Look The Part With The Right Makeup

Make-Up is so much fun, isn’t it? I know the ladies love it; playing with all the colors and looks and such. Well, this is a very brief lesson on how to look professional. Why, because first impressions count, and, like it or not, your looks have a lot to do with first impressions. Contrary to popular belief, you want to avoid wearing too little or no makeup at all in the professional world. But wearing heavy “nighttime makeup” isn’t advisable either. Unless the impression you’re trying to make is that you’re “that type of girl”. Don’t make that face. You know what I’m talking about.

Looking professional doesn’t mean you have to go to work barefaced, but you also want to be taken seriously. The key is to achieve a balance – the work-friendly look. Here are a few steps to get you there:

1. The very first step is to scrub, and then moisturize, your face. You want to make sure your moisturizer will adhere to the full-face of foundation you’re going to apply next. Yes, to get the look we’re aiming for, you’re going to have to use foundation on every inch of your face.

2. Next, apply foundation (preferably liquid) with a sponge. It’s imperative that this foundation match your skin tone. Going lighter or darker is NOT a good look.When applying your foundation, you should pay very special attention to your eyes and laugh lines. Wrinkles love to attach themselves to foundation and make you look older.

3. Moving on to eye makeup, you only need just enough eyeliner to make your eyes “pop.” Follow the lines of your eyes, and stay within them without wavering. I’m certain I don’t need to go over how Smokey eyes, have no place at the office. For your eyeliner and eye shadow, conservative colors are the way to go. Neutral tones are your friends.

4. Mascara is a great way to add that little something extra to your eyes. Invest in one with a fan brush to avoid clumps during application. Most appropriate colors for this look are a dark brown or soft black are perfect. The more subtle  your mascara, the better.

5. If you’re considering blush, my advice to you is to either stick to neutral colors or go with bronzer.Sweep your bronzer over your cheek bones to add definition and sculpt. Your look is instantly brightened. Keep in mind that your blush (or bronzer) should blend into your skin tone, and not make you look like a clown college dropout.

6. You want to consider tinted lip gloss in lieu of actual lipstick. We’re shooting for a slight “pop” with your lips. Unlike lipstick, a tinted gloss looks more realistic and can easily be reapplied as the day goes on. If you want your lips to stand out more, then I would suggest a bold red lipstick.  Just stay away from colors like purple, green, and such.

Should a situation arise where you need to look more “sophisticated”, then you’ll need to draw more attention to eyes. We’ll probably discuss that some other time, but these are the basics you need to start practicing to get that look that says you belong where you are, and you’re ready to work.