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How do you handle unwanted comments about your makeup?


How do you handle unwanted comments about your makeup? Share!

I’m lucky that it’s not something I deal with often (I can’t recall the last time any more), but I would most likely say something to the effect of, “Good thing it’s my face!”

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Nancy T Avatar

The last time anyone ever actually said anything negative was another lifetime ago, pfft!
BUT: what I DO get are funny looks from the less adventurous types. Not often, mind you, but when I was in MAC last week to try on Vamplify She-Rebel over Heroine, I got some of those uncomfortable stares! And NOT just from people shopping there, either. But 1 MUA there didn’t think I could see her smirking and trying to stifle a laugh behind me as I was applying it in the mirror, but I did. My thought was basically; Oh man, this chic has serious issues(⚽⚽’s)! LoL!

Katherine T. Avatar

Wow, I think that would make a beautiful ombre lip if you’re experiment worked. Any MUA worth her salt would try it out, but of course, she’s not

Nancy T Avatar

No, she’s NOT . Worth her salt. For a MAC MUA, she wears very plain, ultra natural makeup. And it did look really pretty, but too cool against my yellowish olive toned skin. I couldn’t believe her rude @$$ behavior though! And that same day, an UD MUA stopped in there, and she gave me a backwards compliment: “That’s an interesting lip color, what is that you have on?”, I wasn’t sure that was really a compliment, or an underhanded insult, so I just told her what it was!

Nancy T Avatar

I believe she may have been a newer employee there, I had only seen her there only once before. All the other regular MUA’s at that location DO wear fun or more involved looks, and they know me and treat me well. And that UD MUA? Idk what to think! She had a purple mohawk, smokey eyes. Both MUAs were quite young, early twenties.

Katherine T. Avatar

Fortunately, I don’t get too many unwanted comments, but if I do, l just ignore them or say, ” oh, but I LIKE that look ” . That usually shuts them up pretty fast

Marina Avatar

i get it a lot as i tend to wear a lot of very dramatic looks and i love a bold dark lip. my usual response is similar to yours!! “good thing it’s my face and not yours”. i don’t mind if someone comments to tell me if something is smudged or doesn’t look right, but i really don’t tolerate negative opinions when there’s really no need to say anything.

MissJae1908 Avatar

It depends on how it was said. If it was constructive criticism, then that’s fine. But if it’s someone that’s just hating for no reason, then I will blast them and block them. #BlastAndBlock

Dreamer19 Avatar

I hope I would have the composure to say calmly: “Why would you say that?”
But I have in the past said to my sister: “You’re so critical!” To which she answered: “At least I tell you the truth. Most people won’t be honest with you. I’m doing you a favour.”
My husband will also tell me when my MU looks cakey, or something like that. But I don’t really mind. It helps.

LC Avatar

i always take the time to apply a well made up face, no matter how ungodly early my sign in is. One coworker just stared at me and said “damn, what time did you have to get up to get dolled up…” Yadda yadda she went on and on and finished with “I can’t be bothered with all of that!” I just looked her up and down and simply said “obviously”. Every now and then, you gotta shut someone down

Nicole Avatar

The last time I received that kind of a comment it was form my bare minimum-wearing makeup sister who stopped by on a Sat. evening when I was getting ready to go out for the evening. I had a smoky eye going. It wasn’t too crazy. But, she wears pretty much mascara and that is it. She said something like” you look like a hooker”. But, when her work Christmas party came up a month or so later, guess who she asked to do her makeup. Oh. My response was,”Well, it has been rather dry for me. See ya.”lol. Other than that, I usually get compliments on my makeup or nothing. I think people who do say bad things are envious most of the time.

Katherine T. Avatar

I think you should take the Chanel Tisse Smoky Quad, put it on top of a metallic GA Eye Tint (Shadow), to get a cray looking OTT smoky eye just to annoy her 😉

Nicole Avatar

I understand.It seems like one stops worrying about what others think. I think your great both personality -wise and beauty-wise. I would have never guessed you as middle aged by Your photo. You keep on doing you girl.

Nancy T Avatar

Nope, you are not old, Wendy! I am fairly *certain* I’m older than you (56!), and I still wear some bad@$$ smoky eye looks and colorful shades like I don’t care!

Wednesday Avatar

I can very much see you suiting that 1940’s vibe, Helene :). I used to go for more dramatic smoky looks, but now I finding I prefer myself with less and less. I still pull out the drama every once in awhile, but also go a lot without much makeup at all. For example, just a great red lip and groomed eyebrows or a shimmery cream eyeshadow and nude lip. I’m feeling more confidence in being ‘older’ and bare. If that makes sense.

Nancy T Avatar

Wow! I never would have guessed going by your avatar pic (and the one on Temptalia’s Pets)! We must both have some fantastic DNA going for us or something. And yes, absolutely, we should be able to wear what we love, what our taste dictates.

Wednesday Avatar

Blessed and Cursed. True story: Before I was diagnosed with autoimmune, I’m at a dermatologist because I have this awful discoid rash all over the trunk of my body and down my legs and just upper arms. The dermatologist spent the entire time focused on my face skin and how amazingly young I looked for my age (I was about 42 at the time, could pass for late twenties early thirties). She kept asking me questions about my beauty regimen and I kept directly her to the fact that I had this bloody itchy ugly rash that felt a whole helluvalot more important. My family has great skin, but a lousy gene pool for lots of disease.

Nancy T Avatar

Isn’t it crazy how we both have some nasty cruel autoimmune diseases, but our facial aging stays years younger?!? We certainly seem to both have double-edged sword DNA’s!

The Silver Nail Avatar

At 56 years old, I’m not shy about speaking my mind. If someone comments that makeup or nail polish is a waste of money, I say, “Hey, it’s cheaper than booze or therapy.”

If a stranger were to say something really mean, I’d say, “Good thing for me that I don’t give a **** what you think.” Yeah, I can be blunt that way.

Nancy T Avatar

I HAVE said that myself to peeps who think it’s their dang business what I spend! Usually along the lines of; “Well hey, at least my vice isn’t hurting me or others the way boozing and drugging DO!”

Stacy Avatar

I don’t recall this ever happening to me. But I imagine I’d handle it the same way as I do an unwanted comment from a stranger about anything else (an extremely rare occurrence, honestly): I pause, look directly at the person, tip my head slightly to the side and squint just a bit as though I’m puzzled, and ask politely, “Do I know you?” It has never once failed to get the person out of my face, looking embarrassed, or at least very uncomfortable (my kid once said I looked “crazy.” I figure, whatever works, right? LOL!).

Katie L Avatar

I try to ignore it- I have had family members and friends make comments regarding the amount of make up I wear, or comment about the colors.

I don’t even bother explaining to them that make up is my form of art! I look at my face as a blank canvas, and all of my make up is my paint. I love mixing colors, and changing my face shape using powders. The people close to me understand, and I am comfortable with make up. So that is all that matters.

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I feel pretty much the same way. I can’t recall the last time I received negative comments but I’m 66 and pretty skilled at applying makeup now.

Heather F. Avatar

I actually *have* received unwanted comments (mostly from small people, who are hilariously tactless) and I usually just respond with a cheerful “Well, you don’t have to wear it!”

Lisa Avatar

I remember a comment I saw on one of your posts. Someone said something very nasty about your fondness for blue or teal eyeliners in your looks, and your response was that there were so many beauty/makeup blogs out there, and you were sure that she could find someone whose appearance they liked better!

I LOL’d at that – it was a very nice way of handling it, and I remembered it.

xamyx Avatar

I can’t recall any negative comments… While I have gotten the occasional “You’re pretty enough without makeup”-type comments, which I don’t see as a direct criticism of my makeup, noone has ever said anything about about the application/color/technique; I simply viewed them as poorly worded complimemts.

I tend to wear makeup (and clothing) that is appropriate to my environment, so there really isn’t much anyone *can* say! There’s nothing wrong with wearing a bold/dramatic look in an office, or minimal/bare-faced at a formal event, but I choose to blend in with my environment. I also have enough going on in my life where I don’t want to invite the possibility of any negativity; I try to wake up each day positive, and maintain that energy. If that means toning it down, so be it. After all, it is just makeup!

Rachel R. Avatar

I honestly can’t remember the last time anyone said anything negative about my makeup. I’m probably old enough now no one wants to mess with me.

I usually ignore people with negative comments about anything, and they stop if they don’t get a reaction. If they’re persistent, I have no qualms with telling them thoroughly off, and that includes strangers.

Carmilla Avatar

I haven’t had a negative comment in a while, but I basically don’t care; its’ my face and you don’t have to like it. The comments or rather not comments but the thing that get me is when I go into Sephora with no makeup on and they act like I don’t know a thing about cosmetics or how to apply them.

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I often don’t wear makeup to buy makeup. You get better color coordination with your true coloring. I guess those MUAs don’t get your business.f

xamyx Avatar

I very rarely go shopping with any makeup on, whether it’s makeup or clothing. I may need to swatch a blush or foundation on my face, and I don’t want to get makeup all over whatever clothing I may try on. Both scenarios seem fairly obvious to me, and I wouldn’t bother to go to a makeup store/counter if I wasn’t interested in the products, LOL!

Carmilla Avatar

LOL Yeah I definitely don’t go clothes shopping with makeup on unless I accidently on purpose end up at Lord & Taylor LOL but I do my best not to because I don’t want to get anything on the clothes. I know I sometimes go to buy something and there is makeup all over the collar and its urks me LOL

Anne Avatar

I mostly only get comments from my mom, so the last time she visited I did a full face of makeup on her, and she a) loved the way it looked as she has quite weathered skin and b) didn’t realize the skill/technique involved or why so many products are used as duh, they have different purposes. Since then she’s even asked me to throw an item or two in the bin for her when I’m online or out buying makeup.

Jane Avatar

I can honestly say I have never had someone walk up to me and tell me they don’t like my makeup. Mostly, people seem to still follow the old saying “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” People will either tell me they like my colorful eyeliner or bright lipstick or they won’t mention my makeup at all.

WildDove Avatar

I rarely get those comments, and if I do it’s usually from women who wear no makeup and make no effort to look good or beautiful (as is the way of life in some social groups). Sometimes I get looks if I’m wearing a bright or deep lipstick color, since the color does catch people’s eye. I usually say nothing. Or if they comment negatively, I say amusedly that i’s just art and a fun thing, which moves the conversation to a new topic.

Myriam Avatar

I don’t get many unwanted comments about my makeup BUT I get a lot of comments about my acne like : «You would weigh 10 pounds lighter if you didn’t have all those pimples» and mean things like that. So I just run back home and put 2-3 layers of foundation to deal with it…

GK Avatar

I tell them they’re rude & it’s none of their business. It’s interesting what some people think is ok to comment on, as if they’re perfect. They think it’s funny, or they’re taking out their personal frustrations.

Momo Avatar

I don’t get unwanted comments anymore. I’ve practiced so hard to get my makeup skills on point.
In the past, it was usually my male friends who would point something out to me, and NOT my female friends. It was ALWAYS a guy! Weird, right?! However, I took their comments as means to improve my technique, and that’s what I did. Initially, it had felt extremely embarrassing to hear them point out certain things to me such as, my makeup looks too dark or I had too much powder on my face. I’m walking around believing that I’m rocking the hell out a look, but they, my guy friends, were the ones who were telling me the truth. The women would sugarcoat my failures, but the men would tell me straight up. Lol. In the end, I was grateful for their honesty. It made my makeup application better; and they (all my friends and even strangers) have noticed the improvement.

Judy H. Avatar

I probably should qualify my response by adding that I’ve never gotten any negative comments, but lots of “you need to wear more makeup” comments.

Cat Avatar

I’m always so self-conscious about how others perceive me. Since I started making some changes with my makeup about a year ago (a little bolder), I’ve often wondered what people think when they look at me. I haven’t heard any negative comments. I suppose I’m doing it right as one of my husband’s co-workers, after meeting me for the first time, traversed the length of the building a few days later to tell him how much she loved my eye makeup (and a few other nice things). My husband told me she has started wearing her makeup differently (in an improved way) since meeting me. That makes me smile. =)

Alecto Avatar

The only people who’ve ever really commented negatively on my makeup are people close to me — firends or family. I can’t fault them, really, as the main point being made is usually that something doesn’t flatter me. I’m well aware that I sometimes wear makeup that doesn’t flatter me, and honesty is honesty. So [shrug] I can’t get bent out of shape about it. I usually just answer “I know.”

Sandy Avatar

Look the person dead in the face, and say without sarcasm “thank you”, and keep looking at them. Tables turned – they now feel very uncomfortable

Elise Avatar

At the end of day It’s still my face and body, I don’t care… I’m just having fun. .I’ve recieved a lot of bad comments with colorful looks or cakiness (my 1st dorm had really bad lighting lol, so I couldn’t tell if I had foundation on or not HAHA) I used to wear ombre lips or 2 colored lips for fun …I knew a lot of girls who wore makeup but never loved colorful looks would smirk at my colorful lips, which used to hurt me, but I’m too happy to care or be negative towards others! But I would just smile back ^_^

doroffee Avatar

It depends on who’s saying it. If my family says they don’t like my make-up, I say “I DO like it, and that’s what matters”… if a stranger on the street, I just keep my head up and go, not even turning my head in their direction, so they could feel I couldn’t care less 😀 (my favourites: elderly guys thinking I’m easy because I have eyeshadow on… uh-huh… NO.)

Helene Avatar

It’s nothing that happens often.
A long, long time ago someone at my workplace made a comment on my blueish purple lipstick, she said it made me look like a corpse. I just answered that I liked it.
It’s all about individual taste, so if someone dislikes what I wear, I’ll just tell them I like it, and it’s my face.

Lindsay Avatar

On my videos I just thank them for their input and leave a 🙂 if someone said something nasty in person I would say well I like it, And then I would smile at them!

Marie Avatar

A good friend of mine, Debbie, said to me last week, her friend Dawn, told her that her husband likes that she doesn’t wear makeup and I knew Debbie was into makeup and feeling pressure from her friend to stop also, she is almost sixty. I told her I wear makeup for me not other people, it helps me feel good and more confident. She agreed.

Amalia Avatar

Last and actually the first negative comment was from my friends when I wore Tom Ford STAVROS lipstick. I know that my friends really love and take care for me so … not a big deal, I just laugh and told them that I will remove it at night. After all, its only makeup! Another comment was from a Burberry MUA that told me to not be afraid wearing strong eyes along with bolder than neutral lipstick, because of the long distance between my eyes and my lips. I really appreciate her suggestion.

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