Not wearing make up to work - unprofessional?

[Imamumgetmeoutofhere]

This is probably going to be quite divisive in opinions but I'm going to ask anyway.

How many of us here wear makeup to work? Is it unprofessional not to wear it?

I'm 37, never have bothered really. I used to value the extra time in bed. Plus I never was in a customer facing role so didn't see the point.

Now I'm in a patient facing role. Most of my (female) colleagues wear makeup and I'm now wondering if I should wear some? Does it look unprofessional / untidy not to wear it? Do others even notice if we don't wear it?

Opinions please. I really can't decide if I should sacrifice the extra half hour in bed for the sake of some makeup

I'm in a patient facing role, I do wear make up because I'm not very confident in myself without it, but the majority of my colleagues don't. I don't think I've ever even noticed if a clinician has been wearing make up if I'm the patient and it's certainly not unprofessional. Do what you want with your face

I don't think anyone has ever told my male colleagues they are unprofessional for their bare face

This.

This.

Do any of the men feel the need to wear make up?

It’s personal preference, I don’t think it denotes professionalism either way (unless you’re a make up artist, in which case not wearing it might seem a bit odd).

It really doesn’t need to take half an hour to apply though. Takes me 10 minutes, my aim is to look less tired, rather than particularly different to how I look barefaced.

I do quite admire women who can do a glamorous full face though, there’s a lot of skill to it, that I definitely don’t have.

Exactly this for me too 🤣
I go from a 2 to an 8 with just a bit of concealer, bronzer, blusher and mascara. It's quite bizarre.
But I don't care what anyone else does. I do it because it makes me feel good and I'm well aware that the only reason anyone would notice if I wasn't wearing makeup is because I do wear it.

I do because I have a facial difference and it helps reduce comments/stares if I do

I don't think it's unprofessional at all! If anything I'm envious of those that can go without, I on the other hand am so, so fair that without a smidge of mascara I look like a ghost with my white eyelashes!

A lot of my women colleagues don't wear a scrap of make up but I barely notice and certainly don't judge them for it. All that matters is how well you do your job. If you're in a job where you have patients then I'm sure they'd rather you had an aura of confidence and a warm smile, than red lips and thick mascara.

Men wear heels and makeup

What, at your work?

Also on the professional=tiday note if you are having a stressful day and end up smudging your makeup, or end up with patchy concealer because you've been running around sweating that obviously looks a lot more messy than no make up.

Your own face providing its clean can never been unprofessional or untidy. It's just your face.

Actually, where I work, that would be a yes.

im the same, wouldn’t say I am a stunner 🤣but I like to look alive ! I look like Ronnie Wood after an eight day coke binge without it, I just can’t do the naked face in public and I’ve got almost non existent eyelashes I really admire women that do, some women look absolutely beautiful with no make up, no need to do the full Estée Lauder rep in the 80’s thing though, make up now is a lot lighter and fresh looking these days, but absolutely no need to wear it if you aren’t comfortable and I wouldn’t say it is unprofessional

I am patient facing and I don't usually wear make up to work. I make sure I am clean and dressed appropriately. Occasionally I might have time for a bit of BB crème and lip gloss and that takes 1 minute. But usually nothing. I hope no one thinks this is unprofessional.

Yes. Well. One man does that I know of.

I've never attended work without wearing some make up. I do feel more polished with it. I've been a lecturer or teacher for all of my working life. Most of my colleagues dress well, and for women this includes a bit of make up.

It takes me 5 minutes to do.

I don't think I'm supposed to wear visible makeup to work. I certainly don't like it when I encounter health professionals wearing a heavy face- big brows, false lashes, and definitely nail polish which is specifically outlawed.

I do expect a clean face and hair off the face.

However, I would like to look a bit more polished than I do, and one of these days I might actually read a few threads and buy some better skincare.

I'm 64, started work three weeks after my 16th birthday (office) and during that whole time the total days I wore makeup probably equate to about one month.

Absolutely fine, it's not unprofessional. If you're well presented and clean that is all that matters.

Funnily enough I thought this exact same thing a couple of weeks ago. My grandad passed away and I went back to work a couple of days later. However the stress and lack of sleep made me spotty, pale, and I had dark circles under my eyes. I felt like it would be unprofessional of me to show up to work with my face looking like that, even though I was clean

I think you know you don’t have to wear it. A bit of a silly question. Some people however like the ritual of putting on make up and wouldn’t feel right going out without it. It takes 5 to ten minutes. Others prefer not to. The important thing is that women have a choice and shouldn’t feel they have to do anything.

Men who wear make up and high heels are still very much in the minority and they are not expected to do so. No-one has ever looked at a man and judged him for his naked face. I mean maybe if you're a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race you might get some funny looks but that's not the case for the overwhelming majority of workplaces.

This, especially on Teams calls. I've even left it off before as an experiment - every single time without exception one of my colleagues will check if I'm okay because I look exhausted or unwell 😆 3 minutes to apply a quick swipe of fairly neutral eyeshadow, soft pencil or felt tip style eyeliner, mascara and a little tinted brow wax.

I'm not a clinician but I do train people (clinicians included) in management skills and if any of them ever told me they had concerns about an employee's professionalism purely because she wasn't wearing makeup I'd have a lot to say to them about their own professional behaviors.

I didn't say they weren't the minority I just said men can and do wear makeup and heels and no one even bats an eyelid where I work.