Makeup Pet Peeves: Why Bother With It?

The men enjoy looking at it on the first few dates, until it is time to come in contact with it. What could the “it” be? You guessed it, make up! Why is it that some women wear it and others do not? The obvious reasons they wear make up range from wanting to defy their age to having no choice due to unattractive markings on the skin. Other women simply don’t wear it for the following reasons indicated in this article.

Here are the eleven most popular pet peeves women have with make up.

Let’s begin with the first. “Women wear too much of it” as both women and men have complained. One male guest commented on a major network talk show, women “just don’t get it, we don’t like it.” Another guest stated, “I like it, I just don’t know why women wear so much of it.”

These complaints not only come from men, they come from women as well. A mother of two daughters said, “Some women, mainly older ones look like clowns.” She added, “I saw one lady with blue eye shadow that was put on too high, ruby red lips that were painted past the outline of her natural lips. She looked terrible!”

As a result of men who don’t like it and women who wear too much of it, some women rather not wear it. An older woman in her seventies said, “I just don’t bother with it. I don’t know how much I should wear.” Other women say they just don’t feel like wearing it.

The second concern women have with make up is it costs too much. According to Avon’s marketing tips for their sales representatives, the average consumer pays approximately $15 per campaign on make up. So the representative already knows approximately how much you are willing to pay before you open up your wallet. She (or he) will offer you that additional lipstick you don’t need, the new mascara that just came out, or something else that will help them make a decent profit off of you. A single lipstick can cost anywhere from $7 to $15 retail. Many women find alternatives to buying makeup through independent contractors and on-line websites; instead, they will head to their local drug store. While there, they will look for makeup that is on sale. Costing them dollars less than Internet retailers. However, when their favorite make up is not on sale in the drug store, savvy shoppers will revisit Internet stores for savings. “Rarely do I purchase make up on sale unless there is a sale,” says a stay-at-home mother.

The third pet peeve women have with wearing make up is it doesn’t do what it promises. How many times have you purchased a product that claimed that it would cover up your facial flaws only to make them appear worse? So you go back out to the store in search of another product that could do a better job. Before long, you have a drawer full of make up that you don’t use and wasted dollars ready for the trash can.

The fourth reason some women don’t wear make up while others will complain, yet wear it anyway, is it irritates the skin. Allergic reactions to make up are common with many women and their complaints are posted on many Internet chat room sites. The products supposedly made with natural ingredients are suppose to solve this problem.

The fifth pet peeve women have about make up is it runs out too fast. You may have just bought a certain facial cream used it for half the month and found out that you will have to buy another jar to finish out the rest of the month. If you don’t use the product for 30 plus days you won’t know if it’s effective, according to researchers of makeup products. Therefore, you will make the false claim it doesn’t work and go back to the store to find someone else’s product.

The sixth reason, some women don’t like make up is because it comes off the face easily. If you are the kind of woman who sweats or cries easily, then you will be spending more for the make up that promises to stay on all day.

The seventh issue women have about make up is staining. Men are particularly concerned when they are wearing a nice shirt and hug women who wear foundation. They don’t know whether the stain will come out or not. Women who are wearing certain fabrics that can only be dry-cleaned don’t want the make up to come off on their expensive clothes either.

The eighth pet peeve about make up comes from women of color. They complained there isn’t enough colors for a variety of skin tones. Some cosmetic companies have responded to this cry by making products that compliment skin tones by just turning a dial on a bottle of foundation to the shade you prefer, making samples easy to obtain, or having a makeup consultant readily available to help you match your skin tone.

The ninth concern women of about makeup is how fast it becomes outdated. Oftentimes those sales are just being offered because the products are due to expire. In the case of some mascara, you know when it has become outdated when you apply it on the eyelashes and it clumps. Lipstick is old, when you apply it to the lips and it doesn’t go on smooth. Nail polish is old when you look at its appearance and you see that the color is beginning to separate in the bottle, it may be clear looking at the bottom and the color seems to have floated to the top. When it is applied, it goes on lumpy or doesn‘t seem to cling to the nail.

The tenth pet peeve about make up is it simply is difficult to apply. Some women no matter what they read, who they talk to, or who shows them how to apply it, they can’t seem to get it right.

Lastly, this pet peeve is from mothers with children, products are too easy for little ones to open. How many mothers have been surprised to find their little girl or boy sitting on the floor scribbling on the carpet or wall in lipstick while their face is covered with some eyeliner, foundation and more lipstick?

Simple solutions to these pet peeves the cosmetic industry should consider would be: make items tamper proof, offer simple instructions and include diagrams on how to correctly apply their products, create a reward system for loyal customers, make more coupons available in the Sunday newspapers and other places, include trial sizes of other products in packages, and most of all have someone available in the store once or twice a month to go over product application.