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Do you let friends/family borrow your makeup?


Do you let friends/family borrow your makeup? Why/why not?

I don’t let anyone physically take makeup generally speaking, but sometimes I’ve done their makeup, so technically they get some!

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heidi Avatar

Borrow in the sense of we’re getting ready to go out and my mom friends or sister will be like “can I use this blush real quick” and I’ll be like “sure” or when I’m doing they’re makeup but I don’t let them take it home for a week and return it later or anything like that.

Kelly C. Avatar

If it wasn’t my deep dark secret I didn’t let any of my close friends know about, I wouldn’t mind at all. My sister knows I have makeup, but we don’t live near each other, otherwise I would probably let her use it, too. I know there are potential ‘hygiene issues’, but I feel like the people I’d be comfortable lending something out to are people I an confident are respectful- and clean.

Way too long of an answer for this question, sorry!

Jessica Avatar

I always let my mom and my cousin borrow my makeup and vice versa. They’re family, I don’t see the problem. I’ve also done my friend’s makeup for prom.

Andrea Avatar

I do but only because it’s hard to say no since my make up bag is right there. But I only lend things that weren’t that expensive or per say eye shadow which is easier to maintain hygiene.

Miranda Avatar

i do peoples makeup and i only let them borrow it when im there and they will give it right back. i never let people borrow makeup for an extended amount of time.

Valerie Brower Avatar

I’ve never let anyone other than my mom borrow any make up from me. I don’t kno how hygienic ppl r in their private life. At least I know my mom is a germ freak like me 🙂

Maryelle Avatar

Definitely no lending out to my friends!!! They’re not makeup snobs like me, so when they asked to borrow my NARS lipglosses for a night out, I ask them, if you lose it, are you willing to reimburse me $25? That shuts them up lol

Kathy Avatar

I give stuff away that I know I won’t be using anymore, but that’s it. I don’t let people borrow my makeup though. There’s just something unhygienic about it that makes me uncomfortable. lol!

Sarah Avatar

Only from my personal make-up, not my kit. Plus I sanitize my stuff before giving it to them to borrow and before I use it again. I also tell them if they lose it or use it up they’re gonna replace it, end of story.

herophelia Avatar

it depends on the person and the makeup.

i’ll lend things i can sanitize to responsible people, but i make no exceptions for things like mascara and lip gloss with wands (even if i send them off with disposible applicators, because people forget all the time)

Hend Avatar

I would not let them borrow it for like a day or something,
but they can use some of my makeup when we’re doing touch-ups and so ,
But only my really close friends and my sisters

Nunuiviet Avatar

My mother I let her borrow my foundation and lipsticks and my sister my blush powder, lipsticks and sometimes my powder foundation. But only once in a while coz they have their own make up stash as well : )

Musebeliever Avatar

I don’t mind my sister and mom borrowing my make-up !
I think not sharing would be a waste, I have too much for me alone anyway so rather than let really good products spoilt I’d rather they use it. Unfortunately they do not borrow it as often as I’d like. As we have similar skin types it’s ok. 😉

Hilary♥ Avatar

I never lend my makeup, and even when I do my friends or my mom’s makeup I NEVER use my lipsticks or lipgloss on them coz it is extremely unhygienic to me.

Nomie Avatar

I let my sister use my makeup, because we already share a bathroom and are constantly in each other’s space, and I figure if she gets sick I’ll get whatever it is anyway.

Pam Avatar

Noone has ever asked me if they could borrow my make-up (YAY!). I do have some nice stash and i would be upset if they went missing (eg. limited edition items). I think my mom does “borrow” my make-up but what can you do if you live in the same house LOL. Luckily it’s just mostly nail polish…

Catherine Avatar

I don’t see any problem with some products. I let friend use my eyeshadow, blush etc and i use their aswell but i will never let them use my khol on their waterline or mascara

Vanessa S Avatar

Nope, im very possesive of my makeup…. i’ll let certain people (like 2) use it at my house but they have to put it back where they found it and others like my sister isn’t allowed to go near my stuff becuase she isn’t careful and she’s already broken some of my things.

Eashanna Avatar

I lent my friend who was getting married my coastal scents 88 warm palette and ended up just telling her to keep it since i did not like the shadows anyway.

Holly Avatar

I’ll let family use anything.
Friends can use anything but mascara.

However, neither grouping are allowed to take any product(s) away with them.

arianne Avatar

Yes and no. I work at TV so I have a stash of makeup in my cubicle drawer that anyone can have access to. I don’t usually wear those makeup, only in emergency. I carry my personal favorites with me, or store it at home. But I never share lipsticks/glosses and mascaras, period 🙂

Dorna Avatar

I used to until I felt like some friends abused it. Ie, dunking a newly deep-cleaned lancome blending brush into a pot of black MAC pigment or messing up my mascara brushes (ughhhh I hate it when they fish the brush around in the tube! who does that?!). But I won’t think twice about giving it to my mom, only because she’s unrealistically clean, I put it on her, and she pays for a lot of it! If I do a friend’s makeup I usually work with their items.

Cassy Avatar

Not really. My mom doesn’t wear more than mascara and foundation (and she has her own, especially since she is much more tan than me) Once in a blue moon I’ll do her make up for fun and I might use something of mine on her. The only other person who will borrow on occasion is my bff and that’s only if we’re both out and she uses something out of my travel bag very quickly (usually an eyeshadow) No one else goes near my stuff.

Ariel Avatar

Only if they’re at my house– meaning I don’t let them take it somewhere else. And no sharing lip gloss or mascara. And I only share with family members or a couple of close friends

Amber Avatar

I have 2 friends that allow to borrow makeup and they also allow me to borrow theirs but we all take a very “hygienic” approach when using them, we sanitize items like they do at the MAC counter before and after use and return items the very same day or very soon after. We even have spare wands that we use when borrowing lipglasses. Aside from them everyone else who asks to borrow i either say No sorry can’t it’s unhygienic or if it’s a good friend or a family member I will offer to do their makeup instead. I think my little cousin has caught onto that one!

Neshie Avatar

Im not all OCD about the germs because I would share a drink or a smoke or food with most of my friends so that doesn’t freak me out.. I don’t lend out my high end stuff though.. because I don’t have money to replace it if something happens to it and nothing ruins a friendship faster than someone messing up your stuff..

Marcela Avatar

once in a blue moon i’ll do someone’s eye makeup for them (but i don’t use my eyeliners or mascaras on them and i wash my brushes before and after) but otherwise, i don’t let anyone borrow my makeup.

Jessi Avatar

I don’t often lend stuff out…but I’ll let my sister use anything but mascara and eyeliner really…If I give my friend anything it’s stuff I have extra of or don’t use so I just give it to her to keep.

Michelle Avatar

If friends are over, I will let them use my makeup (except mascara) while we are getting ready to go out or something. I’m not too finicky. I don’t buy a ton of expensive makeup, and a have a lot of stuff, so usually if a friend LOVES something a whole lot I will just let them have it. 🙂

TonTeezy Avatar

I don’t normally let people use my makeup. If a friend needs blush, shadow, or lip balm I can squeeze through a tube then sure. Never mascara or liners.

Natalie Avatar

Yes and no. My mom & sister can borrow it, even take a lipstick out for a night, and I’m okay. Most stuff they use disposable wands/brushes for anyway since that’s just how they do their thing! But I don’t really mind if they use/borrow, especially because they really respect my stuff & always ask me first.

Friends, however…not really. Unless you’re in a pinch, like your crush is a block away and you need a lipstick NOW! haha then no. But like Christine I’ve often done their makeup, so they do get to wear what I own, they just can’t borrow it/apply it themselves unless it doesn’t directly contact their face/lips/etc. Only my best friend in the whole world has been allowed to take my Hue out on a date (I have like 6 tubes so if I didn’t get it back it wasn’t a huge loss – but I did!).

monika-luiza Avatar

sure why not, as long as they use it hygenic I don’t see why I shouldn’t do it. I’m mean in the sense we’re gettinf ready to go out or something not like they are taking it home with them

Candice Coleman Avatar

If my friends and I are about to go out and I’m doing their make up of course I will use something on them. I let my roommate borrow makeup sometimes. But as far as take it and bring it back? Never. My father always told me don’t let anyone borrow something unless you can afford to replace it. It will never come back the same. So if I think I can let the borrow it I just give it away and let them have it.

Sixx Avatar

I have to tell you this story: The other day my sis went to the club and as she was re-applying her lipgloss in the restroom…a stranger asked her if she could use it too. LOL. (Well, I couldn’t stop laughing @ the thought of my sis hesitantly handing it over & the thought of someone wanting to borrow a stranger’s gloss!) My sis did not have the heart to refuse on the spot so she lent it. Her almost-brand-new lipgloss went straight to the trash!

steph (fanyechka) Avatar

Never, unless I was doing their make up- I am a make up artist and a life science grad germaphobe (lol, not really but I am pretty clean and don’t want people’s saliva); I also have my own set of make up now that I don’t use on clients. Once, this fellow MA on my team came and drink MY DRINK, god knows why she thought I wouldn’t mind wtf, and then started to swatch my eyeshadows with her bare fingers. GOD. That’s why I don’t lend my things out, people can’t learn to respect other people’s stuff. I’ve also had lots of models just help themselves with my kit when they think I’m not looking and I’ve had to toss out whole tubes of mascara as a result.

Katrine Avatar

Well my mom and sister, yes and I have so much that I don’t mind if they keep it but they know that they have to ask for my permission first. Everyone else, no.

Megan Avatar

My roommate and I “borrow” each other’s makeup. As long as we put it back when we’re done the rule is you can use whatever you want. We’re also like sisters and have lived together a long time so we don’t see any issue with it, the only thing we don’t share is mascara unless it’s a fairly new tube and the other wants to test it out.

Sass Avatar

No, but my best friend (if she sees a palette of mine laying around) she’ll take from it. But usually no way. It’s like almost sharing a toothbrush…if you’re not using disposable wands and the like.

anonymous Avatar

kids, I’ve said borrow in hopes they’d take care of it better but it’s really giving it to them. 🙂

otherwise, no, if I can part with something it’s just a gift

Eli Avatar

I never lend out my make up. My best friend is always at my house and always using it. My mom uses some of it too. I’m really finicky about who uses it or whoevers makeup I’m doing. If your skin is weird or gross you aint going near it. Same with my brushes. I have a lot of Urban Decay and MUFE and the stuff is way too expensive to just lend out

Rachel Avatar

I’ll often lend my drugstore makeup to people who need it during a play or dance show – generally blushes and lipsticks (always with cotton buds or a washed lip brush, though!), though I have lent foundation and powder to my fellow pasty girls in need 🙂
Never, ever shared eyeliner though! No eyeliner sharing allowed backstage, ever! In the pantomime every year, everyone is told they have to go out and buy their own eyeliner – it’s cute having little boys coming up to me asking for help putting on their eyeliner. Heck, it’s fun putting make up on all of the guys, no matter what their age!

Kayla Avatar

I don’t mind letting them use my stuff, but I don’t let them take it with them anywhere. Also depends on how good of friends I am with someone. Basically, if I’m comfortable sharing a drink with them then I’m okay with them using my makeup.

Annie Avatar

I’m generally against it. I’ve loaned out nail polishes and blush before and it took like over an year to get my polishes back. I still haven’t seen my blush, but I got tired asking about it (and I feel annoying and tacky when I do -_-‘) so I’ve pretty much given up. But I have no problem letting people borrow gloss for a night for touch ups if I’m around to get it back at the end of the night anyway.

saralorine Avatar

Borrow? As in let it out of my sight? Yikes! I won’t even put my makeup in checked luggage. Okay, maybe the occasional drugstore lipstick but that’s about it. But I also do lots of makeup for people so I’m not totally selfish with my goodies.

perri Avatar

my mom and i will give stuff to each other. let’s say, if a lipstick shade isn’t working for me, I will see if my mom wants it.
I do makeup for my sisters or their friends sometimes but usually they tell me to use their makeup so they know how to use it after.

Lyss Avatar

Anything that I can keep sanitary I will let my mom borrow… but we tend to have different tastes in make up and if we like something particular that the other has, we usually just buy our own because I spend most of the year away at school. (She made me spend a week over the summer stalking Sephora’s website to get her a Naked palette after she saw mine)

My friends don’t get to touch the stuff, generally. I will sometimes help do a friend’s make up and then I’ll put it on them, but otherwise no. It’s usually just eyeshadows, although I do have one friend who isn’t big into make up and we roughly have the same skin tone so I did her face for an event once with my foundation.

Becca Avatar

I don’t like to. My friend keeps asking if she can borrow Viva Glam Gaga (MAC) but I don’t want to lend it to her cuz I find it gross when other people use my nakeup- ESPECIALLY lipstick, and I just don’t think other people realize how important it is too me (makeup in general) and I would be like devestated if they ruined it or lost it etc. Plus, I wouldn’t want to go without the product because I would worry, like “omg, what if I want to use this tomorrow?!?!”
Haha, it’s sort of ridiculous 😛

Cynthia Imperato Avatar

I periodically purge my makeup collection, and give away makeup that is in good shape but doen’t work for me or that I never reach for. My friends look forward to my makeup giveaways and the tips I give them and I get more room to try new things!

Anita Avatar

Sort of…I’ll let them, I just don’t like it XD like, all the people who are used to cruddy drugstore eyeshadow will DIG into my eyeshadows and I die a little inside

van Avatar

I always put makeup on my close friends. I dont usually mind, but sometimes when it’s like every week you want me to do your makeup with my makeup its kind of annoying. People think that just because I have makeup that I have alot of makeup that I would just share it with everyone. So no I never lend out makeup even though some of my friends have asked to borrow.

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