What Would You Do #1: Excuse Me, You’ve Got Lipstick On Your Teeth

What Would You Do?

Today begins a new series of posts I’ll be doing on a monthly basis called What Would You Do. I came up with the idea some time last year and thought this would be interesting to do in 2013.

The idea of the post is that I pose a scenario to you that ends with my asking you what would you do in the corresponding situations. Some situations are quite funny, some serious, most are quite baffling. There’s no right or wrong answers. It’s not like doing a quiz on Cosmopolitan and turning the magazine upside down to see how you fared. It’ll be interesting to know your point of view of what you would if you were in that situation.

Ooh this is going to be exciting! 😀

Without further ado, I present to you the first What Would You Do of 2013.

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Today’s Scenario:

You’re a social event amongst your peers and people you highly respect. It’s a very smart function where everyone’s dressed up and made up to their nines. During your mingling, you find yourself introduced to a woman you’ve been idolising for years. She’s someone you really look up to for wisdom and grace. You’re starstruck and cannot believe your opportunity to be able to chat with her in person.

Lipstick Stain on Teeth

A few minutes into your chat, you realised that this woman, who’s been your secret mentor for a long time, has red lipstick on her teeth. Like you, she’s very smartly dressed with a bright lippie, which unfortunately has landed on her teeth. There’s a lot of it too from the looks of it. She has no idea and is still chatting gaily with you. You’re at the crossroads here. You’re already awestruck enough by her presence and you don’t want to offend the lady. But the lipstick stains are screaming at you and you cannot stop looking at her teeth. Think trying to tell Oprah that she’s got lipstick on her teeth. 😛

What would you do?

A. Tell her discreetly, even if she’s going to be embarassed about it and may not speak to you again.
B. Pretend you don’t see it and continue on with your conversation. Someone’s bound to tell her, right?
C. Tell someone she knows to let her know she’s got lipstick on her teeth but don’t mention who knows about it. Shh!
D. None of the above. Your choice. What would YOU do?

My answer:
I’m a real chicken. It’s bad enough that I’ll probably be shaking in my boots being able to chat with someone like Oprah. I’m not about to stop her halfway and tell her, “erm sorry, you’ve got lipstick on your teeth“. So for me, my answer will most likely be C. Get someone else to do it instead. 😛

I posed this question to Tim as a test run. He has no idea what he’d do in this situation either. 😛

What about you? What would you do?

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30 comments… add one
  1. emmasalkild

    I’m terrible. I would do B even though if roles were reversed I’d want A.
    emmasalkild recently posted..Five faves for JanuaryMy Profile

    1. Tine

      It’s difficult, isn’t it? I’ll tell someone else to tell her. Gee, that sounds even more cowardly than keeping quiet about it! >.<

  2. Chelsea

    Tell her discreetly. I’ve been told before and I was SO glad. Embarassed, but glad.
    Chelsea recently posted..Beauty Blogger TagMy Profile

    1. Tine

      What if you were chatting to Michelle Obama? Would you tell her she’s got lipstick on her teeth? 😛

  3. Angela @ The Unprofessional Beauty Blog

    It really depends on how close I am with that person. For example, if it’s my best friend then of course I’m going to tell her because I know she won’t mind. But if it’s with someone whom I’m not that close with or if I know that person will react with anger or embarrassment, then I’m going to keep quiet.
    Angela @ The Unprofessional Beauty Blog recently posted..Chinese New Year Makeup Tutorial Part 1: An Avant Garde Spin On Traditional LookMy Profile

    1. Tine

      This is someone you highly admire and respect. She may or may not react in any way. Ahhhh! 😛
      I would definitely tell my bestie. She’d kill me if she found out I knew and didn’t tell her!

  4. LeGeeque

    Flat out A. I’d pull her aside and tell her quietly. Otherwise, it’d bother me and I’ll jsut be staring at it the whole time. 😀

    1. Tine

      I experienced this situation once with a friend. I stared at her teeth the whole time! And I still didn’t tell her. I felt so bad when we parted ways for the evening 🙁

  5. Lily (@ChloeAsh)

    I always tell, even if I’m awestruck, even if she’s the Queen. I think they would be thankful instead of being angry or embarrassed. If the conversation is only between us two and there’s no one else listening in, I’d tell her VERY casually, then immediately talk about something else instead of waiting for her reaction. After that, make a smooth exit so she can fix it. That will save both parties the awkwardness too. If I don’t make a big deal out of it, she’d feel more comfortable. I’ve done that a few times, and once with my CEO! She actually came back to say thank you. That’s my experience anyway 🙂
    Lily (@ChloeAsh) recently posted..Monthend Tastebuds: Let&#8217;s Drink Some TeaMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Haha good on you! That’s true, it’s an appreciated gesture, even if it’s embarrassing in the beginning. Better to be embarrassed for a short while then be none the wiser and expose lipstick on teeth the whole evening!

  6. Paris B

    I’d tell, because I would appreciate being told if the roles were reversed! I’ve told someone their zipper was down – just quietly on the side. I think they appreciated it 😉
    Paris B recently posted..Beauty Storage Options: Drawers from Muji solved my messy problem!My Profile

    1. Tine

      I’ve had my zipper down a number of times but no one told me. Damn. Guess it’s karma biting me in the behind for not telling people about their lipstick getting on their teeth >.<

  7. LittleMissSCB

    I would choose to tell her, as awkward as it is, I’d want someone to do the same thing for me hehe. Love this fun post idea. I can’t wait for future questions 🙂
    LittleMissSCB recently posted..Thankyou & Welcome 2013 + I’m back!My Profile

    1. Tine

      Haha that’s good to know! So I’m counting on you to tell me if you see lipstick on my teeth, yeah? I promise to try my best to tell you if I see it on you *fingers crossed* 😛

  8. Becca @ The Beauty Sample

    I would always, always tell no matter what. I get really upset when people don’t tell me things–like if I have a black smudge under my eye or food in my teeth. I would imagine people would want to know too so why not return the favor? I’ll tell people if they have smeared makeup, food in teeth, and I’ve even told someone gently to use the restroom and blow their nose because they had a booger hanging out (though it was someone pretty close to me, obviously :P)

    haha anyway, the manner in which I tell them, of course, would depend on how well I know them. If it were someone I idolized that I was just meeting, I would wait until we were alone and tell her quietly (and nicely) that she had a bit of lipstick in her teeth and ask her if she’d like a mirror or tissue (because I ALWAYS carry both with me!).
    Becca @ The Beauty Sample recently posted..My Current Skincare RoutineMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahahahahaha Becca you are bloody amazing! I’m already hesitant on telling about lipstick on teeth; I honestly haven’t a clue what I’d do if I see someone’s booger hanging out of his/her nose! The only people I’ve told about having a piece of veggie or lipstick in teeth are my mum and bestie. I have a feeling the reason I keep quiet about it is that my mum would, for years, tell me I have eye boogers very loudly. It doesn’t matter where we are. It often happens when we’re in a shopping centre with lots of people. “YOU HAVE EYE BOOGERS, TAKE IT OUT!!” *cue extremely red cheeks and the feeling of wanting to stick my head in the sand*. So I just shut up. I know, I know, excuses and all that, but still! 😛

      1. Becca @ The Beauty Sample

        I am laughing so hard right now! “…TAKE IT OUT!”–hilarious!! I guess I can see why that kind of experience would leave you traumatized. Kinda defeats the purpose of letting you know so you WON’T end up embarrassed!! 😛 haha
        Becca @ The Beauty Sample recently posted..My Current Skincare RoutineMy Profile

        1. Tine

          I’m 32 going on 33 this year, and she’s still doing it. “EYE BOOGER!!”. I kid you not. Sigh. Good thing I love her 😛

  9. gio

    I’d tell her discreetly because that’s what I would like to be told if roles were reversed!

    Love this series. Can’t wait for more!
    gio recently posted..What Type Of Eyebrow Product Should You Choose?My Profile

    1. Tine

      “Hi Mrs Obama. Erm, err, erm, err….. youvegotlipstickonyourteethitwasgoodspeakingwithyouokaybye.”

      *sound of crickets*

      😛

  10. Natasha

    I’d also screw up the courage to tell her discreetly. I always want to know that kind of stuff… if fact, we went out to dinner with another couple recently. When I went to the bathroom (after a couple hours) I discovered that my eyeliner had smudged and i had 2 very large purple raccoon smudges under my eyes…. I was horrified… how long had we been conversing and no-one nudged me or said a thing….
    Natasha recently posted..Friday Fitness: ReckoningMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Yikes! I know what you mean. I’ve had that too, that smudged eyeliner thing where no one told me about it. I’ve once had that AND a large eye booger that has been smudged with eyeliner on the same eye. And no one said anything. Karma bit me on my behind for not telling about other people’s lipstick on teeth >.<

  11. Karen C

    Definitely “A” !

    I would appreciate it if someone told me.

    Can’t wait for more of these scenarios!

    1. Tine

      Stay tuned to sometime this month for the next scenario 😉

  12. Harajuku Girl FL

    I always go with A. The best way to go about it is to casually and discreetly say something like “Wow, your makeup looks gorgeous. Your lippy seems to have migrated though. Perhaps you’ll want to check that and freshen up so it keeps looking amazing! Don’t you hate that?! Happens to me all the time. Is mine ok now?”
    Then the other person should hopefully not feel terribly embarrassed.
    I mean, it happens. Really you actually could be saving the person from even bigger embarrassment. I’m kinda blessed with the tendency to blurt things out so… yeah.
    Harajuku Girl FL recently posted..Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup~2/1My Profile

    1. Tine

      Love your comment. That’s a very good way of putting it! I’m going to have to remember your line in case the situation comes up again. Very tactful indeed 🙂

  13. Kaye

    Oh I absolutely love the idea behind this post, I can’t wait for the next! 🙂

    As soon as I read your title I cringed at the reminder of an awkward situation I ran into. There was a woman shopping at Coles, she was alone and very nicely dressed. We passed each other a few times doing the rounds in each aisle and then I finally noticed… Her black cardigan was on INSIDE OUT. I immediately wanted to run over to her and tell her but suddenly I had no balls. WTH? I’m so ashamed to admit I hesitated so long I missed my chance and she left, inside out clothes and all. Oh. I feel so awful to this day!

    What would you do indeed!! Lol.

    In answer to your question, I’d like to say I’d go for A, but given my experience I think we know what would happen lol!
    Kaye recently posted..GIVEAWAY! Win A Personalised Organiser Or Notebook From Personal PlannerMy Profile

    1. Tine

      OMG. Kaye. You and I, it’s like kismet, deja vu or something. The very same thing happened to me once! Someone wearing a cardigan inside out at a supermarket, I saw it, and said nothing. I too had no balls to tell her! Okay this is getting creepy 😛

      Can’t wait to pose the next question early next month! This is getting very interesting 😉

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