It’s mid-afternoon and I’m working in the office. My curly hair – contained in a plait this morning – is springing flyaways around my temples. The concealer under my eyes has started to collect in little creases, my eyeliner wings are fading and, one falafel bowl and many hot drinks later, the lipstick I swiped on this morning has all but disappeared. It’s a classic case of 4pm face: the phenomenon whereby one’s make-up, no matter how diligently applied, starts to dissipate after a long day and, like a mid-ranking Eurovision contestant, just can’t quite do enough to go the distance.

When I leave the house on working-from-office mornings, I do what lots of other people do: I add a few things I know I’d want to use on my face if, by some slim chance, the spectre of an unanticipated day-to-night scenario were to arise. Some lipstick to pat in, highlighter stick to liven up my post-meetings skin and a pot of concealer to swipe under my eyes. In short: I’m au fait with The Make-up Refresh™. Recently, though, I’ve seen beauty experts taking things a step further.

It was a TikTok video from make-up artist Mary Phillips (of underpainting fame) that first caught my attention. Billed as a tutorial for ‘how to make your make-up last all day’, Phillips outlines her tips. “Make-up needs to be reapplied to stay perfect,” she says. “And you have to be mindful if you want it to last. If you’re eating, be more careful.” Admittedly, this isn’t everything Phillips said – she also explained that the reason she goes everywhere with her celebrity clients (who include Haley Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski) is to touch up their make-up, which is why it always looks pristine. And it is, after all, Phillips’s job to ensure make-up always looks fresh. But the message was clear: you need to be aware, almost constantly, of the state of your make-up. And not only that, but you also need to be prepared to optimise.

Now, it goes without saying that you should do what you want. Everyone who feels better when they touch up their make-up – and has the time and inclination to do so  – should absolutely do it. What I feel uncomfortable with, though, is imperatives. And suggestions that make-up wearers should adjust the way they do non-negotiable things – like how they eat, for example – according to how it will impact their make-up. It’s not just Phillips – a slew of TikTok-ers have produced videos explaining how best to eat so as not to disturb their lipstick, some racking up tens of thousands of likes.

Personally, I don’t think there’s any way I’ll be devising a special way to eat a sandwich to keep my lipstick looking ‘perfect’. And while it might mean mentally battling against years spent absorbing the idea that make-up only looks good when it’s freshly applied and regularly touched up, the reality is that this isn’t always doable or even desirable.

So maybe it’s time to normalise worn-in make-up instead of constructing an obligatory framework by which to avoid it – because most make-up wearers you know will have less of it on their face by 4pm than when they started the day. Ultimately, skin texture can show through foundation, eyeliner can morph shape, lipstick can wax and wane and skin can move between being matte and shiny – because, happily, your canvas isn’t something inanimate. Let’s make the case for reapplication freedom. Do it – or don’t – but, as hard as it might be, aim not to be ashamed of your 4pm face. 

Images: Getty