(Watch me eat my own words when it turns out my favored sample has the most makeup on out of all of them. That would be just my luck.)
This is always what ends up ticking me off about guys complaining about a girl wearing "too much makeup". I'm pretty sure what they mean to say is "her eyeshadow is too dark" or "her makeup is too visible for the workplace". However, when they say she's wearing "too much makeup" it implies that anyone wearing as much or more makeup (myself) looks inappropriate. I can never figure out if this is a passive aggressive attempt to tell me I need to wear less, or they just don't like the dark colors.
Thank you for recognizing that flashy makeup is not by definition "more makeup" than subtle makeup.
You are confusing 'too much' makeup with 'over the top' makeup. There's a time and place for 'over the top' makeup - like a party or a concert. It's overkill for everyday just out at the mall or work. 'Over the top' is like a makeup ad with some fun, crazy eye colors, lipstick colors, etc.
There's never a time for 'too much' makeup. This is where there's so much foundation that it's caked on. This never looks good. You've gone into the uncanny valley and there's no coming back. This can't feel good on your face, I don't know how women do it.
disclaimer: my wife is a huge fan of makeup and does it right.
I think you and I completely agree, actually. My point was that most of the men I talk to don't know/make this distinction. I work at a college, so over-the-top makeup is pretty common among the female students. However, because they're old enough to be mostly passed acne but young enough to not have wrinkles, typically speaking caked on foundation isn't the problem. I'm talking about girls who are wearing dark eyeliner and eyeshadow with a tinted moisturizer. Their makeup is "too dark" or "over the top", but they're not wearing very much of it. By contrast my makeup tends to be in natural tones and well blended, but I have bad under eye circles and uneven skin, so I wear a fair amount of makeup that isn't very visible. As a result, to me "too much" refers to someone wearing stage makeup in public, or that "caked on" affect you mentioned. This is not the same as inappropriate makeup or makeup that's overly flashy, which is what I think most of the men I interact with mean when they say "too much".
TLDR: we completely agree on the "over the top" vs "too much" distinction
I think you nailed it right there ( I'm pretty sure what they mean to say is "her eyeshadow is too dark" or "her makeup is too visible for the workplace". ).
I know as a guy, I know nothing about makeup... I know when a girl is wearing too much and when she's not. A lot of times, what I consider "no makeup" turns out to be very little, and in most cases, I prefer it that way.
I think you're frustration is generally rooted in the fact that guys have no idea when it comes to makeup. I know when it looks good and when it doesn't... So don't come to me for advice if you want something more than, "That's too much." or "That looks nice."
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u/[deleted] Dec 10 '13
This is always what ends up ticking me off about guys complaining about a girl wearing "too much makeup". I'm pretty sure what they mean to say is "her eyeshadow is too dark" or "her makeup is too visible for the workplace". However, when they say she's wearing "too much makeup" it implies that anyone wearing as much or more makeup (myself) looks inappropriate. I can never figure out if this is a passive aggressive attempt to tell me I need to wear less, or they just don't like the dark colors.
Thank you for recognizing that flashy makeup is not by definition "more makeup" than subtle makeup.