Modern Etiquette: The 10 things makeup artists really wish you'd stop doing.

Ever wondered what your hairdresser/flight attendant/bartender is *really* thinking when you come in for a half-head of foils or ask for that extra bag of peanuts? In Mamamia's Modern Etiquette series, we answer that question, asking experts in different fields to share their hard-line rules of behaviour.

This time, makeup artists let us in on their do's and don'ts. And it turns out there's one common thing we all need to stop saying in the makeup chair... Enjoy!

If you've ever got your makeup done, chances are you sit on one of two teams when it comes to requesting what you want done.

You're either one of those people who tells the makeup artist to just "do whatever you think" (they're the expert, right?) OR you pull out a couple of inspiration images because you want to try that look you saved on Instagram.

Watch: Speaking of makeup, here's how to do a cute smokey eye look WITHOUT black eyeshadow. How about that! Post continues below.

But here's the thing. No matter what 'team' you're on - sometimes it just doesn't go as planned, and you end up unhappy with the result. When that happens, you might pack the blame on the poor MUA - but could you have done anything differently? Is it something you said?

Well, here it is: a list of everything your makeup artist wants to you to stop doing, so you can both leave happy with the state of your face.

1. Saying you just want a 'natural' look.

"One of my biggest pet peeves is when a client tells you, 'I want to look natural', then proceeds to make you layer on trowel after trowel of makeup until they can barely lift their head off their chest." - Natalie.

“When clients say, 'I want to look natural' but ALL of the makeup, no matter how lightly you apply, is just *too* heavy for what they want... so you tickle them with a feather for the next hour, and the end result is the 'best makeover' they’ve ever had." - Natalie.

2. Requesting not to look like a drag queen.

"I sometimes hear, 'I don’t want to look like a drag queen'. Okay, but where on my portfolio did you see drag makeup? Or even heavy glam?" - Amelia.

3. When you bring a friend... and they're suddenly an expert.

"The friend who is the expert. You’re doing someone’s makeup and they ask their friend what they think. Turns out the pal thinks she's the next Charlotte Tilbury and not only dictates each and every step of the next parts of application, but also makes ALL of the buying decisions for their mate." - Natalie.

4. Saying to your makeup artist, "I’ll leave it up to you."

Image: Giphy 

"My main one would be the common phrase they say when asked, “What look were you thinking for today?”. For me, the most irritating response is: “Well, you‘re the expert, I’ll leave it up to you!” It's like, "Okay then, I’ll put purple shadow all over your eyes...”

"I may be a makeup expert, but what I like and what the client likes could be completely different. It’s best to make the experience collaborative, so we are all on the same page for the final look." - Michael.

5. When you won't stop blinking.

"Someone who blinks while you’re applying their mascara/eyeliner despite trying all the tricks in the book to MAKE THEM STOP." - Natalie.

6. Asking your makeup artist if they're going to do the rest of your face.

"‘Are you going to do the rest of my face?’ Something I would hear when doing eyes first in my baby makeup artist days and before I learned to verbalise every step - and not seat a client in front of a mirror." - Amelia.

7. Telling a makeup artist you didn't like the last look another makeup artist gave you.

"The amount of times I hear of someone not liking their look, or washing it off after having their makeup done, especially in a retail environment, is so high and it’s mainly because the consult part of a makeup session wasn’t collaborative." - Michael.

8. When you have very different ideas on what shades suit you.

"When you and the client have totally different takes on colour and they say, 'I’m looking for a sort of dusty rose' and you select in your eyes THE PERFECT SHADE and they say 'Ew, no! That’s more of a mauve'. Like, WHAT?" - Natalie.

9. Bringing in a filtered photo and asking for that exact makeup look.

Image: Giphy 

"So many people bring photos in and say, 'I want EXACTLY this look', but their eye shape is completely different, or their skin might not be the same as the skin in the picture. And so many pics are highly filtered, so it’s hard to explain that to someone when they want exactly what's in that image." - Michael.

"When your client brings in a photo for reference and asks you, 'can we do this makeup?', but the examples are all different styles and heavily filtered/face tuned, and it usually turns out that they just want a bronzed, natural look." - Amelia.

10. Requesting a contoured makeup look... based on a filter.

"Another thing with clients bringing unrealistic references, is when they ask, 'Can you do contouring like this?’ Then shows me a heavily edited photo." - Amelia.

Want to read more tips on modern etiquette? Here's a list of everything your hairstylist wants you to stop doing. 

Feature image: Getty