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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

2 hours to get ready

27 replies

aModernClassic · 04/09/2023 16:16

AIBU to think that taking two hours to get ready for a night out is too much?

It takes me about 45 - 1hr if I wash and dry my hair and do make-up for a night out. But only 15 mins if I'm doing basic make-up during the day.

Someone I know does, and she moaned that her boyfriend gets annoyed.

I know it's none of my business, but I'm interested to see how long other women take.

OP posts:
QuizzlyBears · 04/09/2023 16:18

YABU to think it matters, you do you and let everyone else do what they need to. It takes me 2 hours to get ready on a work morning if I need to wash my hair - longer for a night out but I’m a faffer and also enjoy the process of getting ready so I take my time. As long as I am managing my time I don’t see why anyone else should care.

Dolores87 · 04/09/2023 16:18

Depends if you are doing stuff like painting nails

GalileoHumpkins · 04/09/2023 16:19

I can stretch it out to 2 hours but a lot of that time is not actually getting ready it's making a cup of tea, picking up my book and reading a few pages, totally rethinking my outfit, playing with the cat etc.
Procrastination ftw!

SunsetsAndSandwiches · 04/09/2023 16:20

If I need to wash, dry and straighten my hair and apply make up then thats a minimum of 1hr and I'd be rushing about. I have thick hair that does dry quickly and needs to be straightened in small sections.

I don't think 2 hours is unreasonable if it involved doing something a bit more involved with hair, shaving legs, full body moisturising, fancy eye make up/applying lashes, fake tan, painting nails etc.

I say its not unreasonable...but personally I resent the time I spend getting ready so I think its unreasonable from that perspective 😂

Scaryghost · 04/09/2023 16:20

My hair takes 1 1/2 hours alone to dry and straighten as it’s so long and frizzy mess curly

Hufflepods · 04/09/2023 16:20

Too much to who though? Why does it matter how long someone else takes to get ready unless they are making you late?
I can take 10 minutes to get ready or I can take a leisurely 2 hours for something important.

itsmylife7 · 04/09/2023 16:20

Depends if you're consuming a sip of alcohol after every brush of the mascara and dancing around to music.

PuttingDownRoots · 04/09/2023 16:22

My record is 15 minutes including shower and hair!

I had an afternoon job that outside, hot and sweaty, and an evening job requiring evening dress.

Malapataraso · 04/09/2023 16:22

I would love for your friend to take 20 minutes to get ready and see how much her annoyed boyfriend likes the way she looks. If anyone is being unreasonable here, it’s the effing boyfriend.

CalistoNoSolo · 04/09/2023 16:27

About 30 mins including shower, make up and choosing what to wear. 1hr if it's a wedding or similar. I don't have time to fuck about for 2hrs and my older teen DD can get ready in under an hour with full make up so goodness know how anyone spends so long, such a waste of time. It would piss me off too, if I had to wait 2hrs for someone on a regular basis.

Hollyisalrightactuallysorry · 04/09/2023 16:38

Ah we've moved on MN to competitive quickness to go out now

YABU to be judgy about it

I can get ready for an evening out in 30 mins including washing and drying hair

BUT I also enjoy the preening and prepping for a big night (rarely get the time now with kids). I could do a bath, fake tan, rollers in the hair and easily do 2hrs with a drink in hand.

BarbaraofSeville · 04/09/2023 16:40

Well I don't wear make-up or do most other kinds of grooming so I'm not a fair comparison but if your friend likes to try on different outfits, listen to music etc, I don't see the issue as long as they're not late.

What is his problem with her indulging in something she probably enjoys?

CyberCritical · 04/09/2023 16:43

I think a lot of the 2 hrs is probably the ritual and just enjoying the process.

I don't enjoy the process so get ready in about 20mins but I remember being a teenager/in my 20s where getting dressed for a night out involved trying on several outfits, having a few drinks, consulting with friends on make up and what bag/shoes would be best.....

Now it's very much a practical 'this is what I've got and what fits this week and I've got 5 mins to do my hair' type of situation.

RoachFish · 04/09/2023 16:48

Showering, doing my hair and make-up I can do in about 45 minutes. It’s choosing the clothes that can take anything from 15 to 45 minutes for me. Sometimes I decide I need to alter them too so then it’s definitely minimum one hour.

LittleLegsKeepGoing · 04/09/2023 16:51

Depends on the situation. If it's just for a meal/drinks with my friend down the pub then just a shower and putting on clean clothes will do. Not rushing I can be done in 20 minutes (shower being the longest part of that because of my sodding hair which will still be wet when I leave the house).

If I'm properly going out, I like to make my unruly hair look reasonable which either means straightening or curling it nicely. I also occasionally like to wear makeup. Just washing and styling my hair can take 90 minutes so definitely understand how it could take someone 2 hours.

Although I'll concede I'd probably be quicker with my hair and makeup if I did it more frequently...but generally can't be bothered with it.

SisterMichaelsHabit · 04/09/2023 16:51

If she's 14-19 and footloose and fancy free, YABU because that age group are still learning what looks good on them and need the time to change their mind or to try out new makeup/hair techniques then scrub it off and start again if it goes wrong.

The time should go down as she gets older and more attuned to what looks good on her though IMO unless she's trying out a completely new look. So whether YABU or not depends on her age, I think.

The only exception to this is hair dye which, despite the 20-30 min development time, takes a clear hour to apply, develop and wash out before you even get to dry/style it so you have to add an hour if she's doing her roots or similar.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 04/09/2023 16:54

If she is using the bathroom for 2 hours and can't get into it - fine, he has a point! But if she chooses to spend 2 hours prepping g for a night out then that's up to her.

I wear minimal makeup and barely dress up, but if I'm off on a night out with friends I'll often "clock out" with dh and go and take a bath, pour myself a g&t, take time straightening my hair, maybe listen to a bit of music all as part of my getting ready to go out routine.

If I need to clock off work at 5 and be out the door at 5.30 I can also do that.

Meh.

UsingChangeofName · 04/09/2023 17:00

It depends on if you mean
"What is the quickest I can be out the door if I need to?"
or
"Do you enjoy the 'prepping' for a big night?"

I love a bath. I can run a bit of water, have a wash, get out and dry in about 7 or 8 mins if I need to. Or I can spend time taking the varnish off my toe-nails, giving myself a pedicure, then lie in the bath for a bit, just relaxing and unwinding from the day. I might choose to shave bits that need shaving. When I get out, I might just rub dry and throw clothes on, or I might choose to put some body lotion on. I might choose to give myself a manicure then put some nail varnish on. Then wait until the first coat dries and then do a second. So I could be in the bathroom an hour. All of that before I start choosing what to wear, and what accessories or jewellry to wear with it.
It's not often I get that sort of time to myself, so it is a nice trea to myself to take it when I can.

LongLiveGoblingKing · 04/09/2023 17:04

If we're including the time it takes to have a shower, wash hair, and dry hair that's already and hours worth of activity. I have very long thick hair.

I can easily take 2 hours to get properly dolled up for something like a wedding.

Normal work day though, 20 mins.

Original poster
aModernClassic · 04/09/2023 17:15

Thanks for your feedback. I think it came to ahead whilst on a two week holiday, and he had to wait every night, and as they don't live with each other, he didn't realise before.
She's 36.
No nails to paint or shaving as they were done before she went, so bathing and getting ready.
I think he likes her to look her best, so he'll just have to suck it up Grin

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 04/09/2023 17:18

Who are you to either of them? Why has he made it your business instead of just asking her?

QuizzlyBears · 05/09/2023 06:00

aModernClassic · 04/09/2023 17:15

Thanks for your feedback. I think it came to ahead whilst on a two week holiday, and he had to wait every night, and as they don't live with each other, he didn't realise before.
She's 36.
No nails to paint or shaving as they were done before she went, so bathing and getting ready.
I think he likes her to look her best, so he'll just have to suck it up Grin

Who are these people to you and why aren’t they just having an adult conversation between themselves?

CoffeeCantata · 05/09/2023 07:15

Wow - you people must have amazingly high standards!

20 mins max for me! But tbf I don't include hair in that - if I know I'm going out I'd separate the hair-fussing from the other procedures and do it first thing in the morning.

But my socialising now tends to be informal stuff with friends - I don't go anywhere really where a high level of glamour is the norm.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 05/09/2023 10:49

But you can see above not everyone is taking the full 2 hours to "glam up" - they just use the time to relax in a bath or maybe paint their toes because when else can they do it etc.

They aren't sat at a dressing table painting their face for two hours.

Original poster
aModernClassic · 05/09/2023 15:13

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 04/09/2023 17:18

Who are you to either of them? Why has he made it your business instead of just asking her?

She's a friend of mine. They got back from Marbella last week, so we went for drinks and a catch up at the weekend. This is she when she mentioned it to me, to see what I thought. So, I thought I'd see what MN ladies had to say on the subject. There's no right or wrong answer, I just wondered if I was in the minority and maybe I need to up my game.
He's not said anything to me, and as I don't know him that well, and don't see him without my friend, he wouldn't either.

OP posts: