Should You Tell Someone When They’re A Hot Mess?

A couple of days ago during a commercial break, I went to the restroom and got really mad at Mike. We had been sitting across each other for the better part of two hours and he didn't tell me that my eyeliner had smudged and given me raccoon eyes.

We're partners, man. This is the kind of thing that you're supposed to tell a sistah.

Which got me to thinking - should you tell someone that they are a hot mess? Is there ever a time that you shouldn't tell a friend, or even a stranger that they have a broccoli tree hanging out of their teeth? After seeing what I looked like the other day, I am going to make sure that Mike knows he has to tell me whenever I look a smudgy mess.

It's never easy telling someone that they are unknowingly embarrassing themselves, but here's a couple of things you should always tell a friend or a stranger:

1. Unzipped zipper - Most of us do a zipper check before we leave the restroom, but every once in a while, that little sucker sneaks down and makes us look foolish. If you see someone with an unzipped zipper a simple "XYZ" will do. If you don't know what that is, you had a sad childhood.

2. Smudged makeup - If you're a woman, hand ya girl a compact. If you're a man, find a woman, lead her to La Racoon Eyes and she'll do the rest.

3. Food in teeth/on face - You know how badly you feel when you look in the mirror and realize that you had food stuck in your teeth for the last hour of your lunch meeting? Yeah, don't let that happen to other people. A quiet "I know the spinach is good, but saving some in your teeth/on your cheek for later isn't necessary" should do the trick.

4. Moco nose - We're in cold and flu season so you might see someone with a stray moco hanging out of their nose. Take care of the situation by discretely making a wiping motion with your sleeve across your nose and then point at the person with the hanging snot. What a lifesaver you are!