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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

When bad makeup happens to good people

133 replies

Smoresleepplease · 17/10/2018 11:04

Would you want to be told if you’re makeup looked awful??
Saw one of the teaching assistants this morning on the school run, walking along with a friend/colleague. She’s quite young(26 perhaps) and her foundation looked shocking. Wrong colour and no blending whatsoever. Just a tide-mark of orange about 2cm from the edge of her face. If I was said friend/colleague, maybe I’d have kindly said something along the lines of ‘Oo, do this(and gestured on my own face a ‘blending’ motion)’.
Would that BU?
Would you want to be told?

OP posts:
newdocket · 17/10/2018 11:05

I think so yes. Although I'd probably be mortified as well!

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 17/10/2018 11:09

There's a mum at our school who always has shocking make up, orange foundation, tideline around her jaw, OTT black eye shadow up to her eyebrows etc. Worst part is, she's a beautician Shock I've been dying to say something for 3 years but she's the type to have a go at you if you said anything to her.

formerbabe · 17/10/2018 11:13

No don't say anything...obviously. How rude.

SilentIsla · 17/10/2018 11:21

No. Say nothing. It would be impolite.

OrganisingChaos · 17/10/2018 11:22

I used to have my manager/closest friend sort my face out once I got to work, having to get up at 4 am to get to work for 5:45 usually meant doing my make up in dim lighting in a tiny mirror or on route in the car (as a passenger!) again in dim light so usually when I got to work my manager would say 'oh bloody hell come here!' And start blending my foundation for me!
Though I think if anyone else had pulled me up on my terrible application I would have been horrified!

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 17/10/2018 11:23

Certainly don't make the patronising blending motion and comment. Jeez Louise...

Sitranced · 17/10/2018 11:24

Don't say anything. What you think looks awful may be the look they want.

RonniePickering · 17/10/2018 11:24

Oh God I'd want to be told!

But.. I would only be able to say it to my daughter or sisters, I would hate to embarrass someone I didn't really know.

golddustwomen · 17/10/2018 11:25

My dds teacher is like this, the orange line around her hair line is shocking, I would never say anything though!

Original poster
Smoresleepplease · 17/10/2018 11:37

Oh god, I wouldn’t say anything to THIS girl! I don’t know her well enough! But if I was with a friend, I think(and have!) I’d have to tactfully say ‘eh love, come ere a sec!’
I’m a makeup artist btw

OP posts:
Tinty · 17/10/2018 11:39

Don't say anything, she probably thinks she looks amazing.

There was a girl on the checkout at tesco recently who had the whole slug eyebrow thing going on, you could see where she had shaved off her actual eyebrows and then coloured them in in the darkest black imaginable above where her natural eyebrows were. There was no way that this was a mistake, she wanted to look like this. Shock

JessieLemon · 17/10/2018 11:40

I’d want a friend to say something. Like ‘that’s an... interesting look, is the eyeshadow supposed to go that far up?’ or something. But not a stranger. Cos you have no idea, that might be the exact look she’s going for, or she might be new to makeup and it’ll harm her confidence.

I once had a stranger tell me I had too much blusher on, to which I replied ‘I have exactly the amount I intended’ Wink

EK36 · 17/10/2018 11:41

An old friend of mine used to be a clarins rep. Her make up was shocking. Dark foundation, caked in powder and blusher. With mascara spider legs. She is actually beautiful and doesn't need any make up! Her make up made her look hard faced and quite scary. Once I commented that it looked too dark and didn't match her neck colour. She replied, "but I love it!" What can you say?! Some people love lots and lots of make up!

MatildaTheCat · 17/10/2018 11:42

Im a makeup artist btw

Dripfeed award of the year? Grin

Haffiana · 17/10/2018 11:44

Why do people wear foundation that is darker than their skin colour? It looks so awful. Use a bronzer or fake tan instead.

Kismett · 17/10/2018 11:48

I'm always wary of criticizing anyone else's makeup. I think people would probably have a go at mine, wonder why it's so caked on, why it doesn't match my skin tone better, etc. They don't know that I have a skin condition that's very difficult to cover up or the huge portion of my life I've spent trying different foundations to find the best shade. That it's the only thing that allows me the confidence to go out in public. I envy people who can wear light makeup or get away with some simple mascara and lipstick.

Skittlesandbeer · 17/10/2018 11:48

Sadly I’m becoming convinced that many young women are actually fine with, if not actually encouraging, this look.

Eyelashes that look like crows smashed into a chalk cliff. Geisha-mask foundation, with 1970’s TV indian stripes for ‘contouring’. Hair tortured into submission.

Things I’ve assumed are an unlucky makeup mishap turn out to be the result of £30 and careful deliberation, plus hours of shrill YouTube tuition.

Make your ‘helpful’ comments at your peril. They won’t thank you. They’re not trying to look good, they’re trying to look ‘right’. Sigh.

OctoberBirthday1110 · 17/10/2018 11:49

Is it like that every time you see her or just that particular time?
If it's just a one off she may have been having a mad rush morning or been distracted while doing her make-up.
I know when I'm dashing around getting my 3 ready in the morning I'm lucky if I get out the house not looking like a clown.

HoobleDooble · 17/10/2018 11:50

There was a mum at DS's Infant School who sounds similar. She actually made me do a double-take the first time I saw her, she has the whole drawn on eyebrow thing, but one is always lower than the other, giving her a permanently quizzical look. I'd never dream of saying anything though as she's a really lovely person, but I'm sure one day she'll look back at her selfies and think "What was I thinking?".

FleeceDetective · 17/10/2018 11:50

I love wearing make up, we can all get bad days though where nothing is working right, but you need to get out of the door because you have to go to work/pick up kids/see friends and just say ‘yeah I look a state, let’s have a good time anyway!’

Some people also enjoy a certain make up look, experimenting and playing around. I don’t judge them, I don’t judge women who want to wear absolutely no make up, I don’t judge women who look immaculate.

Skittlesandbeer · 17/10/2018 11:50

Love your thread title, by the way. Grin

Suzyloo · 17/10/2018 11:53

I think I might want to be told. As for the telling, it depends on your audience. I got into trouble once with my office roomie who came back from the loo mid-afternoon and said "OMG! I've only lined ONE EYE! Why didn't you TELL ME?" I didn't like to say that I don't spend all my time staring at her. Instead I said "But you look fine." "Well obviously NOW I do," she said in a huff. "I've taken it off."

Some of the young ones at work are orange, with Eyebrows. I don't judge because I was a teenager in the 80s Grin. Blue masacara, anyone? Purple eyebrows?

FleeceDetective · 17/10/2018 11:54

Haffiana quite often people are buying what is their correct shade upon application and it looks to be a perfect match, however the product oxidises once it’s applied to the face and mixes with other make up products/the air to an orangey or darker tone. It’s a bloody nuisance and only trial and error and really good examination under good lighting at several points during the day after applying will let you know about it.

Isleepinahedgefund · 17/10/2018 12:01

It does make me cringe a bit when I see the orange tide mark going on, but at the same time I wouldn't say anything. It's your opinion that says it looks awful, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There isn't

I also hate the grey look the young girls seem to go for, but they think they look nice so hey ho. Same with those dreadful "Instagram" brows nooooooo so scary!!!

At the end of the day, who are we to dictate who looks nice and who doesn't based on our own preferences? Leave them to it.

And blend blend blend blend blend. I spent five mins blending my base makeup this morning.

AdoraBell · 17/10/2018 12:02

Don’t say anything. If she was your friend and your relationship was really close then yes, but in this case no.