Changing room cover-ups

The Face-It veil in Australian women's clothing store The Library Woman. Photo / Supplied

The notorious rim of orange foundation makeup smears around the neckline of unbought clothes may soon be a thing of the past.

Australian retailers who are sick of stock getting stained by heavy lipstick and makeup are asking shoppers to don protective masks when trying on clothes.

The "Face-It" veils might soon be seen in New Zealand dressing rooms as well.

Country Road and Max & Co, which both have stores in New Zealand, have already taken up the product in their Australian stores. The retailers have yet to say whether they would put the product in their New Zealand dressing rooms.

Face-It inventor Nicole Jureidini said her product was made from the same material as surgical theatre caps.

Ms Jureidini said the idea came from her mother, who used to wear a scarf to try on clothes, and from the masks she saw in her job as a dental hygienist.

"In my mind it's a bit like dental floss," she said.

"When it first came out nobody knew about it or wanted to use it and now everyone wants to know more."

The masks are currently stocked in more than 200 stores in Australia.

Retailers frequently leave scarves in changing rooms for customers to use to protect the clothing from makeup, though it isn't mandatory.

A spokeswoman for Auckland bridal gown designer Jane Yeh said they did not have much use for the masks, given that women step into their wedding dresses.

"But chain stores might take up something like that - makeup on clothes can be a problem for them."

She said when women were trying on their dresses they had to wear clothes to protect the fabric.