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Have you ever been criticized for how much makeup you wear (or don't wear!)?
Have you ever been criticized for how much makeup you wear (or don’t wear!)? Share your experiences! How did you react?
Oh, most definitely–on both accounts! I wore no makeup for all of high school, so there were surely a few comments about my lack of makeup there. I think I just brushed it off then. When I did start wearing makeup, I gravitated towards really bold, bright eye makeup, and when I had criticism about how colorful it was, I’d just tell them it washes off, and it’s my face–not theirs!
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Both though mostly that I’m wearing too much. Especially from my brother. My mom comments too that I wear too much foundation and too little blush. Blah! Whatever.
@mightyclassy07 Brothers…. bah! I bet yours is an older brother, too.
Ohh yes. I love to wear my Sugarpill to work (my uniform is so ugly, I gotta make it fun somehow) and my mom is always horrified- “you’re wearing THAT to work?!”. I do get a mixed reaction from customers sometimes- tons of compliments and little kids tend to really love it, but every once in a while I’ll get something like “Wow, that is some BRIGHT makeup” or just really wide eyes. I don’t care though, it makes me happy and if someone is going to judge me just based on what I put on my face, they’re not worth wasting a thought on 🙂
@Kristabelle Amen! Completely how I feel
when I started wearing makeup, I always wore wayyy too much eyeshadow in crazy colors, and one of the assistant principals at my middle school once commented on it and called it distracting and told me to take it off. my grandpa also used to comment while I was in that phase.
I’ve had people criticize me for both! Two looks that stick out in my mind that were criticized the black lipstick paired with a black smoky eye I was attracted to when i was 14, and this super bright tropical eye look i did and these kids in Penn station said I looked like a smurf haha). Aaannd a former boyfriend criticized me for not wearing any makeup: granted, it was at the height of my terrible acne problem, but i had slept at his house and didn’t have any makeup with me. He tried to be subtle about it by suggesting I wear some of his mom’s makeup (who is about 5 shades darker than me).
@Killerteeth Ex BF…what a tool!
He certainly was! That’s why he’s an ex 🙂
@Killerteeth I agree with Miss J. Your ex-boyfriend sounds like a prick.
@Killerteeth Emphasis on FORMER, thank goodness! HA HA
@Killerteeth So glad that is a “former” boyfriend!
definately i started experimenting and wearing really bold and bright colors. or i would do my foundation and i’d powder my face after that. People would tell me that i was wearing too much makeup…….but these same people were the ones that asked me to do their makeup for FREE for going out or a special occasion.
I’ve never been outright criticized, though it was a friend who alerted me to the fact that my dark circles were really noticeable when I hadn’t slept well and recommended I start using concealer. Most of my friends and family tend to be pretty laid back, otherwise. My 55-year-old mother went out earlier this week with my Estee Lauder Electric Teal eyeliner and MAC Violetta lipstick, so she’s on the same page as me abut makeup being about fun.
@Veronica — Your mother sounds very cool! The use of Violetta is quite impressive. Go her! Aren’t mothers like that incredibly fun to have?
My mom’s a pretty cool lady, I have to admit. She’s been a great role model when it comes to not giving a damn about what others think.
Oh, definitely! I got comments a lot in high school about the lack of makeup, not wearing perfume, and wearing my hair up. I didn’t live close to school, so I didn’t have time to primp in the morning. It was get up, eat, finish up school work, shower/brush teeth, and leave. It was annoying, but I was never bothered because I’d rather have slept then got up at a ridiculous hour to go all out. I also get the “too much” comments in reference to a number of things: too many products, too much color, too many expensive brands, etc. If I wear a full face of makeup or use more than a handful of products then people will tell me I’m wearing too much makeup. I find it annoying, but what’s even more annoying is when these same people will tell me on days when I’m not wearing much makeup, “OMG. You have all that makeup you buy, and you’re not even wearing it! What a waste! OMGZ.” Now THAT’S some seriously annoying shit, lol. Also, whenever I wear any amount of color, I get looks and comments. The area I live is quite conservative, so if I wear a lip color people will look at me crazy. If I wear non-neutral eye makeup the looks are even more interesting. It’s silly, so I don’t really get offended when people make comments about color or a little sparkle. I also get negative comments for wearing (buying) too much higher end makeup.
My general response, “I wear and buy whatever the hell I like.” 🙂
@Miss J, Hahaha, I love the fact that people will actually make those sorts of money-implied comments to you. So very polite of them. Reminds me a bit of Mrs. Kravitz from the old Bewitched show. lol. Like you, I live in a super-conservative area but I’ve found the people I’ve met give me a lot of leeway simply because they think I’m a crazy foreigner. In fact, much like one would be amused by a cute monkey in clothes, they seem to really *enjoy* my makeup (jewelry, and passion for thigh high boots). The fact that I’m a nationalized American doesn’t seem to matter…. <deeper eye roll>
@Miss J, Hahaha, I love the fact that people will actually make those sorts of money-implied comments to you. So very polite of them. Reminds me a bit of Mrs. Kravitz from the old Bewitched show. lol. Like you, I live in a super-conservative area but I’ve found the people I’ve met give me a lot of leeway simply because they think I’m a crazy foreigner. In fact, much like one would be amused by a cute monkey in clothes, they seem to really *enjoy* my makeup (jewelry, and love for thigh-high boots). The fact that I’m a naturalized American and have been for eons doesn’t seem to matter one whit. <deeper eye roll>
I just remembered something when I read your first sentence. When I was 10 years old, a bunch of girls in my year were GASPING and gawking at the fact that I didn’t shave my legs! 10 years old! My Mother was totally horrified when that night, I came home asking to buy my own razor!
Yes. I used to shy away from dark lip colors before and I was told that my face looks empty and colourless. And now they say that I wear too much coz of a.beautiful red lipstick I wear :/
The only person to criticize me for my makeup was my ex, hence why he’s an ex. lol. All my girlfriends want me to show them how I do mine, and my boyfriend of the last 4 years loves when I play with colors so I focus on the positive 🙂
I tend to be pretty minimalist in my makeup when I wear it, and no one’s really ever commented on my wearing too much or not enough. My friends these days think I’m a little odd for wearing any, because most of them don’t, but it makes me happy and that’s really all that matters. (I think I’ve said before, but I work in IT and I’m the only woman on my team. No one cares what I look like.)
I didn’t really wear makeup in HS or college, but in HS I was a social outcast so I have no idea if people made fun of me for my lack of makeup –it’s entirely possible. But college I went to an all-womens’ college so no one really cared if you wore makeup or not; the point was to be inclusive of all women and all aspects of being female, whether that involved wearing makeup or not shaving or whatever.
Oo, I went to a women’s college, as well. Probably the best experience of my life!
Yes! Mostly from my brother who seems to think that women’s makeup should look like they’re not wearing anything. But I’m a special case for him; he spent most of my youth believing vehemently that his baby sister should be chained to a desk in a library in a nunnery in Siberia. Probably with a burkha thrown on top. You have no idea the amounts of fights we got into over my dark, red lipstick, including one doozy of a fight in the Geneva airport where I thought security was going to step in! To this day, he still glares at me and shakes his head when he sees it, esp. if combined with a smoky eye and, God forbid, dark nail polish as well. The horror, the horror!! My father is similarly unenthused about the dark, smokey eye look, so yeah, I get the stink eye from all the males in the family. <sigh>
Oh yes!!! I am a very veeeery lazy person, never wore make up at school (forget high school not even in college, except for lipgloss) but when I started to work for a corporate I had to wear make up but I was still too lazy I never sacrificed 5 minutes from my bedtime for makeup :))) So, I always carried a make up bag with me but I always forgot to do, one day one of my colleagues told me that (as a joke!) I look so pale, I don’t want to see you face like this go and do your make up LOL! That was my wake up call 🙂 Now they love my make up style, and she always tries to get tips from me and borrows my bag..
Oh, yes all the time. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup at all until I was 16, so a lot of girls at my school commented on my lack of it. I also tend to do heavier makeup on special occasions, with bolder colors or really strong smokey eyes, since I like creative makeup and there are really so few occasions tt wear it. This has been commented on aswell, but as I said, I like it, and I don’t really go overboard (I do not look like a hooker or the star in a Las Vegas travestly show.) As long as I don’t tell other people how crappy I think their clothes or hair look , I think I can also expect of others to respect my fashion choices.
I only got into make-up when I was 24-ish, and I was still at school then, so when I first started wearing some people were like O.O “Do you have a date?” or “This is very…um…bright” but everyone was okay and kind of nice about it. Now I can wear it everyday and no one says anything, whee!
yes, of course, lots of times and whether i have or not have.
one thing I find interesting is for some people who don’t really have easy facial features for makeup (sounds odd but there are lots. :P) or who can’t really do makeup well always have negative opinion against people who is good and also look good in makeup.
ex. a girl i know is very criticising about thick brow, always tell me to make them slimmer as skinny brows is what EVERYONE wants blahblahbalh. but actually she has almost no natural brows. having super skinning brows is her only choice.
another girl likes to tell too much makeup is not good and look like a postitute, etc but actually teh truth is she wear full makeup herself just without eyeshadow.
the only real complain i know in her mind is i wear eyeshadow well and can easily pull off any due to the structure of my eyes and skill, and she is struggling in eye makeups, I ignore her most of time but from time to time, I email her tutorial for eye makeup just to annoying her. ha :PP
I can go on and on for many examples. I believe the truth is people complain out of jealousy most of time.
@hwendy The eyebrow thing drives me CRAZY. I have thicker eyebrows and I’m often being told I need to tweeze them into something thin so that it looks “cleaner” and “neater.” And the ladies at my nail salon almost fall over themselves to wax the whole thing into one thin line. I think they’d be happiest if it looked like my eyebrows were drawn on with a pencil! Grrrr.
If one has very thin eyebrows naturally or prefers super thin, arched eyebrows for themselves, then great. Go for it! But not only do I prefer thicker eyebrows *on me,* I also think that over-plucking eyebrows can completely inhibit future hair folliculation or growth, so it’s not always great from that perspective. Plus, thicker eyebrows are coming back. Super thin, almost winged, flying Spock-like eyebrows (like Nicole Kidman used to have) are merely a recent trend and like all trends it cycles. Tons of actresses have thicker eyebrows and look GREAT for it: Salma Hayek, Jennifer Connelly, Penelope Cruz, Rachael Weisz, the poster child for this, Brooke Shields, & more, etc. I remember reading a Temptalia post once and some guest poster told Christine that she desperately needed to thin out her eyebrows. Christine’s response was: “Thank you but I like them this way.” She was much politer than I would have been.
@Kafka
Christine’s eyebrows are amazing! I would like mine to be so thick and full.
I have thicker eyebrows but not as full as I would like them to be so I always need to fill the gaps. that take times in the morning. 🙁
@Kafka @hwendy I’m the poster child for why *not* to pluck. I began tweezing my brows in the early 90s, as it was the trend, and because my brows were broad, they were sparse, so I didn’t like the look of them. While I’m okay with the way they look now, I do wish they were a little fuller.
@Kafka You’re in good company, Kafka, believe me. Strong brows are fantastic and add character and a strong frame to a face. I believe in only plucking my brows’ “stray hairs” just to give them a little shape. I think “skinny” is a concept people take too far without considering how the brow balances the rest of the face. Its not about having as little brow as possible. Don’t take one feature out of context!
@Kafka All props to Christine for how she deals with criticism! I’ve seen her comments around, and she’s always clear, honest, assertive, tactful. I think those are amazing qualities.
I wish I had fuller brows…maybe then I wouldn’t feel pressured to waste-what I consider a waste- time trying to give the illusion of naturally thick, strong, subtly arched brows. I’ve got very sparse brows, not so much thin, but still.
I’ve only gotten negative comments from my grandmother, she would tell me I wore too much foundation when I used my liquids but when I used my coverfx for when I wanted to look paler she said it looked better, bah what does she know! Other than her I usually get compliments, especially from my boyfriend when I do bolder looks… His favorite is when I pair black and red for concerts/shows!
My mom once chastised me by saying a friend of hers had said I was wearing no makeup and I looked horrid! I should say this was a male friend, mind you. And why wasn’t I wearing makeup now that (this was a while back,) I had a boyfriend? Yup, truly bizarre.
I actually got mostly compliments on my makeup when I was younger, oddly. Maybe teenage me had good taste? Then I stopped wearing much as an adult until the last couple of years.
I wear pretty neutral makeup so nobody’s going to complain that I wear too much, but when I first started wearing it I got a lot of “Wow, you look nice today! Do you have a presentation or something?” every time, which wasn’t mean-spirited at all but made me feel self-conscious.
Now I wear makeup about half of the time and nobody says anything. They just had to get used to it. 😉
I mostly get comments from guys telling me that natural is the best way to go. BUT, when they point out a pretty girl on the street, she’s always wearing a full face with lashes on and everything. It’s up to each individual person to decide how much is enough. You don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks, just do you!
Yes and it was by my mother ( lol) She kept wondering why I wasnt putting my make up on lately because I use to fix myself up almost everyday before i headed off to work. Now its been MONTHS sense slapped anything on my eyes or face, I honestly dont know what happened- one day I just woke up and said to hell with it and went to work without makeup and its been like that every sense. I still like make up but I think my paticent and love for it has waned a bit, I dont see it as “fun” like I use to but more of a time consuming chore that I just dont want to deal/go through with. Especially if I made a mistake with my eye makeup, the process of removing it and then started all over again nearly killed me everytime! But I’m trying to get myself back on track..one day I’ll just have to sit down and have a go at it.
Nope. Although I wear neutral eye shadows most of the time (not always, but most of the time), I am quite obviously wearing makeup. Most of the women I work with wear no makeup at all but no one has every said anything at all. My sister in law obviously notices my makeup but she’s actually complimented me on it, rather than criticizing it (she likes makeup too!). I work with some wonderful women – they are too nice and too polite to think it’s their place to tell me how I should look.
Yes! I always wear makeup, mostly neutrals and light pink lips. People from here aren’t used to women looking good and wearing makeup they think they party a lot or they’re like rich or something. I want to look good for myself and not to impress people but I hate it especially when people u know and even relatives misjudge you for wearing makeup.
I was for no makeup. After I had my first child, my Mom and Grandma could hardly stand my “mom-look” without makeup
not really, i guess!! i think my mom is the person who admires my work the most, sometimes she really enjoys how i look and what i can do. but my boyfriend prefers when i dont wear make up, and also a male friend of mine sometimes comments on “how much” i have on (i dont go colorfull very often but i build coverage quite a bit sometimes..) other than that, nobody actually ever told me anything. anyway, is one of the things i enjoy the most to do and i wont stop doing it !!
Yes, I agree with most of the comments on here. I’ve had people criticize me on both accounts. Now it seems that if I don’t wear makeup (there are some days you just don’t feel the need) that people think something’s wrong with you (!?). However, most of my friends and family know that I love and enjoy makeup so wearing a bright or dark look doesn’t really affect them. They usually love that I try something different and ask me the products that I used!
I was never really criticized for not wearing makeup – my family is one Italian families that holds on tradition, so natural is better. My mom was the first one to introduce me to the makeup world, she always allowed me to do whatever I wanted to do with it but still I refused to wear makeup because I didn’t want to disappoint the rest of the family. Then when I started high school, all the girls in my class wore makeup so I got more curious and started to experiment with it. Right now I’m a makeup freak haha! If get criticized for wearing too much makeup, all I say is, “It’s my face and I do what I want with it – plus makeup is not permanent”. 🙂
I also did not wear any make-up in high school and started wearing make-up in University, but not a great deal of it. I did go through a phase where I wore too much make-up.. in the 80’s, but didn’t everyone?? LoL I think I changed my hair colour on a monthly basis too. I’m one of those strange and weird creatures that can wear a full face of make-up, the whole enchilada, and still look like I am not wearing much.
I’ve never been criticized for how much or how little makeup I wear – just for how much I own. There aren’t many people who have access to the cabinets and drawers where I keep my makeup, but the few who do are always horrified by how much I have.
On a side note, I’ve never criticized anyone for what I see as hilarious makeup (to each their own), but whenever I see someone with bright green/blue/purple eyeshadow I always wonder something along the lines of, “Was she going for ‘parrot’ today?”
Living in a super conservative area = no make up = the best. So I’d never get criticized for wearing no make up. Only people who have commented on my make up being “too much” is my mom and my bro. They’re both into the very neutral look, though I think after a while my bro got used to what I wear. My mom prefers just eyeliner, if I wear eyeshadow (I’m a big neutral eyeshadow user, like never use color, ever) she says it’s “too much.” Also if I put stuff on my lips, she flips out on it, though I don’t know why because she knows I have very pigmented lips already…funny story: Was wearing a red abercrombie v-neck shirt and I had NO make up on, whatsoever, since I just got out of the shower. She walks in, goes “WOW, your lips are the shade of your shirt! SO RED! Why do you put so much stuff on” and I just walked up to her, grabbed her hand, and rubbed my lips into her hand and then showed her her clean hand and said “yea, meet my natural lips, in case you didn’t know.”
Thankfully my boyfriend actually likes how I do my make up and especially has a thing for cat eye, though of course, he says I’m beautiful without it whenever he does see me without it.
I just love make up, I feel that’s the best version of me, especially due to my oily-acne-prone skin. Blah.
I never had anyone say anything about it till recently. Last week one of the head honchos at my work gave me the backhanded complement, “you are way to pretty of a girl to be wearing that much makeup”. *sigh* Oh, and said it looked like a rainbow trout. Whats crazy, I only wear eye makeup, and chapstick. And in case you were wondering I was wearing a pink and gray combo (which I love). I will admit its kind of deterred from wearing bright colors at work, I’ve been doing nudes/natural looks for the last week.
in highschool i was a bit of a tomboy so i didn’t wear make up much, but i do make up for it now i am in my thirties (i’m 31).
I get really annoyed when my husband says why do you want to buy that your only paying for the label and it’s really expensive (he’s more money conscious than i Lol) that does get on my nerves but i do see what he is saying regards cos, because i tend to go for stuff like benefit etc which to him anyway is high end make up.. Hmm i wonder what would happen if i came home with some Dior stuff?? 🙂
oh but of course!! When I was in High School my mom would go on and on about how girls NEED to wear make up, at that time, I couldn’t have cared less about makeup, so I paid no attention. Now as the makeup junkie that I am, I enjoy experimenting with different colors/ textures and I almost never leave my house without some form of makeup. My sister always tells me I’m wearing too much, and my mom always thinks that I’m wearing enough, or too little! I’m grateful my husband doesn’t care how much or how little makeup I wear. On top of that sometimes I get criticized on the fact that I spend most of my spending money on cosmetics, to that, I say…um…excuse me..did you work 40+ hours a week to earn MY money? I didn’t think so…BACK OFF!
Honestly, never (unless you count the one guy I was seeing years ago, who didn’t think *any* women should wear makeup). I’ve always surrounded myself with “artsy” types, and as a result, many women (and men) often wear as much, or sometimes more makeup than me. Also, when it comes to makeup for work, I tend to follow what other women, especially those in a higher position, because I was always told, “Dress for the job you *want*, not the job you *have*.”
Not really to be honest. I’ve lived in cities for most of my life where people come in all shapes and sizes and preferences. Maybe it’s just people being polite, but I’ve never gotten negative feedback. I try to adjust my look to what I’m doing that day too. If it’s a Saturday then I’ll probably do glitter and go all out. If it’s an office day I’ll likely do a bold lipstick sheered out with a more neutral eye look, or a colored eyeliner instead of a full wash of color. My family is usually supportive even when I try something “out there”. They think it’s cool to have fun.
The criticism I have gotten was how much makeup I have, but that stopped after a while when I explained it’s my hobby and something I enjoy and have fun with. When a friend of family member would say “wow, that’s a lot of eyeshadows” I’d tell them yeah, and I love it and I have so much fun with it instead of being defensive. Once I stopped being defensive and told them it was a fun hobby of mine I found that my friends, sisters, etc. all wanted me to do their makeup and they thought it was cool and became supportive. Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I’m just secure now with what I like and because I’m happy and having fun and I feel secure I find that it gets a very positive response from the people around me and they all want to talk about it and get advice.
I definitely used to have people tell me I wore too much make up when I was younger. I loved crazy colors on my eyes like RED and Hot pink and just…junky shit. After high school it toned down a lot and i just stopped wearing make up until around 21. Now my skin is so easily aggravated (adult acne) so I take it easy with the heavy makeup and stick to neutrals and usually just add a pop of color on my lips. Also i tend to buy more quality items because of my skin instead of the cheap stuff from when I was younger.
i don’t get so much criticized for my actual makeup as much as the time it takes to do it.
I’ve had critical comments about specific looks, but very rarely about wearing too much makeup- I’ve been told once or twice I didn’t need it- and never for not wearing makeup (probably because I almost always do)
Oh yes. As a former sergeant with the army, and now a police officer, I have had my share of coments.
I have never worn an inproper amount of makeup on the job, but I like to wear a mineral foundation and mascara. Very nice and natural, but my former Army CO was not a fan 🙂 I was the only woman in my unit and I guess he just wanted me to be one of the guys.
The police is a lot different. There are a lot more women and it’s more acceptable to look nice and somewhat feminine, but you can’t wear a lot of colourful makeup, or red lipstick 🙂 I don’t mind. It would get in the way of doing my job. So I keep my everyday makeup very neutral, and save the fun looks for my spare time.
I think that people who never wear make-up tend to look at those who do a little odd. My cousin’s idea of make-up is concealer, powder, eyeliner and mascara… so when I wear lime green eyeshadow it is a little bit shocking to say the least, especially when you are the only one in your family who wears bold colors. I personally like both. Some days I wear minimal to no make-up and other days I go crazy. A common misconception is that people wear make-up because they are hiding or are insecure. I think it is an extension of my personality and style. At my second High School no one wore make-up or dressed up and I definitely felt like the odd person out. It’s okay though… I love make-up and that won’t ever change.
Makeup was never done well in my high schooling which really turned me off from anything other then mascara and lipstick on ocation but when I would wear but that my friend didn’t recognize me as first until the register my hair. lol (mt lashe are still blonde so black maraca make a huge difference.)
I still don’t wear much more then that as work other then a face powder during the week. I feel like I don’t have enough excuse to wear my funky colours even on my days off which is sad consider I have pretty much every shade and tone in the rainbow.
I don’t think I have! I expect it from my mother sometimes, since she wears very subdued makeup and I like bright colors and glitter, but I guess she doesn’t really mind as long as I maintain some sense of what goes where on my face and avoid looking like a clown. And I have some friends who hate makeup or think it’s a waste of money, but they don’t care that I wear it since I don’t force it on them.
I don’t think I was really criticized for wearing makeup, but I did make a few mistakes in my past. Someone probably should have criticized me then, heh. I had extremely overplucked brows and wore lots of black eyeliner (and that’s basically it)!
No, I always get compliments on my makeup.
Never had any comments on wearing no makeup / too little, but definitely comments for too much makeup! I have a couple friends who don’t like the look of foundation and don’t like how makeup in general changes the way people look. I’ve always just felt if I want to dress up my face, I should be able to and I feel I never do it in a way that’s offensive or inappropriate for the occasion. Lucky for me I guess, I’ve never had comments from people that don’t know me well like a stranger or anything. I’m not quite sure how I would react to that.
I mainly get compliments on my makeup, though sometimes they’re along the lines of “you look so nice! Why do you try so hard on the weekends/for class/whatever?” Sheesh…I like doing my makeup, I love how I look with it on, and it’s fun for me. I consider it pampering for myself. So I’ll do it whether or not people think it’s “too much!” Funny thing is, I very rarely deviate from natural looks, so I don’t have crazy colors or anything.
Oh yeah, fortunately I usually get more compliments than criticism, but there have definitely been some criticism too! It usually comes from my father (I’m 22): he hates the fact that I’m fashion-makeup-obsessed, and he hates that I buy so many shoes, makeup or that I WEAR too dramatic makeup… But THEN, if we go out and he notices that I’m dressed very casual, and I’m wearing no makeup or very little makeup, he immediately asks me: Why aren’t you wearing heels? Why didn’t you put makeup on?
… PARENTS!!!
Yeah- my family comments on my wearing “too much” makeup all the time, and I keep it pretty darn natural! I know they mean well, but it’s kind of annoying to feel so confident and then be shot down by even something as nice as “you don’t need it” or whatever.
People always ask if I’m tired when I don’t wear makeup. I always say, “NO I got extra sleep from skipping makeup.” And my boyfriend always requests winged-liner, even if we’re not going anywhere 😛
Yess both first because I didn’t wear makeup and then because I bought and use a lot of makeup but I don’t care it’s my passion and I love it!
I tend to lean on the colorful side of makeup application for myself. I do get complements on my makeup but i also get those who say that they like my makeup but would never wear it themselves.
I get people asking me why I would pay the money for taking too long to do it. Its just like, makeup is something I love, why should I rush it??
Oh I’ve gotten both. Ironically, in high school girls used to criticize me all of the time because I didn’t wear makeup. I certainly did wear makeup–almost everyday to school if I didn’t have sports–I just knew how to apply it so that it looked natural. Then I started wearing a bit heavier makeup and bold, colorful eyeshadow and got criticized for being too “over the top.” That one carried into college, where I got a lot of catty comments about trying too hard because it was only class. And, of course, my dad hates it, so there’s always that lol. I get less criticism now that I’m in my twenties, but the one thing I hear the most complaints about is that I wear foundation and they dislike it because they don’t think I need it. I just like to wear it! But then in the midst of all of this, I get compliments on my makeup all of the time. Some people love it, some people ‘congratulate’ me on being bold enough to wear some of the looks that I wear, some people just compliment my ability to apply makeup the way I do because it looks so natural.
So that just goes to show that you can’t please everyone, so you might as well just please yourself 🙂 We like makeup, that’s all that matters!
Its just family or relatives that say “why do you wear makeup, you are still young you don’t need it (pfft im 23.. young?) .. you’re wasting so much time every morning”.. it annoys me when my mom says that. it annoys me when my relatives said that when i visited them overseas.
I wear makeup to cover my acne scars, my eyes look small without eyeliner, my lips dry and peel if i don’t have lipbalm on, and i need the spf because i don’t want to tan.
it’s their choice to wake up, wash their face with water and out the door they go.. its my choice to sit there and blend in my foundation.. i already wear way less than what I did back in high school.. i still don’t have the guts to wear false eyelashes or red lip, or even smokey panda eye makeup.
At a previous internship, I was told by my supervisor that I “wore too much makeup” and that it wasn’t appropriate when I was working with elementary school kids at their school. I personally didn’t think I was wearing too much–just my usual amount. Conversely, I’ve had people at my job tell me that my makeup looks really nice and that I look “really pretty” or “beautiful,” so go figure. “Too much makeup” to some means just the right amount of makeup to others. It just depends on the environment and the person you’re asking.
I’ve never had anyone tell me that I wore “too little makeup.” Generally, people don’t criticize you for not wearing any makeup or hardly wearing any because those are your natural features. I think a lot of people have a bias against makeup and somehow think it’s bad, unnatural, frivolous,etc. when it’s really up to the individual person wearing it to decide.
I’ve never been criticized for not wearing makeup but definitely for wearing it. My last boyfriend would always make comment like “why are you wearing dirt on your eyes” (brown eyeshadow) and my best friend and her sister who normally don’t wear any makeup are always like “you should just get permanent (tattoo) eyeliner since you always wear it” or ” omg, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without makeup” um, I’ve known you guys since I was 5… It’s mainly annoying because complete strangers always come up to me and compliment my makeup…
I don’t think I’ve ever been critized for not wearing makeup, but definitely for having “too much”. At the end of high school and the beginning of my undergrad my face was horrible. So I would cake on the powder until it was a mask ( it never matched my skin and I usually looked quite yellow, but at the time I didn’t know any better), eyeliner and mascara. Then, after my face cleared up I discovered this wonderful store called Sephora. That was when I started to watch videos and learned different techniques. So I ended up toning down the foundation but amping
Oops…stupid iPad… I amped up the rest of my makeup and horrified my grandmother and other family members. They all think I wear too much, but I ENJOY it! It is fun to create new looks and experiment. I would rather be doing it now in my 20s than in my 60s to be that crazy grandma with the bright blue eyeshadow.
I think i intimidate most of the people in my graduate program because non of them wear hardly anything, but I am beyond caring what they think. I wear makeup for me, and not for anybody else.
I hear it all the time not directly, but a lot of songs about girls/stuff directed at girls always involves “you’re much prettier without all that makeup”. To which I think look, I get you’re trying to be nice, but I wear makeup because I want to, not because I’m obligated. Personally I’d much rather hear ‘that’s an awesome color of lipstick” than “you’re most beautiful to me when you’re natural” because I love lipstick and I wear it all the time. I like makeup and I like myself in it, and I hate this idea that it’s empowering for boys to tell girls they’re prettier without it. The message should be more like “you’re prettiest when you wear what makes you feel good about yourself” or something. Everyone should be able to wear their face how they want.
I’m not sure I agree, k. How could I go through my day to day life without a man around to validate my feelings and choices?
I’d be lost, my friend. I’d be completely lost.
LOL!! <3
x2!
My personal fantasy of the ideal man is one who looks at me in my favourite lipstick and instead of saying “Oh, you look so much better natural”, he goes:
Its striking. It suits you.
But then, that would just be TOO perfect,
I live in Vermont (no one, really, no one here wears makeup), and I’m not young, and I actually had a boss (a lawyer) tell an intern, “she wears sparkly eye shadow because she’s from California”. Fortunately, the intern said “I like it”, because I was going to say, “I wear sparkly eye shadow because I like it”. I moved from California 22 years ago! Sheesh. We have one MAC store here in our State and no Chanel, no Bobbi Brown, no NARS, no Makeup Forever, etc., etc. The only good thing about living here is I can go out without any makeup and no one notices! 🙂
yes both!
many times !!
BOTH!
Yeah! Both and called me fake… LOL
yes! people need to stop being so critical
Yes specially for wearing way too much makeup according to some , I just respond by saying my makeup routine n style is not for others its for me ! I like a lot of makeup, I like high heels and long hair and I do it for me so I don’t care what others prefer for me to look like
When I wear makeup, yes. Too much or too little, yes. It enrages me.
Yes but I just brush it off and feel sorry for them because it is usually some homely, average looking person saying it.
Yes but I just brush it off and feel sorry for them because it is usually some homely, average looking person saying it.
yeah and i go, well then its a good thing ur not me bitch
all the time. i generally tell people to fuck off when the make that remark.
all the time. i generally tell people to fuck off when the make that remark.
People always say the most insensitive things because I don’t where makeup at work, like “you look tired” or “I wish I didn’t care how I look like you” I do like to wear makeup but just don’t have the time during the week. Wish females would stop trying to make me feel bad about it.
I do because i wear color. as a highschool girl, it’s enraging to me to see the girls think only in the neutral lane of makeup, and not the color aspect. I just tell them that I’m not wearing too much. I’m just wearing color.
No…
I tend to do my makeup on the go, ei on the train on the way to work. I’ll always have some random person tell me “you don’t need all that, you look fine.” shut the hell up. No one asked you.
My mom once told me before going out I looked like a drag queen. My response was “then I’m doing it right” 🙂
Bitches be jealous of our makeup skills.
Yes to both I look like a clown and if no makeup I look tired and sick am I feeling ok
i had a boyfriend call me Clownface…dumped him…
Stephanie, I always do my makeup on the go. It’s so irritating when people (mostly men) make comments like that.Conversely, when a woman compliments my application it makes my day.
yes!!!
THis question brings back memories…I began wearing makeup at 12, and my father used to tell me quite often “You look SO much better without all that JUNK on your face!” Little did he realize THAT just made me want to wear even more…
What I don’t think many people realize is that while a lot of women wear makeup with the sole aim to enhance their natural beauty, there are lots of women who view makeup as an *accessory*, similar to jewelry, scarves, shoes, or purses. For those of us who take that approach, we would no more wear the same makeup look every day than the same outfit. (Although I have noticed that women who wear very understated jewelry, sticking to the same pieces all the time, are also those who seem to prefer the “natural look” in makeup).
I believe we all have the right to express ourselves as we see fit, so long as we’re not hurting anyone else. And unless I poke someone else’s eye out with my mascara wand, I would really appreciate it if everyone who doesn’t care for makup just keep their opinions about MY face and what I choose to put on it to themselves!
My parents criticized me when I was in high school for my wild makeup but they really aren’t nice people tbh so it’s to be expected. I’ve also been criticized just by random people who think it’s there business to tell other people what they should look like–usually other women, how horrible is that? I also feel like where I live there’s like this awkward line you have to walk if you want people to think you’re attractive. Like you should wear a shit ton of makeup to cover up your flaws but don’t make it too obvious because you’re supposed to be a natural beauty although those of us who know about makeup know that the “natural look” requires just as much stuff on your face as anything else, amirite? I also feel like there is this tacit feeling in our society that we shouldn’t wear a lot of makeup because men supposedly don’t like it. The illegitimacy of blanket statements aside, it’s unbelievably anti-feminist to expect women or girls to look a certain way because male gaze demands it. if I want to wear purple lipstick I will. It’s just tiresome for people to act like female bodies should be constantly open to criticism. And also, the decent guys I’ve dated have liked me both in and out of makeup.
I get some weird comments at work about how I’m not smiling enough…not because I’m not pleasant or have a sour expression, just because I don’t grin ear to ear like a banshee? It’s always (older) men, so I’m sure there’s a bit of sexism involved. Anyway, recently, one of them was like “if you got all dolled up to come to work, you should be smiling more.” I was wearing my normal amount of makeup, and my daily makeup takes me like ten minutes to do…
Everything else I hear has been positive, so I guess I’ve not been wearing anything too crazy. Folks notice my nails the most often, but I do have a love for sparkly polishes!
@Quinctia ughhhh. I’m so glad you mentioned the smiling thing! That is so incredibly sexist, I wish the men involved would realize how uncomfortable it makes me 🙁
@CiaraAinsleyFears It almost makes me want to cultivate some sort of really bizarre, creepy grin to throw out at lines like that, but it’s a bit too much effort! 😉
@CiaraAinsleyFears Me too! I work in retail, and sometimes older men walk through and tell me to smile. It drives me crazy! Walking around smiling for no reason would just make me feel nuts!
What’s really sexist about it is that you would never hear the same man tell another man to “smile”.
@Quinctia I HATE this! Its so inappropriate to tell a woman how to behave just because you as a man don’t find her pleasing enough to your delicate eyes. I’m very tall with long dark hair and am naturally reserved. Guys seem to think its appropriate to tell me that I should make myself “more approachable to guys” by acting more bubbly and cute and/or sexier. WHAT. I would NEVER walk up to a man and say “Hey, you’re not sexy or cute enough for me, do you know how you could be, though?” its atrocious!
In high school I wore makeup to cover my cystic acne, but cysts can’t really be covered very well…and I’d get a lot of rude lectures about how I was making my skin worse with makeup. (Which was utter bull…turned out to be related to food intolerances). But if I ever went out without makeup, people would either stare or outright ask me if I’d ever heard of Bare Minerals/Mary Kay this-or-that, whatever. Lol.
When I finally got my skin cleared up, I dropped foundation and discovered colorful eyeshadow, eyeliner, brow care, etc…all the stuff I’d been afraid of before when I hated my face. I went a bit crazy developing an Urban Decay collection. My sisters then accused me of changing who I was,’ ‘trying too hard,’ wearing too-bright eyeshadow…but whatever. It’s MY face, and I know how to do my makeup for different occasions – work vs. bar vs. babysitting vs. interview. There’s always gonna be someone to complain about your choices, so I just use my best judgment, do what makes me happy and try not to worry about other people.
Nope but every time my mother looks at my make up collection she complains that it’s way too much it verges on the obscene. I love it.
If I’m out with my big sister and I want to look at the makeup section of a store, she rolls her eyes and makes some sort of comment about how I care too much about makeup. And I don’t even dare mention it to her at home. I don’t think she realises that I see makeup as a form of art. I love experimenting with colour and using it to enhance my appearance. It’s not like I need to wear it. I just enjoy it. Why should it be a big deal if I get excited about the perfect pink lipstick?
As a single career woman, I constantly get comments from well-meaning friends such as, “Why are you wearing so much makeup? Men don’t like women with a lot of makeup. My husband actually proposed to me when I didn’t have a stick of makeup on!” These kinds of comments are very hurtful. I wear makeup because I take pride in my appearance, not to win the admiration of men. But comments such as these are NEVER appropriate when directed toward a single woman — it strikes at a very raw spot.
Yep. It’s happened. I tell people that I wear (or don’t wear) makeup for me, not them.
Yes! People say i wear too much. I love colors that are not “normal”
Several years back, I read this article where there was an “experiment” done in a casino. They did this test on these group of women working at the casino…the subjects where those women serving drinks to the patrons while gambling at the slot machine. Half of these hostesses wore makeup (not gaudy makeup…just regular makeup) and half of those hostesses wore absolutely no makeup. Those hostesses who wore makeup got more tips(money) than those who didnt. Maybe it were the patrons there that liked women with makeup. I dont know…because tests like this have many variables that can change the outcome of an experiment….that is all I know about this test.
Well, my take home message for myself was that ….I was to wear makeup to work…to look professional and to be taken seriously. When I dont wear even some makeup….I look like a teenager and someone uneducated. I am not saying those who dont wear makeup are not professional. I am saying I dont look professional. I just dont people another reason to give me a hard time.
I have never been criticize for wearing none or wearing too much makeup….even in my teens…..people know I have so much makeup that I have to store it in the refrigerator…..they give me a hard time for buying makeup.
I think women as a group do get broad stroked when it comes to appearance. “you look much prettier without makeup” coming from a man is the nice way of staying “you should care of what I think of how YOU look”. I think if you love makeup and you have the financial capability to splurge on MAC, NARS, YSL, CHANEL, then do it because YOU will feel better, not make others happy. I think as women we feel pressure to please everyone but I will never compromise on my makeup, I love it because it makes me feel confident and EFF whoever doesnt agree. lol ok soap box speech over. but to answer the question lol, I get criticized by other women on the fact that i buy expensive makeup…which personally is none of their business but oh well haters gonna hate.
i’m really young. i’m 14. and i want to be a makeup artist and i own and wear a lot of makeup. most of the girls either dont wear makeup, only use drugstore, or think they know what they’re talking about and they dont. so i get a lot of critisism from them, but its main adults who talk about it. the workers at the MAC and Sephora that i go to know me and recognize me, but once i went to one away from home and got up to the counter to buy and lancome foundation and the woman would not back off! she kept saying i really think you shouldnt be buying this without your mother. she wouldnt let me buy it! but i like wearing bold makeup and i wont stop!
good for you….I started buying makeup at that age…and all the high end brands….because my cousin’s girlfriend took me everywhere so she had company…this was 30 years ago…so dont let anyone discourage you from discovering makeup and making yourself happy…
I love this! I’m 16, and I got into makeup when I was like 12. I made my first “official” Sephora purchase on my 12th birthday with my best friend. It was the too faced eyeshadow duo in lucky charms. I honestly love makeup so much and spend too much money on it! But it’s my passion. There are people who are like, ooh hot pink eyeshadow is too bright or coral lipstick is not appropriate for someone so young. Gimme a break. I also like it when people think they can tell me where I should buy my makeup and how much I should spend. The way they think about my spending on makeup, I think the same way about how much they spend on sports equipment and excessive gym memberships. But I definitely related to what you said about your friends thinking they know everything about makeup when they really don’t. I HATE THAT. sorry this was so long..
Yes, on both counts. I’m not bothered about what others think of my makeup; I’m an individual, and very glad to be so 🙂
I have never been critized for wearing too much or none make up, but I get abused for my interest on it. “How can u spend so much money and time in make up?”, or “no, make up does not count as a hobby” or my favourite: “if u didn’t spend so much time with your make up you would have much more time to spend with your husband and kids”… I just roll my eyes, little do they know that the time I spend ALONE putting on my make up makes me feel fantastic, at balance, and fills me with energy to try to be the best person, mum and wife that I can be!
yes I feel the same way but I am now sad that I feel I made mistake with my marriage to my husband who cannot accept me and see me beautiful without make up I hate the fact wearing make up so u look perfect with all that extra things on yr face to be loved!!
Not to my face…usually wen i dont wear makeup i get complaints.
When I was just starting to wear makeup (at age 19), I didn’t know how much shimmer was too much, and people noticed.
I only started wearing makeup later in life, as in late 20’s, because makeup was forbidden in my Catholic highschool. I even got pulled aside for wearing a colorful headband once, ugh. Since I never learned to apply, I never bothered until job / wedding needs came up. Even then my learning curve was slow, I only started wearing foundation, neutral eyeshadows and mascara in my mid 30s. To date I have never been criticized for wearing too much makeup, but I have always gotten a broad range of (soft) criticism for NOT wearing makeup, mostly from family members – mom, sister, occassionally my dad and lately husband. Anything from “why don’t you like wearing makeup” to “oh you look so nice!” or “you should take better care of your apppearance” on the rare occassions I did to even “are you tired?” on the days I don’t wear makeup now. I take it in stride, especially my husband’s worry about my state of fatigue, to mean I’m doing a good job with the natural look, even though the amount of products I use has ballooned i. the past few years. Given my late start and constant unconscious egging on to wear more from my family while growing up, though, I probably never will graduate to a bolder makeup look. The obstinate rebel in me doesn’t want to fill other people’s expectations, even though I am fascinated by makeup now. At least, other people I care about, i.e. these family members. 😉
I have gotten from friends the two way compliment “Hey, you look good! Are you wearing makeup?!” (complete with incredulous tone). Fortunately I know where it’s coming from given my makeup history, but if it came from a stranger things like that would make me incandescently angry.
Since I was in high school use to put some makeup on like mascara or natural eye line some powder but I was always got cut up and complains some times punish because it was against my religion Islam . now that I am married I don’t like makeup actually don’t know how to wear it or witch products are good to wear , my eyes and skin are so sensitive plus when I wear it I feel weird don’t see that I look good . and don’t know what to do with my husband’s complains , he wants me to change my look. I don’t know how ?!
I’m currently looking for a job. At a temp agency, I was asked if I had any makeup on (I did). I was so humilated. I don’t wear a lot of makeup. I feel “werid” being all made up and would prefer to look natural.
I was so floored by their comment, I wasn’t sure how to respond. They tell you to be yourself. Dress conservatively. And then I’m told I need to darken up my look. Help.
I would never make fun of your make up, you always look gorgeous!
hi,im from england… im 14 and mixed-race (half black/jamaican half white) but grew up in a white household due to divorced parents. family members and my brother on my dads side (the black side) always tell me i dont need foundation but without it i dont feel confident enough and it annoys me … it only looks like i wear alot because of my skin colour i get told im pretty but i dont believe it, and i used to have really bad breakouts and have scaring from it but with a little make-up my skin looks lovely and people compliment it, advice?
Yes, I have been told this before. One time I had so much eyeliner on, my friend said, “there’s something on your eye…..oh sorry it’s just eyeliner. Never mind!” Lol luckily it was my best friend so I didn’t mind 🙂 now I only wear mascara. That’s it. I get told that I look pretty this way, so I stick with it. Besides, if I wear anything more than maacara my eyes and face gets irritated so I don’t even wear concealer or foundation.
I’m new to this site I stumbled upon and felt like replying despite this being what may be considered an “old” post…I’ve always been and still am criticized for not wearing makeup. I am currently 22 years old. A close friend of mine thinks I should do what makes me happy, but I feel like she’s also trying to push me to wear makeup in her endless suggestions of high end products I cannot afford. I know higher end products are more likely to not irritate sensitive skin and to have better “color pay off,” longwearing, etc. but I cannot justify the prices of many things that are out there regardless of quality and how longlasting the formula and how long a thing of a product will last. I only own a mac lip gloss that I had to work hard towards asking my mom for it for an early Christmas present because I do not even work part-time thanks to all the homework and stuff that gets thrown at me.
I don’t have really good skin, but am almost at the point of having my acne under control. I am quite happy about having an even skintone, but that’s ruined by darkness around my eye area.
What I hate most about not wearing makeup is being mistaken for a lesbian and I seriously have nothing against homosexuals in general, but when you are straight girl and am trying to feel attractive it HURTS to feel less than feminine especially now for me (although i’ve always felt less feminine for my whole life).
I do not like all of the makeup removal processes-and I tried them all, techniques, products, etc. because it makes my skin feel like crap and my eyes hurt from it-removal is another big reason I am not for makeup.
What do I do?! (And sorry this is long…also you may be asking after reading this why am I on a makeup site if I’m not very fond of it? It’s because from time to time I tend to increase my diagnosed depression in looking at what society deems beautiful and feeling a lot worse about myself. There, I said it. I torture myself with images I can never achieve, nor am willing to because of the time, money and everything else that comes with it.)
I’m a junior in highschool and I’m mixed, black and white. I think makeup helps describe a girl’s personality.When someone critizies my makeup, it feels like some one is stabbing me in the heart. I take a lot of pride in my makeup and it makes me happy. These two girls in my class constantly tell me their opinions on my makeup. Today one of the girls said to me “why do you put so much blush on. It looks weird. I never wear makeup and I look normal. And I don’t think black people shouldn’t even wear bronzer.. looks gross” this comment hurt me so bad. That was so shallow and I will never forgive her. But either people really like my makeup or they despise it. But no rude comment is going to stop me from doing something that makes me happy.