Ladies, a Dinner Etiquette Question?

[TonyG]

I was at a nice semi-dressy restaurant for dinner tonight and I noticed the women at the table next to me do something which is the basis of my question.

She was dressed in a very nice black cotton and lace, pullover long sleeved top with black pants. Her dinner partner was in a jacket and shirt, no tie. She appeared to be in her late 20's.

Right after they finished their dinner, the woman took out a tube of lipstick, no mirror, and touched up her lips.

I was wondering, should this have been done in the restroom instead of at the table? What is the proper etiquette for doing lipstick or any makeup at a restaurant? Or is their really no etiquette?

 

[MissTaken]

~shakes head~

She should have gone to the rest room.

 

[Never]

Everything related to the body or personal hygine should happen in the restroom. It's as bad as flossing at the table.

 

[Barb Dwyer]

I agree with Miss Taken and Never. She probably should have reapplied her lipstick in the restroom although that isn't as bad as one who combs or brushes her hair at the table. Yuk!

 

[lilminx]

Actually, from things that I have read on etiquette, it's ok for a woman to touch up her lipstick at the table but that's it. I don't personally think it's a polite thing to do in a nice restaurant, but I'm just saying what I've read on it...

 

[Natalie Nessus]

~shakes head~

She should have gone to the rest room.

Yes, and if her partner has a lipstick fetish he/she should go with her

 

[Angel]

Gam

MSN

 

[Gilly Bean]

I would not do it at the table, no, but who knows. This is one of those weird, Ask Heloise questions.

 

[Shy Tall Guy]

When I need to touch up my lipstick I always go to the restroom. What about the rest of you guys?

 

[SweetBrat73]

Well at least Tall Shy Guys has manners I believe it's rude to apply any kind of makeup at a dinner table and would never do so myself...but ppl now-a-days just aren't polite and don't care what others think...

 

[SweetBrat73]

Well at least Tall Shy Guys has manners I believe it's rude to apply any kind of makeup at a dinner table and would never do so myself...but ppl now-a-days just aren't polite and don't care what others think...

 

[SweetBrat73]

LoL

Well I dunno how that got on here twice and it won't let me delet one of em... sorry

 

[BlondeBeauty]

That seems a little strange, but it's not as disgusting as some things could be.

Now, if the man had pulled out the lipstick...

 

[curvacious]

I have to agree with lilminx on this one. I remember reading about this one time and it is acceptable for a women to reapply a little lipstick after a meal. It shouldn't go any farther than the lipstick though, after that she should exuse herself to use the restroom.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

The Manners Books say it is ok for a touch up of lipstick only to be done at the dinnertable, as long as attention isn't drawn to it, but general form is that only the matrons, or older women to be allowed to do it at the table, while younger women are to excuse themselves to the restroom. It is also considered incredibly bad form to do it with the silver instead of a mirror, and the mirror should be no bigger than the ladies palm, and not containing powder, which might spill onto the table cloth. (this is from the soft bound book that I was given at the Nordstrom's Forms and Manners Class, about 7 years ago)

 

[Natalie Nessus]

The Manners Books say it is ok for a touch up of lipstick only to be done at the dinnertable, as long as attention isn't drawn to it, but general form is that only the matrons, or older women to be allowed to do it at the table, while younger women are to excuse themselves to the restroom. It is also considered incredibly bad form to do it with the silver instead of a mirror, and the mirror should be no bigger than the ladies palm, and not containing powder, which might spill onto the table cloth. (this is from the soft bound book that I was given at the Nordstrom's Forms and Manners Class, about 7 years ago)

There are rules for everything

 

[LadyDarkFire]

Nessus, it used to be alot worse. Now you can choose what sort of compact to have your mirror in. In the 20s, if a lady of a certain age attended a proper dinner, and intended on reapplying her lipstic, her mirror would have been tortishell, or gold plated, and would have had to be round, not the more common square sort. The round mirror showed that she had the wealth and stature to do such a thing, since they were more expensive, as did the matirial the compact was made out of. The reason that younger women were discouraged from doing it was the fact that they were to remain chaste of action until married with children. The application of lipstick in public could have been taken as tempting by the suitors, and may lead them to the conclusion that she was looser than the proper woman. (The Joys of Having a Grandmother Who insisted on you taking the manners course at Nordstroms, she would explain where the traditions came from)

 

[Desert Amazon]

faux pas

 

[Mellon Collie]

I only think something is wrong with it because she was at a fairly nice restaurant, if it had been some place not as nice I would see nothing wrong with it at all. Thankfully I hardly wear makeup so I don't have to worry about these things.

 

[Latina]

I think applying the lipstick or other makeup belongs in a restroom, not at the table, and especially not at a NICE restaurant (but I don't even WEAR makeup for a less-fancy place like fast food or Denny's). I will flirt with my man suggestively with a lipstick tube, but only when in private (a banana or ice-cream cone are great for that kind of suggestive flirting, too, and I might even do that in public, depending on where we are--like at a carnival). I think Red Vines are my favorite candy for their suggestive possibilities (see attached).

But I've seen far worse from men: belching at the table, combing their hair (letting hair and dandruff fly around to land on FOOD!). In not-so-nice restaurants, I've seen women dive under the table at even fancy places, and the look on their date's face gave me a clue what she was doing to him under there. I've also seen women breast-feed at the table: of course, if they hadn't dove under the table and what that BJ later led to, they might not have that baby that requires public breast-feeding.

Standards of ettiquette ain't what they used to be!

-- Latina

 

[Guru]

 

[Rambling Rose]

alone in a crowd

am I the only one that finds it kind of sexy???

 

[Guru]