A little lip gloss or chapstick, even a little touch up is fine, but otherwise? Irritating!

Of course, I'm bias this morning because I was stuck behind a car this morning and the woman kept applying her makeup WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING! Fine at a stoplight, but please not while the car is moving!

I don't mind if someone puts on some gloss or lipstick or even touches up their powder but doing their entire routine in public is ridiculous. Who'd want to leave their house like that anyway?

I don't think it's a big deal. It's not like she showed up nude and then proceeded to get dressed. She ran out of time and needed to catch the bus. Not something that I would do, but I wouldn't be annoyed by it. I'd see it as a learning opportunity.

I used to be of the school where it seemed somewhat inappropriate. But then I started a job with a two hour commute and I decided to stop caring what people thought. As long as you're dressed and not imposing upon the person next to you, I say do what you gotta do.

If you're running late it's understandable...can't say I haven't done it before, though to be honest I've usually just waited to get to work to go to the washroom and do it.

That being said, I take a commuter train to work in the morning and the same women ALWAYS do the whole nine yards on that train every single day, which I think is kind of innapropriate, strange and tacky.

I never really thought about it...but it would drive me nuts if the person was driving, and I'm sure I'd just honk at them.

I want to know how you got this pic without her noticing hehe

If someone wants to do their makeup in public, what's the big deal? If people don't want to see it, they should mind their business and move in.

I've done it and I don't mind other girls who do.

- Marsadie (fl.com)

i don't understand why anyone thinks this is so tacky. why do we care so much what other people are doing? if it makes you uncomfortable, by all means don't do it. but we shouldn't judge the person next to us on the bus just because they have decided to manage their time a certain way. i personally would feel self conscious, but I can't speak for another person.

Except when driving - that's just stupid.

it's especially bad when women do it while driving!!

The only thing I do in public is put on my lip stuff - sometimes I will look in my mirror...
But for anything else, I try and run to the bathroom. To me, waiting till you get to the bathroom shows your a lady with manners. I know it sounds a ltitle stupid, but the things my mom taught me when i was younger still stick!

It's so not a big deal, I live an hour away from where I work and do not have time to put on my makeup at my house, I've tried it makes me terribly late, I usually put it on at my desk though cause I'm all alone but I think it's terribly unkind to judge women who put their makeup on outside of their house, these are busy times, get with it!

i think the thing about it for me is the fun (and purpose) of makeup has a lot to do with mystery. you put makeup on to enhance some stuff and hide others. if everyone watches you put the stuff on, there's no mystery.
i understand if you're running late, but if you're comfortable going out of the house without makeup, why bother?

It doesn't bother me so much when I see others doing this but I definitely don't do this. The only thing I do mind is when women are putting on makeup while driving, especially when I seem them doing this on freeways!

I don't think it is a big deal at all. If I had to communte on public transit to work and was sitting there for over an hour, I would think about putting it on there as well to save time at home and for something to do on the ride. I don't understand how other women could be put off by watching someone else put on makeup "Gasp- behold this stranger entering the bus/train without makeup and applying it before me!" -it's not like it's some secrative ritual to be done only behind closed doors(for me it's not). Like Meldi said- she's not naked.

It doesn't really bother me when other women do it. I mean, what's the big deal? But I personally never do more than a little touch-up (lip gloss or powder) in public.

Funny - on my way driving into work, I noticed a woman driving a card behind me applying all of her makeup! A touchup is alright, but driving AND applying?!?! hmmmm

(not that her car was a public place - but she could be easily viewed to all the morning commuters!)

A little lipstick fine, full face, super tacky. It's a part of your personal hygene, why do feel a need to expose strangers to it? I commute via subway to work everyday, little over an hour door to door, and yet somehow, even with kids and pets, I find the time to take of my personal business at home.
No, it's not the worse thing ever, but what's next, flossing? Cutting toenails? We (society) need to keep boundaries intact.
Find the time, make the time, do your makeup at home or don't wear any - it's not the worst thing in the world to show your 'true' face!

I commute for over and hour and still manage to find time to do it at home every morning. Just tamper down the routine if you have to.

Plus, on public transportation, it's irritating because it's usually crowded - which means that you're probably jostling someone and all in all just isn't particularly polite.

A little make up application like lipstick or powder touch up is okay. I am astounded by people cutting their nails in public places.

I don't ever do more than a little lipgloss or lipstick in public. It's just odd.

i think it's fine putting on a little lip gloss, lip balm or lipstick, even compact your nose or something, but doing the complete make-up in public... that's ridiculous.

I also agree that a lipstick application, checking oneself in a compact is ok. BUT REALLY applying your makeup in public--- completely tacky (as is doing one's nails!!! The noise of a nail file is grating and nail polish smell is bothersome!!). I wouldn't shave my legs in public for goodness sake. Applying makeup is a grooming activity and should not be completed on transit, in restaurants, while driving, etc. Yucky!

Am I wrong to think that it's a bit of a health issue to apply makeup while in public? Forget that while driving it's a distraction (read: fender bender wanna be), but on the el or a subway; ick! I think about all the places your hands and fingers go before you start slathering on foundation, etc.

Where I work, customers cut their freaking nails and get away with it because I can't see who does it. Putting on makeup when you have a required hour of nothing in your day is just efficient. Besides, I'm sure a lot of men out there are curious about how women use all those mysterious products. They're getting a show.

Yuck...grooming yourself in public is sooooooooooo wrong. I agree with the masses that touch-ups are fine but your whole makeup routine on a crowded bus or train is weird. And the women who do it while driving are retarded...I see it too often.

I guess doing it on the bus beats doing it while DRIVING, which I see more times than I can count. I'm not talking touch-ups either--mascara, foundation, everything. That's totally unsafe, not to mention tacky. UGH.

I don't want a whole bunch of people watching me as I put my face on! And I'd rather not watch other people do that too. Unless they're teaching me something. But in public, it's a no-no.

Touching up is ok, I like to reapply lipgloss & check for shininess whenever I need to.

Lips only!!!!! Anything else is a bit much. I feel funny putting on lip gloss in public unless I'm in the ladies' room or something. The whole shebang is way past ridiculous!

if it takes you that long to do your makeup before you leave the house that you have to do it in public then i think its time to rethink the makeup routine.

Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of using makeup to look nice when you leave the house? I dunno...maybe she's not going for "effortlessly striking"...maybe more of "marginally high maintenance."

Lippies (sticks or glosses) in public are fine. The rest falls under the category of; I wouldn't do it, but I wouldn't be offended if someone else did. Mascara or eyeliner on the bus sounds dangerous, though!

touch-ups are cool(fix lipstick/gloss, dab on some powder/blush), but anything beyond that is a no-no. And just as a personal opinion, I like the art of putting on makeup. I like to be at home, in front of the mirror giving myself some me time. Of course depending on how late I am, that "me time" timeframe varies, but you get the point

I think you've got to do what you've got to do, but for me personally, I feel uncomfortable doing it. I watch my coworkers/bosses whip out their compacts and do an overall touch up before going to lunch and while I'm fine with that, I always think to myself, "I would never feel comfortable doing that." I'm not really sure why.

I think it's a turn-off to do anything considered "personal" in public -- men who scratch their balls, are you listening??? -- but my #1 pet peeve is dropping cigarettes on the ground to put them out and leaving them there.

Am I crazy, or is that disgusting?

If you have a long commute (and you are NOT driving) then why not??? I am all for it if it allows me to sleep a little longer, especially if I am going to be just sitting there anyways. I constantly find myself doing my makeup in the car when my hubbie and I go out just because it saves time...

Putting on make up in public is unhygienic. Every time you open an item, you expose it to the surrounding air and bacteria. Now imagine sitting next to someone who coughs as you put on your face. Your hands will also come into contact with other bacteria from those around you and even those who came before you on a bus, train or subway. Restaurants are really not the place to touch up - think of all the hand to mouth contact happening as people eat and drink. If you're in transit and suddenly jolted, you run the risk of scratching your eyeball which when exposed to normal airborne bacteria can become seriously infected. E. coli and hepatitis can be readily transmitted via hands, purses and bags, just think of all the places they get put like the floor, bathrooms, etc. Most likely you carry your cosmetics in a purse so any handling you do before touching your cosmetics will pass on germs. Finally you could cause a car accident by putting make up on while you drive because your attention is divided and that's a choice that really does affect other people's safety.

I always laugh when I ride the subway here in DC/MD and the women are putting on make up and after they are finished I want to say is that the look you are going for? One lady did the make up and took out her rollers combed and brushed her hair and once again I was like all of that primping and thats the finished product??

I think lips ....the only thing you should really apply in public should be lip stick, lip gloss, lip balm or chapstick..
anything else is should be done in the bathroom or ladies room.

I don't really care about on a train or bus, but I do have a pet peeve about women applying lipstick/gloss at the table after dinner.

Seriously ladies... we all know that at times, you gotta do what you gotta do. But that being said, no make up should be intentionally applied anywhere in public unless you are in dire emergency situation.

Touch-ups are fine however never apply your full face makeup in public, it's tacky.

It's like brushing your teeth or plucking your eyebrows on the bus....noooo!

I think it's kind of gross and a little tacky but it really depends on where your doing it. A bathroom is fine though. I don't see anything wrong with touching up or applying some gloss or something though.

Anything more than lip gloss/ lip stick is tacky. I don't understand these women who say it makes them late for work. Get up fifteen minutes earlier, and if it takes longer than that, you might be wearing too much. I agree that your make-up routine is a part of personal hygiene and should not be on public display. A woman should be discrete.

Chapstick or a little gloss is fine.

I admit I have used a oil blotter a time or two!

I remember being on a bus as a girl busted out her bag of makeup and went for it - eyeliner, mascara, the whole nine yards. She looked ridiculous. I felt bad for her, not only because she was putting her entire face on in front of everyone, but because she was doing it very poorly.

I used to work with a friend of mine who did this every morning! We'd meet up to take the bus to work and she'd always show up completely bare faced. Once we grab a seat, she'd start putting on her makeup and by the time we've reached our destination, she's be all dolled up just in time for work!

That is hilarious, Atiyah, but in a very scary way!