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Do you let friends or family borrow your makeup?


Do you let friends or family borrow your makeup? Share!

If I’m doing their makeup, I’m happy to use products my stash (except eyeliner/gloss/mascara type products). For actual borrowing, it would have to be something specific and a really good friend or close family member, and something that was powder-based – say an eyeshadow palette.

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Brittany Avatar

I frequently share makeup products with my sister or I straight up give them to her.

With my friends, however, in the past I’ve borrowed chubby lip pencil products from them. More recently, because my collection of quite small, if I don’t use of foresee myself using a product enough to warrant keeping it after purchasing it (this happened quite frequently when I was more into makeup blogs and the beauty youtube channels), I set aside the items and end up dispersing them to my friends.

After learning more about how liquid products trap bacteria more readily than powder products, I stay away from sharing liquid products like mascara, lipgloss, liquid eyeliner. As much as I love sharing tips and tricks with friends about makeup, I do not want to share bacteria with them if I can help it.

Sarah Avatar

I’m kind of OCD about my makeup, both because I’ve invested a lot into it (monetarily and with my time in choosing colors/products) and because I feel like sharing products is the #1 reason makeup has to be tossed because of infections/rashes/whatever.

So I don’t let anyone but me use my makeup, period. I may pour some of my foundation onto your makeup sponge or palette, if it is pourable, but no way is anyone else’s tools touching my products, nor are any of the applicators of my products touching someone else.

Lotus Avatar

I put effort into caring for my products and no matter who will use them or how they will be used, as in my application or theirs, I’m consistent with whom I share. I’m always willing to let people try anything and notorious for giving things away so I do share my products, just not carelessly so.

Katherine T. Avatar

Uh, no. I’m a germ-phobe. I don’t let anyone touch my makeup. And I used to get makeovers at the makeup counter, until I realized that makeup’s probably been used, swiped, and swatched by hundreds people, and who knows if they properly sanitized it or not.

Tuss Avatar

My mother can borrow or have anything she wants. I’m too generous for my own best, so when I see a friend get all excited over something that I have, I sometimes can’t resist giving it to them… even if it’s something that I want for myself. If I rarely use it, they can usually have it. I have borrowed lipsticks and eyeliners to my friends, I’m not that picky about hygiene except when I’m doing a job =)

Jocelyn Avatar

We are too peas in a pod! I am the same way, I get a totally thrill from giving. I just love it. I usually pass things on to my sister, and a lot of the time we share my stash. Whats mine is hers.

Mariella Avatar

Pretty much no – I’m at a stage in my life where most of my makeup loving friends have and can afford their own makeup that they like. However, a while ago we were out for brunch and my good friend met us and she was interested in the Bite lippie I was applying after lunch so I passed it over to her to give it a try.

Alex Avatar

Only my mum. I have tons of eyeshadow and I’m actually the one to offer my mum to try out anything new that I buy. The same goes for foundation – we have the same skin tone and my mum has a really hard time finding a foundation so she’s more than welcome to try any of the ones that I own.

lorrie s Avatar

I don’t have many friends who are that into makeup but if I did, I would only loan a powder product. It would have to be a special occasion, one time thing though. My two teenage daughters aren’t into makeup even though I I offer to share with them all the time. On occasion one of my daughters will use my make up when she needs to have stage make up. I let her use one of my Naked or naked basics palettes and a powder blush but gave her her own sample size mascara and eyeliner. I also gave her her own set of travel brushes.

Jade Avatar

It doesn’t happen often, so usually I say yes, but recently my friend stayed with me and borrowed a few of my lipsticks (with my permission) and the way she applies lipstick rounds off the tip, so I couldn’t get a crisp line straight from the tube (I’m too lazy to use a lip brush most of the time).

Nicole Avatar

I don’t really get asked that,lol. If I have stuff I really don’t like or use that can’t be returned or exchanged, I give it to friends or family members or it goes into my daughters play stash! My sister is so opposite of me when it comes to makeup. Literally,she has just what she “needs”..So,ill give her an occasional lipstick or something and she is so excited. She is a physician! She could own every thing on my “wants ” list in a snap..But ,then her shoe collection is absurd to me..to each their own..:)

Meghan Avatar

No, I have major heebie jeebies about sharing makeup. A few months ago I was showing a coworker a Bite Beauty Matte Lip Crayon of mine and grabbed it & swatched it on her hand. I almost threw it out, but I just tried to get rid of the top layer of product & sanitize… 😐

If I were to do someone’s makeup, I wouldn’t have a problem using my stash, either.

P.A. Avatar

I’m like that, too. I had a salesgirl sanitize a lipstick for me before I put it on and it .looked nothing like the swatch on my hand, i’m not super comfortable with returning used makeup so I suck it up. I’ve never had issues with salespeople not sanitizing applicators or anything. I would never ever swatch lip glosses, cream and liquid eye products from testers on my face. Your immune system decides what bacteria can remain on your skin so if youre healthy and cautious, skin infections are unlikely.

Meghan Avatar

Exactly, I’m sure counters are covered in germs so sanitizing is the only way to go! Even at a MAC counter where they’ll sanitize lipsticks for you to try, I still feel a lil weird knowing it’s a tester (and I’ve probably only ever tried 3 lipsticks in person at MAC). I’m bad enough for inadvertently touching my face with my hands, but I can’t imagine using a tester on my face, ew.

I don’t like returning makeup either! But typically I’ll donate it if I don’t like it/ don’t use it. I also sanitize what I donate 🙂

Hima Avatar

My mom only wears neutral lipstick rarely, like super rarely. So I’ll let her use one mine. I would only let her or my two best friends borrow something because I know they won’t ruin or lose anything. My two best friends are the only ones that wear makeup and they have their own stashes. If we’re doing our makeup together though I’ll let them use whatever. No one has asked to borrow any of my makeup though.

xamyx Avatar

I have a friend who used to come over to get ready, and she was really into a few loose eyeshadows I had, and some loose powders, so that was no problem (she would tap some off onto a palette).

My daughter likes to “borrow” my makeup, particularly lipstick, but she pretty much just hoards them in her little bin; she’s 8, so she doesn’t really use much, but she just likes the idea of having it. I recently stuck a handful of lippies in there that I don’t really use. I do apply eyeshadow to her on occasion, as her coloring is sooo different from mine, and her eyes are slightly hooded, so it gives me a chance to play with different looks & techniques. She also has her own brushes, so we don’t share those, and she’s too young for liner & mascara.

Amare Avatar

Not anymore! I loaned friends and family lipsticks of we were going out and they asked for it. But when they were not returned or “lost” I stopped being so generous. I have one rule: you can borrow my clothes, shoes, jewelry, and handbags with no hesitation, as long as they give me a heads up of course. BUT don’t ask to use and don’t touch my makeup.

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I’m an RN and a bit of a germ freak. I don’t share except with Daughter and granddaughter and then nothing for the eyes except brows. I will just giv them the product and buy more.

Karen Avatar

Never! My friends don’t take care of their own make up so I don’t trust them with mine, LOL! If it’s drugstore make up, I’ll just give it to them if it’s something that I don’t use a lot but if it’s high end, I’ll buy one for them as an early birthday/christmas gift. One of my friends has a habit of asking me if I’m giving make up away and then somehow getting rid of them so I don’t even bother giving her anything anymore.

Stephanie Avatar

Only if it’s powder based and I’m doing their makeup. Brushes and sponges are easily cleaned. However, there’s no way they will borrow my eyeliners and mascaras unless it’s a pencil eyeliner that can be sharpened.

Telesilla Avatar

My wife pretty much only wears lipstick/gloss and our skin tones are so different that we hardly ever use the same color. If I buy something I’m only meh about and it looks like something my mom or sister would use, I’ll send it to them, but they’re on the other side of the county so it’s not exactly sharing. Most of my local friends aren’t all that into make up, so my stuff is my own and that’s the way I like it.

Jane Avatar

My sister loves to sit at my vanity and do her makeup. She sanitizes the products she uses. I do not mind. It’s fun watching her “shop” my collection. I also give away a lot of used makeup that can be sanitized to friends and family.

Candice Avatar

I don’t get requests to share makeup very often, but I don’t mind letting people use my things at all. If I know the person well enough to know that they don’t get cold sores, I’ll let them use a lip product. If they happen to be needing mascara or liner, I’ll let them use it. For mascara I’d lend one of the drugstore ones just in case it ends up causing me problems (not a big issue to trash it if needed) and liner I figure by sharpening it I’m sanitizing it.

julieta Avatar

I let my two youunger sisters all my makeup, i don’t really have any problem with that.
I’ve never had an infection or anything after i lend them my mascara, eyeliner or anything like that.
And as far as friends go, they’ve never asked me for any of my things but if they did i’m sure i’d let them borrow anything as long as they don’t take the makeup home with them in case they lost it!

Brittany Avatar

I’ll let my mom use my makeup because she hardly has any so if we were visiting and she happened to want to wear something, I’d let her use something. I’ve also let my bf play around with my makeup once or twice when he was goofing around, but I doubt I’d let anyone else use my makeup unless it was something that could be sanitized.

Sebrina Avatar

Absolutely not!

If they want it THAT bad….I’ll give it to them.

Plus twice per year I bring out a basket of goodies that I don’t like, need, etc and they go BANANAS over it…so they rarely ask!!! They just lay in wait…LOL

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