Make Up On the Go

On my way into work this morning I was sitting opposite a woman who applied full make up on a packed commuter train. Destination: London Victoria. Mission: flawlessly applied foundation and strikingly smudge-free mascara in 11 minutes.

‘So what?’ I hear you cry. So she did so without showing a hint of self-awareness or embarrassment at the copious pairs of disapproving (predominantly female, I might add) eyes glued to her every facial brush stroke.

I feel there is a real stigma in London attached to applying make up en route to work. As if we women mustn’t dare leave the house without being perfectly preened, painted and primed, ready to face the rat race. So much so that the few times I’ve dared to bare my bronzer on the bus, I’ve felt utterly debased. Metaphorically stripped of my paltry commuter dignity and thrown from my seat onto the rancid bus floor in a humiliating heap of shame while my fellow passengers chastised and mocked my impertinence, dangling blusher brushes and foundation tubes just out of my reach.

This is so wrong.

Have you never admired the skill it takes for a woman to apply mascara in motion without gruesomely blinding herself? One jerk of the train and a mascara wand could find itself bobbing merrily up and down from a pupil hole.

And more to the point, people, these women are smart. They have the nous to admit that 11 minutes saved for setting out your boudoir in a train carriage is time wisely spent in bed, in the shower or in the walk-in wardrobe (we can dream).

I think, ladies, it’s about time we stopped with this condescending attitude. I propose we all put our make-up on in tandem on the bus every single day. Just think of the fun! Plus, you’d never have to fret about forgetting your lipstick or worry about not having a sharpener for your eyeliner pencil ever again.

Image by Waterj2 courtesy of Flickr