How to do make-up on the move

Sri Carmichael, Consumer Affairs Reporter
16 Sep 2009

Achieving at least two tasks simultaneously is the holy grail of all time-poor Londoners.

If you text on the toilet or cook dinner with the phone clamped between your ear and shoulder, you will find smug satisfaction in making-up on the Tube. Perhaps it's the recession encouraging us to be more efficient and punctual, but more and more people certainly seem to be doing it. I became an expert when I moved to Hackney and confronted a sleep-sucking hour's commute to work.

They say desperation breeds innovation — and my red-eyed drive to snatch any glorious extra duvet moments I could led me to board the Central line armed with a carefully selected arsenal of warpaint. Now I regularly leave the house bare-faced and blotchy but a good 10 minutes better rested — and manage to arrive in the office looking presentable.

My early efforts at grooming on the move were more reminiscent of Edvard Munch's The Scream than the understated chic I was aiming for. But several emergency facial wipes later I had found some key tricks to minimise mistakes.

Easy-to-apply products are a common-sense must. Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage Concealer (£25 at Selfridges, 0800 1234 000) blends invisibly with even the most cack-handed finger smudges. Once that is safely on, I feel almost human, even with a hangover.

Other idiot-proof buys are Shu Uemura's Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil (£15, 020 7240 7635), which, like magic, only colours hairs not skin, so accidental diversions don't show up. Lip tint also looks far better than lipstick when applied with the quick dabbing and smearing motion that is all you can hope for between carriage jolts.

To my great disappointment, I have still not managed to put on mascara without a seat. That failure is despite my now intricate knowledge of which Underground stations have the calmest ride between them. Knowing your commuting route is vital. Past disasters have taught me never to attempt even a sweep of a power pad at any point while the train wobbles madly between Lancaster Gate and Queensway.

Friends in south-west London tell me the inevitable pause every Tube makes outside Earl's Court while it waits for a platform is the perfect point for quick fixes. But the main thing we have all had to master is not product choice or timing but how to filter out men's stares and uncomfortable body language. City suits especially gawp as if I'm breaking some taboo, or start twitching in a silent screaming plea to stop embarrassing them.

Perhaps applying make-up is a bit too intimate to watch for the average prude. Or perhaps men don't want the transformation from bedhead to professional elegance revealed so publicly because it, quite frankly, isn't sexy.

Becoming an expert in mobile grooming has not only improved my hand-eye co-ordination, it's
radically numbed my sense of embarrassment.

Travellers' tips

Don't touch your face prior to cleaning your hands, particularly if you have sensitive skin or are prone to spots. Use anti-bacterial hand wipes.

Avoid liquid foundations as they are too messy. Opt for a powder foundation compact (try Susan Posnick ColourFlo, self-dispensing brush foundation, £39.95, 020 8997 8541, or By Terry Light Expert Compact with built-in brush, £38, www.spacenk.co.uk).

Only attempt to apply mascara if you are sitting down and the Tube or bus is stationary. If you can't attempt mascara, just curling your lashes will make a difference. Try Suqqu Eyelash Curlers (£12 at Selfridges, 020 7318 3538).

For black kohl, opt for pencils with a sponge applicator on one end for easy blending. Elizabeth Arden Smokey Eyes Powder Eye Pencils are great (£13 at Selfridges 0800 1234 000)

Use products that double up. Becca Lip and Cheek Blossom (£22) or Becca Beach Tints (£19, 020 7586 4411) are great for both cheeks and lips and easy to apply.

And if you make a mistake…
RMK Cotton Cleansing Sticks are perfect for correcting any (inevitable) smudges (£4, box of 30, www.lostinbeauty.com).