Women who don’t wear makeup, what do you honestly think about women who do?

[ifigoup]

I wear makeup every day apart from rare days when I’m not going to be leaving the house at all. In my line of work, it’s more common for women not to wear makeup than to wear it, and I often wonder what those women who don’t wear it think of me. (I have almost zero interest in what men think about women’s choices of makeup, dress etc.)

When I see women not wearing makeup, I occasionally think, “Gosh, she looks a bit tired”, or “Her skin looks a bit sore”, but my overwhelming thought is either nothing whatsoever, or vague jealousy at women who can put their public “work” selves on without feeling the need to wear makeup.

I don’t wear super-heavy makeup, but you’d definitely know I was wearing it: I like a 50s style with winged eyeliner etc., and sometimes bright lipstick. It’s part of my “look”, and I feel a bit naked without it.

That said, I do realise it’s not unproblematic that I feel unfinished without it on. It bothers me that I know I objectively look better with it (because if I ever don’t wear my signature eyeliner, for example, people always ask if I’m feeling ill). It bothers me that men are allowed to look as shit and haggard as they like and nobody suggests they should pretty themselves up, yet women who look shit and haggard often become objects of pity.

If you’re a woman who never or rarely wears makeup, what do you think of women who always do? My assumption is that you either don’t care, or that you probably feel a bit sorry for us for having to put “war paint” on to face the world. Or maybe you feel like women who wear makeup are a bit superficial.

But am I wrong? Do you actually feel intimidated, or suspect makeup wearers are judging you for not wearing it? Or something else entirely?

(I know this sounds a bit like stuff a journo would ask, but I promise I’m not the Daily Mail and am just curious in my own right.)

Unless you have the orange face and sharpie eyebrows seen on the likes of Educating Essex

What IS it with the sharpie eyebrows? One woman in my office just has two black arches that look like marker pen.

"My assumption is that you either don’t care, or that you probably feel a bit sorry for us for having to put “war paint” on to face the world."

This.

Each to their own, I don’t care if people do or don’t wear make up

I don't care enough to notice, unless it's been plastered on by a trowel, aided by fake tan, at which point I wonder when the Oompa Loompas invented a time machine.

I never wear makeup - as well as being too lazy and tight to buy any, I feel self conscious wearing it. My best friend on the other hand won’t leave the house without a trowel full of slap on. She has been like this since school, so I’ve always (rightly or wrongly), just associated people that wear a lot of make up as having low self esteem/confidence issues.

Don't even notice it tbh! Wouldn't think anything at all about your eyeliner and bright lipstick other than I wish I could pull it off. It's equally annoying to not bother with make up and add a bit of eyeliner one day and absolutely everyone comments on it! I'd rather my crap make up application stayed under people's radar.

I don't wear it because I can't be arsed with it. I don't generally care if others wear makeup or not but I can't abide teenagers who all look the same with their startled black eyebrows and orange faces - or maybe it's just where I live

I do think it's sad if people feel they need to wear make up rather than want to. My DM is 67 and won't leave the house without her 'face' on, we're not talking full mask here just enough to make her feel 'presentable' as she says. She is absolutely presentable, clean, hair done etc but she cannot go out without it. But that's her decision.

I honestly couldnt care less that others wear it, I do look at those people sometimes and think wow you actually have the energy to get out of bed even 10 minutes earlier to look nice, good on you. I look like shit regardless, tired and worn out and i just never had the skills to do makeup so its probably for the best tbh

I'm not attracted to women who wear loads of make up.

Don’t really care, I don’t look at people and think ‘she’s got make up on’.

I learned to accept who I am, and can therefore go without makeup.

I spend some of my money looking after myself including my skin, because I find that fixing my problems instead of covering them up helps in this case.

Couldn't give a flying fuck what anyone else chooses to wear/not wear.

I very rarely wear makeup. My assumption about those that do is that they are somewhat dissatisfied with themselves. Even if I know logically that makeup can be an art form, a form of self expression etc etc and isn't for other peoples benefit, I still assume that people who wear it all the time must not like themselves very much as they are. I also think they will struggle come the apocalypse. I know I'm a wanker though and would never say any of this out loud You did ask, though!

I don't think much about the issue at all - doesn't really register with me unless someone has absolutely piled it on in big, thick layers with huge black brows in which case I always notice simply because it's so unsubtle. Even so, if it makes the person wearing it feel good, then that's what counts.

I don’t wear make up, I don’t care who does and who doesn’t though I do notice when people are wearing loads and have weird eyebrows, I kind of feel sorry for them, that they feel the need to hide their real face.

I don't give a shit. Sometimes I can be arsed to wear makeup but it's less than twice a month. I just don't care

I see people all the time who are not styling themselves like I do, sometimes their look is not to my taste, sometimes I do wonder if people have mirrors but each to their own

Envious. I wish I had the time to apply makeup!

I used to wear quite heavy make up every day. It was because I didn't have very good skin, including frequent spot outbreaks usually around the time of the month. Once I reached 24 and became a mum my skin improved massively and now I'm absolutely fine in just a bb cream and a little et touché Eclat. I feel (and hopefully look) better. It's a relief not to have to apply loads of makeup.

I generally think that most women wearing a lot of make up maybe don't have good skin, like I didn't! or are quite insecure. Or simply just enjoy putting it on - which is great if they do.

I wear very little make up. I don’t like makeup when it stands out that they are wearing it but rarely think why someone does or doesn’t wear it.

I don’t own make up and haven’t for at least 10 years. I don’t notice make up unless it is extremely heavy. I don’t think about make up unless someone talks to me about it or puts it on next to me on public transport. I think the existence of make up and beauty standards for women is a sad thing for society and the planet but largely totally irrelevant to me. I think of it like having a pet or smoking or riding a motor bike, a thing some other people do.

Too much foundation and I wonder what they're hiding. In fact it's rare that foundation looks good. Unless it's really subtle. If I can't see it then it's brilliant!

It's rare that I see make up so subtly that it is just enough to transform but I don't think that's fashionable anymore.

I wear make up for weddings, posh dress up parties, interviews. So it's rather rare.

Even when I worked in a bank I didn't but I also wasn't customer facing. I was also getting up at 5 to get everything done and wasn't prepared to get up any earlier for something so low on my list.

But it's just my opinion. If it makes you feel better crack on.

I think it depends on the environment. I don't notice all makeup but I would notice winged eyes makeup. I would not think anything of it at night but sorry, being honest, I would think someone was a bit insecure if they felt they needed to wear significant eye make-up during the day.

How long do you (honestly) spend putting your make up on every morning, and do you have to spend time redoing bits at all later in the day?

I spend approx 20 mins on my make up during winter, in summer it’s around 10 minutes. I do my hair every day and that takes around half an hour to blow dry and curl. I don’t redo make up during the day as it stays put. I have my eyebrows microbladed and semi permanent makeup on my lips as well as eyeliner that cuts down the time.

I don’t wear any day to day, if I put a bit of lippy on I might get a compliment “you look nice!” If the woman Who wears lots everyday doesn’t have any on one day, people say “she looks tired/ill” this is how I look at it!