Make up on the train: get up ten mins earlier

[Trainarmrestfairy]

Just get up ten minutes earlier!! It’s not hard.

You’re taking up two seats. Your elbows are jabbing the person next to you. Your setting spray just hit me in the bloody face. And, even worse, you’ve painted your eyebrows on wonky because you’re on a moving bloody train!!!!

Why do people not get up earlier?!

I wonder if people in less individualistic countries do this?

If it took her an hour to put her make up on, then getting up 10 mins earlier wouldn’t have helped her, surely?

I do think she could have been more considerate re: mess and spray, but I can quite see why someone wants to make their journey more efficient and get an extra hour’s sleep.

I agree! My older sister was so adept at painting her face on a moving bus, it fascinated me. We didn’t really get on but we’d often catch the same bus to work.

(And I’d sometimes be hiding under a coat because I’d ‘borrowed’ one of her tops).

I wonder if we were on the same train with the lady doing her nails?

Surely, there cant be that many?

Do you object to the principal OP? It sounds like this passenger was very inconsiderate but had she not been (ie. not taking up lots of space, no spraying, no mess), would you still object?

When people do this on the train it somehow feels disrespectful. Putting lipstick on is one thing but full make up? I agree with op that you just get up 10 mins earlier. You would never go out in your bra and knickers and get dressed on the train because you didn’t have time to do it at home.

Perhaps trains should have special ablutions carriages where people can go to finish having a wash or getting dressed or whatnot.

It’s really not comparable!

If it takes an hour to do make up for a normal work day, I actually feel a bit sorry for her that she spends so much time and effort on it. I know some people enjoy that but it is quite extreme and doesnt seem like something enjoyable, more like something she feels she needs to do which is sad.

LOL, this made me laugh. Jabby elbows!

Getting up 10 minutes earlier wouldn't have helped much then.

If everyone complained about people opening cans of drink next to them and elbows bumping them when the person next to them opened a newspaper, I would agree with you. But they never do. We often get make up ones though and most of them don’t even involve setting spray or elbows.

It took her so long as she kept having to correct her mistakes (but didn’t manage to fix the eyebrow issue). Mascara alone took 15 minutes as she was waiting for us to stop at stations…

My routine is similar. Takes ten minutes. If I’m late, I do it in the toilets at work!

It makes me uncomfortable to watch because their makeup brushes generally look filthy (squashed in a makeup bag with the rest of the makeup looking rarely washed) and if you're on the train you can't wash your hands and you face is already dirty from pollution etc, so you do your makeup with dirty hands on a dirty face... None of my business, but I'm a bit of a germophobe and it makes me uncomfortable!

I occasionally apply make up on the train (which takes me about 3 minutes as I don't wear a lot) but when I do, I do feel quite embarrassed about it. I'm not sure why though. It's obvious when someone is wearing make up; but somehow seeing someone put it on feels jarring. Is it because it feel like a personal thing? Or is it because we don't want to acknowledge publicly that we are wearing make up at all? I realise that doesn't make much sense since it's obvious when people are wearing it.... anyway, I've often thought about why I feel uncomfortable about it when I do it. I don't care if others do it BTW.

I was once discreetly doing make up
on a bus. I’d chosen a double seat miles away from anyone. A woman came and sat next to me. Fair enough. She squashed me a bit (I’m tiny she wasn’t) but fair enough. She then started tutting at me doing my make up. I ignored her. I then accidentally dropped something so I apologised and politely asked sorry can I just get that.
She snapped at me “oh for gods sake there is such a thing as getting up earlier to do your make up you know!!!”
I was so shocked.
I calmly replied.
”thanks for that advice. I’ve been up since 5.30. I’ve been for a run, I’ve got two children ready including a baby, I’ve dropped one a school one at nursery and I’m now on my way, slightly late, to my full time job. So I got up early but not quite early enough apparently. But yeah, I’ll bear that in mind for next time’
she adopted a face like a cats bum. When I got off (politely saying excuse me this is my stop) I told her ‘I hope you have a lovely day’
you never know why someone is applying make up on a train so mind your own business.

"Affronted". Nice try.

I suggest you actually READ my post, and many others on here.

Sorry if people's actual experience doesn't tally with your ideology.

Behaviour does impact others - but some people choose to be in denial about this because it suits their selfishness.

In itself putting make up on on a train is a non issue, and not an unreasonable thing to do. We all know that many women have a lot of pressures on their time, and 10 mins can be extremely precious.

Many things much worse.

Taking up two seats or spraying you in the face is unreasonable though.

I used to do this back in the 1980s on my way to work on the tube. I went to the gym before work, then got on the tube and did my make up on the journey. Just eyeshadow and mascara and I didn't do any elbow jabbing or spray products anywhere.

I like watching people apply makeup so as long as they didn't elbow jab me I wouldn't be bothered.

I apply my mascara on the train, only because my eyes are really sensitive in the morning, especially in the summer or very cold weather. By the time I get off the train my eyes are ‘settled’. I could do it at work but as I’m on the train for 45 minutes I might as well use the time. I wouldn’t apply anything else, and would never spray anything. I keep my small bag on my lap or the table and lean away from the person next to me.

Totally agree with you.
I used to do one actually at work when I lived in a hot country as I would look a sweaty mess by the time I arrived otherwise. But on the train is for reading a book, drinking a coffee or looking out the window.

I put my makeup on using a handheld magnifying mirror. Have done for years.

Ok so what are your thoughts about people who do their make up and DON'T use face sprays and puff powders into their air etc and don't leave marks on tables?

I have a one hour commute. I regularly apply sunscreen on the train.
And I often apply mascara and lipstick on the train as well.

I am not jostling anyone, my makeup doesn’t emit strong scents or odours and I’m not spritzing anything or anybody. What’s the issue?

Why would someone complain about a person opening a drink's can next to them unless they got sprayed with the contents? (In which case I would expect to see a thread on that!)

Ditto for the newspaper - although certainly on my commutes (all over the country), it's so rare these days to see people reading a physical newspaper, I imagine that's one of the reasons there aren't more threads started by people being jostled.

On the other hand, I've seen plenty of threads about the general crapness of the male sex, including the constant manspreading and casual taking up of space on public transport.

On this occasion however, it was about make-up application and someone by sprayed and elbowed by an inconsiderate passenger. I don't think it necessarily means the OP has internalised misogyny. I imagine she'd have been equally annoyed by a bloke applying make up and elbowing or spraying her.

Well, it's possible if not probable that the person sitting next to OP would have sworn blind she wasn't elbowing or spraying anyone either.