The Beauty Debate: Would You Apply Make-up On Your Commute?

Do you save your morning make-up regime for the daily commute? According to a 2013 study of British women, one in three of us use our daily journey to work as an opportunity to put on our make-up, but 40 per cent would ask someone to stop if it was annoying them.

A 2017 Mintel study found that "urbanisation and use of public transport has created a new set of consumer needs, with portability and on-the-go application becoming more and more important". Yet in 2016, a major private railway operator in the Greater Tokyo area of Japan released a video asking commuters to “refrain from putting on make-up on the train”. Clearly society is divided, but where do you stand? Here, three Vogue staffers weigh in.

Tamison O’Connor - acting junior digital assistant

“The tube is not a place to do your make-up. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it is that annoys me - I just don’t want to watch women make up their faces while I’m on my way to work. Just get up 15 minutes earlier! Of course I’d never dream of asking someone to stop. But I always have my own private eye roll when I encounter a commuter mid-beauty regime, and the germaphobe inside of me gives a slight shudder at how unhygienic it is for that woman’s poor cosmetics.”

Lisa Niven - online beauty editor

"The main reason I don't put make-up on on the tube is simply that I never get a seat and don't have enough hands to both hold onto the handrail and successfully apply mascara. I really think it's easier to throw on a five-minute face at home than to battle against judgey commuters, sudden emergency stops and teeny-tiny compact mirrors on the tube. So I don't apply make-up on the tube myself, but others doing it never bothers me - unless they get make-up on my coat, that is. It has happened and I was not impressed."

Lottie Winter - beauty assistant

“I used to never leave the house without a full face of make-up but my priorities have shifted and I care far less now about how people see me. I’d much rather spend precious morning minutes sleeping or prepping for the day ahead -  and if that means confining my make-up routine to the tube, then so be it. Commuters, enjoy the show!”

Click to view: The Beauty Debate