To wonder what possess someone to apply their make up on the train?

[Bearbehind]

Is that extra 5 minutes in bed really worth it when you have to apply your make up on the train?

Woman opposite me on the train proceeded to empty half of Boots onto the table and put her make up on.

The funniest bit was the lipstick application- I've never seen someone make a perfect 'O' with their move to put on Lipton- could help thinking of those dodgy blow up dolls!

Who is actually so unphased by it they they can do it?

I don't mind people putting make up on.

A bit like ThatsMyOnlyShirt though, I have a bad memory of sitting on the tube diagonally opposite a man clipping his toenails. We all cowered in fear as toenail fragments followed unpredictable arcs across the carriage. Grim. I also don't like it when people eat chicken on the bus and throw the bones on the floor.

Make up only worries me in terms of will I manage to hide my nosiness and not look at their routine!

I've done it before. I'm
unphased by what strangers think of me, when it comes to inconsequential stuff, and those extra 5 minutes of sleep were extremely valuable sometimes!

I would be too embarrassed to do this. I spend an inordinate amount of time at home putting it on in such a way so that it hopefully looks like I have very little on at all ;)

I don't do this but I don't see it as a problem if other people do it. What is it to you? Why does it bother you? YABU.

Those old black and white movies had the movie star checking her make up in her compact mirror and applying a layer of lippie in public. It was considered glam I think.

I do not were make up but if i did i would not apply it on the train.

OP I do agree with you. I posted about this a while ago - got slated by almost all .

For me, it's the lack of hand washing that I don't like. I know some women use hand sanitizer but not the women on my train. Dirty hands applying moisturiser, concealer and foundation makes me feel queasy. Not to mention make up covered hands not being washed.

No issue with applying lippy, mascara etc.

Sometimes I used to apply makeup on the train if I looked awful. It would only be mascara, eyeshadow, blushed & lipstick. I would put put base on at home to give it time to settle.

Posted too soon.
Each to their own as long as it doesn't include na clipping or eyebrow plucking.

All these posters who proudly proclaim not to give a fuck what strangers think....

Not giving a fuck about others = anti social mindset

And nail varnish/nail clipping/fling is vile.

Weird, makeup is supposed to be a bit uh, "mysterious"?

My sister used to do this.

What puzzled me is this: if you need to have a "face" on like my sister used to wear, then how come you can bear to leave the house, walk to the station, wait on the platform and get on the train with an un-made-up face? I wear a lot less makeup than my sister (she would wear eyeshadow and mascara which would take ages) yet I wouldn't be seen anywhere by anyone without that amount which I DO wear.

Maybe the putting it on on the train is a statement that the people on the train don't matter/don't count, but the people you work with do, and that's perhaps why I think it rude/odd.

I think that's a odd thought balloon . I wear make up every day- I don't care if I'm seen without it though. I just look better with.

I don't like it either. Get your act together and look good before you leave home.

Quite an interesting majority opinion on this thread. Particularly lots of people saying 'who cares what anyone thinks of me' given that most of the threads on Mumsnet concern people worrying about what people think of them.

I agree with you OP it does feel uncomfortably intimate watching someone put their make up on, as it is usually considered a private activity.

But then I was brought up that brushing your hair in public was impolite...

• passes the 'dead' time on the train (so efficient use of time)

• save wasting time at home

• better lighting on train than in bathroom

It's weird. If you can leave the house, walk down the street and shuffle through a busy train station while being seen bare faced by others then why do you need make up at all?

I don'tmind if others want to do it, but I feel self conscious even topping up lipstick in front of anyone, makes me feel vain, so I wouldn't do it myself.

The 'no time' argument interests me - how long do some of you spend doing your make up?

Bessie's which people keep saying 'there's nothing else to do - train time is clearly for reading.

^^ who's Bessie??? besides.

I've just started doing this I did it one morning a few weeks back when I ran out of time at home and now it is part of my routine. I have a non-sleeping baby so those extra five minutes do count. It's not smelly or noisy so I really don't see why anyone else would care.

Meglet, I'm not 'afraid' of being seen without make up on. But I do feel more professional with it on at work. So I don't care if some random people on the train see me without it but I do prefer my colleagues and clients to see me with it.

I don't understand the point that its strange to care what your co workers think of you but not strangers.
Of couse no one should care what strangers think about the way you look . If a stranger thinks I look ugly/ tired/ untidy why do I care? If I'm sitting in a meeting trying to direct strategy and my co workers are thinking that, then yes, i do care. As well as the fact I know I look better with make up (as everyone does, IMO)

I always take a sneaky look to see what they're using and how they are applying it. I'm not averse to asking what is that lipstick, mascara etc... If it's amazing.

I do it on a plane. Don't care what anyone thinks.

YANBU - times really have changed and I'm not that old!