely pimples. I’ve had people who’s job it was to actually put make up on me (like for a wedding) say, “Oh you don’t need foundation, let’s just dress up your eyes,” lol.
I also think of myself as more of a tomboy, and make up just isn’t much of an interest for me.
You have invoked me! Thus, this post entirely is your fault.
I (a man) generally dislike makeup, because, as you noted, it’s pretty weird, and definitely artificial. Some makeup almost pushes people into the realm of the uncanny valley.
That said, this subject makes me worry that maybe I actually do like the look of makeup - perhaps so many of the women I’ve seen have been wearing subtle makeup that my concept of ‘natural beauty’ isn’t actually natural at all. I’m honestly not sure I even know what a woman without makeup on looks like! This is the kind of cognitive discontinuity that can make my brain ache.
Not me! I seem to be unusually sensitive to chemicals, smells, and textures. This makes me particularly sensitive to stuff that sticks around on the skin. I have a skin moisturizer that makes my hands feel sticky and weird for hours, enough so that I am careful to keep it off my palms (which don’t need it) so that I can actually use my hands for things without feeling like I’m contaminating the world. And when at my dentist they spontaneously decided to smear Vaseline on my lips I spent the next five hours literally trying to claw them off trying to get the horrible toxic sensation to stop. Drawing blood didn’t help, though; they felt awful for the remainder of the day and into the next.
I’m pretty sure having makeup on would make me literally want to tear my face off.
And yeah, this whole ‘thing’ I have with chemicals on skin probably plays into my dislike of makeup in general.
Two shades of eye shadow, darker in the crease and light on the browbone. I learned to go easy when a student with much darker skin than I have asked if my black eyes hurt. My eyelashes and eyebrows are so light they are almost invisible, so eyeliner and a little brow pencil. I wear either contact lenses or glasses all the time, so no mascara. Lipliner, lipstick, and sometimes powder on special days.
I don’t wear it as a general thing, except for moisturizer and tinted lip balm. I might wear full-on makeup for a really special event, or if acting in a stage performance, a few times a year.
I have nothing whatsoever against it as a personal form of decorative art, like nail embellishment or curling the hair or having your shoes match your purse or wearing statement clothing or whatever. I have a big problem with it being expected or required of women in circumstances where it’s not expected or required of men, though.
My bangs are a bit long, so my eyes are getting irritated. I can’t use any eye creams, as they irritate my eyes.
If my eyes are not irritated, I can wear eye makeup. Expensive makeup which I might want to use once every 2-3 months.
So I own makeup. But I only wear something on my lips, mainly for keeping my lips moisturized, but if I can find something which also has a nice color, even better.
The foundation and all that other stuff stays in the drawer. Mascara I find particularly annoying - it’s always sticky.
As a guy, my view of makeup on women is as follows. I certainly don’t mind makeup per se. I value naturality a lot and prefer women on the low-maintenance end, but don’t feel the need to be dogmatic. I’m perfectly fine with a bit of makeup (by this I mean something like a touch of lipstick/gloss and/or a bit of something around the eye). This can enhance one’s appearance and has never hurt anyone. Some women may choose to wear something more than that and I don’t necessarily mind if it’s her own personal style. For me, “too much” makeup would be either 1) full-face makeup (even if it is intended to “look natural”) or 2) very garish makeup going in the direction of a clown’s. However, I have the following caveats:
-
In my opinion, makeup is just an accessory. It is not something that a woman “needs”. I don’t need any woman to wear makeup in any amount.
-
There is no job or social situation that should be seen as mandating makeup (other than exceptions that prove the rule, such as acting or selling cosmetics). This is sexist discrimination.
-
Pursuant to the above, I would hope that a woman who I was with, even if she wore makeup would be able to go out without it and not feel self-conscious about showing her bare face before the world.
There’s something else that I’m more finicky about. I’m big on hair and one of my preferences is that hair be left natural and not be colored (even if the color would still supposedly “look natural”). This is where in my mind the border is crossed and one goes too much into the realm of artifice. Speaking just for myself personally, I would rather be with a woman who wears decidedly too much makeup but doesn’t color her hair than one who wears just the right amount of makeup or none at all but colors her hair. But again, that’s just me and my preferences, this comment is not meant to tell anyone what to do.
It kind of bugs me when makeup or hair color are referred to as “artifice,” the definition of which is a “'clever or cunning device meant to deceive others.” As if sporting pink or blond or red hair when one is really a brunette is some kind of nasty trick against others.
Never worn it - too lazy. I will occasionally break out the concealer stick if I have an ugly pimple or two, but that’s about it.
Lucky me, I am allergic to all of it so have saved my money all these years. Now that I am old there is no point; like most women of my age, I am invisible to all men (except my husband, the darling boy) and to most women. I know that I usually look tired and makeup might mitigate that a bit, but the fact is I am often tired so, truth in advertising.
I accept what you’re saying, I would just like to point out that I didn’t mean it that way. I meant “artifice” as a noun equivalent of the adjective “artificial” and didn’t imply any deliberate intent of trickery. Obviously no one who wears obvious eyeshadow, purple lipstick, or pink hair dye intends to trick others into believing that this is their natural coloring. Perhaps I understood the implications of the word “artifice” incorrectly. I have looked at various online dictionaries’ definitions and have not been able to get a clear answer as to whether artifice always implies an intent to deceive. Please feel free to suggest an alternative phrasing.
That said, there are those who use cosmetics with a deliberate intent to deceive. I recall reading an article quoting a woman who claimed to wake up before her husband and put on some makeup so she would look fresher to him when he saw her first thing in the morning.
This, exactly.
‘I think it’s fun to wear makeup’ – no problem. ‘I like the way I look wearing eyeshadow’ – also no problem.
‘I think I/women ought to wear makeup’ – that’s a different thing entirely; if the person’s saying it about themselves, it makes me uncomfortable – the implication to me is ‘I think I need to hide/change my face because my face is unacceptable’. If they’re saying it about other people, it ticks me off; the implication to me is either ‘people should hide themselves’ or ‘other people should decorate themselves for my amusement’.
‘Women who won’t wear makeup should expect to not be hired’ – that’s a third thing, and it ought not to be allowed. (Exception of course for relevant stage makeup; and I’ll give an exception for people who have jobs selling makeup.)
I am simultaneously too lazy/cheap/short of time/snobbish to wear much make-up AND vain enough that I’d to look as good as I can when I’m out. My solution is to use a moisturizer that gradually gives you a tan (like this stuff). It’s very quick and keeps me from looking washed-out.
If I remember (I mostly forget, because it isn’t part of my daily routine) and I have time, I’ll put on a hint of blush and some eyeliner before I go out. I’ve tried wearing a bit more and adding lipstick but feel like a clown when I do that, so I always abandon such efforts.
I usually have a negative reaction to other women who are wearing tons of make-up (my thought, and I know I am being unfair, is: “really? You couldn’t think of something better to do with your time?”). But once, it was different. I was at some women’s social gathering I forced myself to attend when I had just moved to Egypt, as I knew I needed to make friends. There was a woman there wearing a huge amount of make-up (I later learned she was spending about $200/month on makeup, and this was 15 years ago!) though she did know how to apply it very skillfully.
Weirdly, I looked at her and thought, “anyone who spends that much time on putting themselves together must feel so insecure that I feel sorry for them.” Well, I’m a bit of a softy for strays, whether animal or human, so I started talking to her. Turns out I was spot on in my assessment - she was an extremely talented person, smart, funny, and musically gifted, but completely lacking in self-esteem. I felt sorry for her but also genuinely liked her, so we stayed in touch for years after we’d both moved away from Cairo, until she started posting all kinds of conservative, pro-Trump crap on FB.
I wear makeup when I go to work and when I go out, but I recently stopped using the liquid foundation as I realized it was looking caked on.
Now, I apply a moisturizer with 30 SPF, brush on face powder, apply browliner, mascara, and blush, and I’m good to go. If it’s a fancy night out I’ll add lipstick.
I am a male, and I haven’t read the whole thread.
But I remember what my x SO said about her coworker that came to work without make up.
“If you are going to come to work without makeup, give us a heads up the day before, You scared the shit out of us.”
I thought this was hilarious.
Almost never wear it. It’s not my bag - I’m a jeans-and-t-shirt type of person for the most part. I’ve worn makeup maybe twice in the last five years for special occasions; last time I did, I went to a beautician to have it done, because it was ridiculous to buy makeup I’d use once before it started smelling funny and went off. Probably cost about the same as buying a bunch of makeup too, and she certainly did a better job than out-of-practice me.
Maybe you should read the thread. That’s not hilarious; that’s obnoxious.