Iin my twenties, I commuted two hours to a magazine job, leaving my house at 7am with an imperfect, indie-sleaze-era look and smooth skin. The idea of snoozing a little longer and making my face on the road was as alien to me as the idea of wearing anything other than a little American Apparel dress to work. I was a firm believer in putting my foot forward – or the 2010s version of it. Then I had a baby, and the hours I used to spend doing my own bathroom were spent, well, trying to find time to go to the bathroom by myself. So I adapted and didn’t make a fool of the whole thing.
I am not alone in this matter. Communications strategist and content creator @sommyyah has been filming her makeup on the subway in New York for the past two years, garnering 2.4 million views for just one video. He tells me: “There is very little concern from other passengers. People have headphones on, coffee in hand, trying to prepare for their day ahead.” I’ve watched someone from time to time, but most people understand this process.
Meanwhile, cosmetics brand Saie ran a campaign last summer about wearing makeup on the subway. “We prepare in cabs, at the gym, at our desks and in the front seats of our cars,” the brand says. “We’re focused on making the product app easy to use. It’s about feeling good while living.”
Rachael Griffiths, senior editor at Business of Beauty, strongly supports it. “I have my own way of doing three things well. It’s not that I don’t have good time management, but I do it just for the love of the game.” However, he adds a warning: “You cannot use anything that will disturb other passengers.
Makeup artist Lisa Potter-Dixon shows how close a routine can be. “For me, make-up is not just how you look, it’s a little moment of TLC, a break, a chance to check yourself before the day starts,” she says. Similarly, Mary Greenwell, an influential make-up artist who has worked with the likes of Princess Diana, says: “Maybe she’s a working woman with a busy life and it’s her one chance to be alone before she goes to work.” However, Greenwell is not against using make-up during travel. “As long as they’re not messing around on the Tube or bothering anyone else and they’re making faces, why don’t you let them do their thing?”
But let’s get this out of the way: the inevitable look. That’s the price you pay for looking at the canyon as you walk. I’d like to make these gaps clear again like the admirers of my art – yes, ma’am, I’m making good eye contact as the train pulls us between stations. However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t prepared for the speech, if I were to face it. The structure varies from day to day, but its essence is as follows: if you are allowed to eat your lunch on the road, I am allowed to gather. And if we’re really going to get into it, even the Debretts have relaxed their views on wearing make-up in public. Its guidance, issued in 2014, basically says “be smart”.
So, if you want to get involved, and add another 20 minutes before your alarm, here’s a tip: don’t spread out. Respect that this is a public place and you are not in the powder room at Claridge’s. Your supplies will need to stay in your makeup bag, and each container comes out individually. Your range of motion is also limited by the width of your elbows – a jointed elbow should not knock off your partner’s glasses. This applies to use as well: it’s better to type like a thinker than to drill like a Rothko. Fortunately, brands like Merit, Jones Road, Uoma Beauty and Trinny London are leading the way.
Of course, clean your kit so that it doesn’t contain anything that breaks down or is too bulky. Griffiths hoards make-up minis specifically for full face use on the Tube. She says: “I find them more unpleasant than rummaging through a regular make-up bag.”
Finally – no skincare. Wash your face and brush your teeth before leaving the house. Press your canvas, so that the journey becomes your artist’s studio. I believe in this technique so strongly that I even did my makeup for my writer’s photoshoot at 8am on the Circle Line Tube at the Barbican.
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The commuter It kit
Merit Flush Blush
£26, meritbeauty.com
A sheer, buildable blush – the dome shape makes application super easy.
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Contour Skinstick
£26, sephora.co.uk
For days when I forget to fake tan, this is a swipeable bronzer. I also like to use it as an eyeshadow.
Profit For Real! Travel Size Mini Mascara
£15, boots.com
A mini mascara wand is easier on close-up areas – Benefit is my favorite brand.
Glossier Boy Brow
£22, sephora.co.uk
I advise using a little more than usual if you’re using this on the go – the jitters can leave you looking a little Eugene Levy.
Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner
£20, spacenk.com
This eyeliner is smartly balanced – it balances beautifully in your hand, no matter where you hold it.
Banshee: Women of Irish Mythology Retold edited by Ailbhe Malone (John Murray Press £22). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Standard UK P&P on orders over £25. Special pricing is available for Times+ members
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