To ask: if you don't wear make up regularly, what do you genuinely think when you see someone who does?

[Mingewithafringe]

Really interested to hear people's views on this as it's something the socially anxious person in me has always wondered.

I wear a lot of make up by most people's standards. It stems from my teens where I developed bad skin and was just desperate to cover it. It's a lot better now but I have scars and patches that I feel insecure about.
So as well as a concealer and powder foundation, I also fill in my eyebrows daily, wear liquid eyeliner on my top lid, kohl pencil on my waterline, mascara, bronzer and either matte lipstick or a tinted lip balm. Without the eye make up I look tired or ill (people have actually said that!)

This is most days unless I know for sure I won't be going out that day. I have applied it for so many years that it only takes me about 5/10 minutes to put it on in the morning, and the amount of money I spend on make up has just become one of those accepted expenses, although I don't actually spend a lot because aside from my foundation, the rest is usually affordable stuff like Maybelline, Bourjois etc

I go through phases where I just hate the fact that I feel like I have to wear it and so I try to wean myself off it e.g. By not wearing eyeliner or by going for a subtle/minamalistic look. But I just don't feel confident and end up reverting back!

I have always wondered what ladies who don't wear make up are thinking when they talk to me. If I walk in to a room, 99% of the time I am wearing the most make up out of any woman. So ironically, I wear make up so that people don't think "look at her scars", but now have developed this insecurity where I feel that when I talk to someone, all they are thinking is "jeez how much make up is she wearing, it's a toddler and baby group for crying out loud"!!

Am I being silly?

oo she looks nice to bloody hell how does she find the time. I used to only go out with makeup but two children.. and I le it slip.

I guess what I was trying to get at with my OP was, say if you were in a room with 5 other ladies you didn't know, and me. The other women were not wearing makeup, or at least not noticeable makeup. Hair scraped back. Who would you gravitate to to talk to? In my experience, I just don't seem to get a warm response from other women in this situation and all I can put it down to is my appearance. I'm friendly and smiley, I try to be chatty, yet find it difficult to get a good rapport with women.
This is not only at baby groups, it's been at work networking events, it's been at baby showers for a friend where I didn't know the majority of the other women, it's been at weddings when I am sat at a table with other couples I don't know

Well, if your instinct is to think that "women are bitches cause I have nicer hair than them" and not "maybe THEY'RE a bit shy about meeting new people etc

Then probably not you, but because of your patronising attitude (oh THANK YOU for smiling at me whilst noticing that my hair isn't "done" like yours so I'm probably a judgey old bat ) not because of your make-up.

Most of the time I admire their technique - there seem to be lots of young people who are extremely adept at applying foundation and contouring!

I only judge when I see someone with really full on and badly applied make-up - and even then it's more of a cringe than a judge. Eyebrows are very fertile ground for this at the moment. I like a bit of definition but when I was in town today I saw loads of young girls who looked absolutely daft; they really did look as if they had fake comedy brows drawn on. Mind you it's their equivalent of brown everything in the 90s plus hair mascara. They'll reach my age and the cycle will repeat itself with something different that their kids are all into.

I wear make-up myself and I like it. I'm quite comfortable going out and about without it - including to work - but more often than not I slap a wee bit on. Daytime is a quick bit of powder to take the shine off, quick dab with an eyebrow pencil to fill in gaps, sweep of blusher and a coat of mascara. Whole thing takes about 2 minutes max. If I am out of an evening then I'll take more time and throw proper foundation, eyeshadow and liner into the mix.

Wear what makes you happy - if that involves make-up then enjoy it. Equally if you're comfortable with bare skin then go for it. Life is far too short to worry about what other people think about something like this!

I think they are well-organised. I'm never up early enough.

I think it's kind of odd when everything is done - drawn on eyebrows, lots of blusher/bronzer, curled eyelashes with loads of mascara or even fake eyelashes (I have seen women who wear fake eyelashes just to go to the shops etc), lots of eyeliner on top of heavy foundation and powder. Just I dunno, what does that person actually look like? I don't judge them as vain or anything, just think they might as well wear a mask and wonder if I'd even recognise them without it.

Where I used to work there were two women who wore shit loads of make up. One of them looked amazing - it was perfectly done, balanced and flattering even though it was quite an extreme look, the other one always got it slightly wrong - too much bronzer, or for a while this weird silver make-up that made her look like she was auditioning for a sci-fi film and I felt a bit sorry for her! They were both beautiful women and I respected their choice to present themselves how they liked, but that I genuinely what I thought!

Blurry, in a sense it is almost a kind of Mulsim full face veil perhaps - women covering their faces, similar to women never leaving the house - the real you, the person you are hidden, obscured, covered.

Whereas a normal woman perhaps bright red in the face as she's just cycled 2 miles is perhaps what some of us like to see? However I would certainly leave it up to women (and men) as to what they do with their faces.

I very rarely if ever wear make-up , when I see someone who does wear it , my usual initial feeling is jealousy, as they are able to apply it without looking like someone has given a toddler a free rein with the face paints .

What's with all the mask rubbish in this thread? A woman in make up isn't wearing a mask! How idiotic! That's like saying a woman with long hair is covering her face, to shy to have short hair. A woman in make up likes to wear make up! I wear it because I enjoy having red, orange, Plum coloured lips. Not because I'm scared of my real lips, or ashamed of my natural face, or because it's my mask! 😂 Why have the same face everyday when you can jazz it up a bit. Bring on the colours I say!

Blurry You sound like a joy to be around!

I played with makeup in my teens but had lost interest by my 20s. I don't feel the need and don't really notice whether other people are wearing it. Except for those weird fake eyelashes that look like spiders.

OP, your comment about you and the five non-made-up women with their hair scraped back sounds very judgey. Are you absolutely sure they haven't picked up on that?

I suffered bad acne as a teen and as a result been left with scars and pocmarks crap speller I use foundation everyday, even if I'm not leaving the house. I'm still trying to find a good, reasonably priced one. I put colour on my cheeks. Never bother with my eyes cause they itch to much and I'm allergic to some mascaras. If I've been in a really can't be bothered mood and not put any on, which is very rarely, people have said I look Ill or tired.
The only time I ever judge anyone's makeup is if they have done the whole contouring shebang for the weekly shop or the gym! Of course, they may be going out after the shop, but, I'm assuming it would sweat off in the gym.

I don't normally think about it - each to their own and all that. Now you ask the question my immediate thought would be that they need help to feel socially/professionally confident. Usually when people talk about wearing makeup they say something along the lines of wanting to look their best or needing to correct a feature (e.g. sparse eyebrows) which to me would indicate an underlying lack of confidence in themselves.

I think bravo! when I see some women's choices. For example, completely plucked so no eyebrows so just the naked bump where they would be with a very thin pencil lining in their place.

Pease could anyone tell me why someone would do that? Is that/was that the fashion?

Minge, as a makeup wearer (not full on either) I encountered some attitudes at baby groups, bit many but a little. I am often referred to as "well put together". I have little time for makeup and hair but I do gave an artistic eye so I can pick clothes and makeup quite easily without having to agonise over what suits, so I probably look like I know it all, and spend ages on my appearance, but the odd thing is, it's all I know how to do!! I don't know how to do myself any different. But because my "everyday" is probably some others' "special effort" then I get treated like I've made a special effort for babygroup (which I haven't) which seems to piss some people off.