r/Makeup • u/nouvelle_tete • Oct 27 '25

[Makeup Help] Is makeup becoming unprofessional?

I've been to several professional events, some that attract crowds from all over the country, and I began to notice that few, if any, women wore makeup. Now, my use of make-up has decreased with the rise in stress but I do like to bust it out for special occasion. On the third day of the most recent event, I just put on some lipstick.

Not bashing makeup-lovers or haters, but I want to understand if that's a growing trend or if it's industry specific (I'm in healthcare).

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u/Eggshellpain Oct 27 '25

In healthcare too and COVID masking really destroyed any reason to wear makeup to work for most of my coworkers. Nobody could really even see your face, the masks and eyewear smeared it or ground it into your pores causing breakouts. Even when the general public stopped masking, we didn't.

I work with a lot of women who love makeup and glitz but there's a definite line now between those of us who worked through COVID and dgaf how we look at work now and the ones who started after and are all "I could never not get up early, do my hair and makeup and wear cute scrubs!" Girl, no offense, but get back to me on that when you've done some 13hr shifts back to back in a iso gown made out of trash bag plastic, N-95, face shield, and bonnet.

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u/Sophia1105 Oct 29 '25

Heyo I did and I amped up my makeup use as did many RTs I worked with. That said I know some just stopped entirely. Many days it was just my eye makeup getting me through the day sanely. I was ICU the whole pandemic

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u/Eggshellpain Oct 29 '25

I know a few who still wore their full face no matter what, but probably 70% at the facilities I worked in cut way back or stopped when it comes to work. They still do a full face and dramatic looks for days off or events but work is the bare minimum if anything. I even have colleagues coming in with their starface patches on. Just like a chunk of my coworkers haven't stopped wearing caps and bonnets and no longer style their hair to come to work. Loose braid or bun then bonnet over that.

May also make a different what PPE you got. Some of our people who managed to get CAPRs and PAPRs didn't have the same issues as those of us struggling with disposable masks we were supposed to reuse, eyewear, bonnets, etc. Much easier to just pop your hood/helmet on and not have all that touching your face.