To be irrationally annoyed by women putting their make up on on trains?!

[stillstanding]

There is a woman who gets the same train as me in the mornings and every day she spends half an hour gazing into her mirror applying her make up and generally having a good look at herself. I find it incredibly annoying but I'm not sure quite why ... I just find grooming like this in public quite off-putting.

I mean, I know that it can be a huge rush in the morning to get out the door and I for one have certainly left the house with a naked face in my time but I then go to the loo at work and sort myself out. I wouldn't dream of doing it in front of a carriage load of onlookers and certainly not as daily ritual.

Anyone else feel like this or am I alone in my irrational pet hate??

[TheDullWitch]

I think a train etiquette guide would be excellent.

[redpanda]

Agree with the "I don't know why but I find it gross contingent" - and the other weirdly fascinating thing is the generally manky state of the make-up used (e.g. grimey old sponges for foundation). Why show in public your low standards of hygiene when it comes to make up? Beeezaaare.

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Yabu. It is such an inoffensive thing compared to the myriad other things to be offended by on public transport. Perhaps it would be good for your soul and stress levels if you could work on not getting het up about it?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

My h witnessed a man have a crap on the platform at Peckham Rye Station whilst waiting for the 8.10am to London Bridge not so long ago. Now that really is offensive.

[TheDullWitch]

*no feet on seats - ever, unless shoes removed.
*no smelly food - ie hot food. Sandwiches, drinks, chocolate bars are fine.
*no long and loud mobile conversations - go into the corridor or keep it down low and short.
*no personal grooming, beyond a cheap slick of lippy or hair comb just before you get off.
*text mode must be on silent - ie no beep beep beep all journey long.
*iPods/MP3s should not be audible to anyone next to you.
*rubbish should be taken to bins, or taken with you, not left on table when you get off.

See, people, it s not so hard to be nice.

[SardineQueen]

Everyone does it on the tube - doesn't bother me at all and it is quite fascinating when it's full slap being applied. Before and after in real life type of thing. I can't see why it would bother anyone TBH. Seems quite a practical timesaving idea to me.

What did make me was once a bloke in a suit took his shoes and socks off and gave cut his toenails and picked at the nails and dodgy skin and flicked it around everywhere.

[TheDullWitch]

That shoudl be "quick" not "cheap" slick of lipstick. Freudian slip!

[TheOldestCat]

I think the OP knows she would be unreasonable to expect people not to do this, hence her use of 'irrational' - she's interested in why this annoys her.

My train journey to work is over an hour, and the thing that gets me is those people who have clearly bathed in perfume/aftershave - so strong you can taste it. Bleurghh. A few times recently I've had to give up my seat because it's made me sick (literally, am pregnant). But that's my problem.

[kathyis6incheshigh]

Am I allowed to breastfeed? Lots of people are offended by that.
What about kissing and cuddling, or, indeed, just being too much in love? Lovey-dovey couples on trains can be terribly irritating, especially when you're away from your own dh.
Can I have salt-and-vinegar crisps? Sometimes they're very pungent.

Or are all these things as bad as farting, pooing and putting on make-up?

[TheDullWitch]

Of course it s subjective. Manners are the essence of subjective.

[MorningTownRide]

*do not extend your paper into the face of the person sitting next to you

[TheDullWitch]

• no public shows of affection beyond a brief kiss and hand holding or arms around back of chair. No smooching, groping or frotting.
  *breastfeeding is fine and should be either ignored politely or greeted with warm smile.

[abra1d]

Don't be so fat that you ooze into my seat.

[fizzpops]

I don't find it irritating at all. In fact it always makes me ponder why they are bothering at all if they are happy to be seen 'naked' on the way to the station and on the train.

On one memorable occasion I saw a woman applying foundation as if she was washing her face with soap - for this reason alone I can't see the problem. But then I am nosey interested in my fellow human beings and their strange habits.

[TheDullWitch]

*crisp flavours of particular smegginess are down to the conscience of the indvidual. Except Watsits which are banned for smelling like feet.

[fizzpops]

AND - if you don't want to look you have the option to look away, surely these people aren't making any noise???

Is it irritating because you want to look away and you can't? Meaning that perhaps you really do want to look but also want to read the paper and it is the struggle to do both that is the annoying thing?

[MorningTownRide]

• Don't sit with your legs really far apart. I don't want to see the size of your lunchbox. This goes doubly for those wearing skirts (although not sure if they've got luchboxes!)

[SardineQueen]

fizzpops some jobs expect make-up if you are having client meetings etc.

I suspect the ones who do it are the ones who don't usually have to wear makeup and so they don't have the time built into their morning routine and it feels like a PITA. So they grab the stuff and do it on the train when they've woken up a bit and have a load of spare time.

That's my excuse anyway

[PartOfTheHumphreysGroup]

lol at the legs apart. I'm sure the gap between the knees is inversely proportional to size of cock.

[BalloonSlayer]

My sister used to do the whole make-up palava on the train. If I was with her I found it embarrassing and perplexing. As others have said, I personally would not want to be seen in public without my bit of make-up so I wouldn't want to

• walk to the station

• stand on the platform waiting for train

• confront innocent fellow-passengers with my naked face

• then treat said fellow-passengers to the sight of it being decorated

And my sister was one of those women who do the whole shebang - not just a bit of eyeliner like me but two shades of eyeshadow, eyeliner and two coats of mascara.

Perhaps that's the difference. My make up takes all of 2 mins so I do it every day before leaving the house. My sister's was such a work of art that she either spent three hours fifteen minutes on it or she didn't bother at all.

I was always equally bewildered by her days when she wore not a scrap of make up. Or, if we were popping to the shops, asking me if I was "putting my face" on to know whether she should do likewise.

BTW she is not dead, I am talking about her in the past tense as she now lives in another country and I have no idea how she gets her slap on in the mornings. Suspect it is at the traffic lights.

[IsItMeOr]

YABU - I find it mesmerising and stare. I only object if that earns me a dirty look, as I assume an activity taking place in public is one I'm free to look at.

I always took the same attitude with people holding their papers in front of me - there for me to read, obviously.

What makes me feel physically sick is the people who always seem to be attracted to sitting next to me who chew the bits around their finger nails so that they bleed. Only time when PG that I came close to actually being sick on public transport.

But that's a long way away from applying a bit of make-up. And I'm not a public slapper as all I ever wear is a bit of moisturiser and a lip balm.

I was taught it was common only to walk along whilst eating food, not to eat it on a train. But then I'm with whoever said that their chief objection to someone getting on the train with burger and fries is because then they want one. And given the number of burger places at stations, this must happen an awful lot. So much that I would venture to add it must be deemed to be socially acceptable these days.

It's not common to drop litter, it's selfish. There's a big difference.