Posted on April 15, 2016
You can do amazing things with makeup. Makeup can help you look and feel ready for that big job interview, date or other important event. Of course, makeup itself is an art form, and to create those really unbelievable transformations, you need to have a lot of artistic talent. Fortunately, we don’t need to be artists to make our exterior selves resemble our inner beauty. A few basic tips can help us get there instead.
1. Know the difference between daytime and the night life
The most important thing to learn is that makeup doesn’t always need to be worn the same way. There are times when you want to use your makeup to channel your inner awesome, but there are also times when your makeup needs to look a bit more natural and subdued. The workplace—or the pre-emptive job interview—is not the place for glitter or that overly dramatic smoky eye (especially since a little anxiety sweat could leave you looking like a raccoon—not the way you want to make that first impression). You want to look like you but probably like a less tired or a cleaner-complexioned you.
2. Keep it simple
When getting ready for the big job interview, you are going to have a bit more time (and anxiety) to help you fuss over your makeup longer. But when you are getting ready for work 5 (or more) days a week, you don’t want to get stuck in an over-complicated and overly time-consuming makeup routine. What if you oversleep one day and don’t have time for the full overhaul? You don’t want the shift in your façade to frighten your colleagues. Okay, that might not actually happen, but it is just about as bad when everyone keeps asking if you are ill because you forgot your concealer. Keep your makeup routine quick and simple so it doesn’t take up your whole morning—and so you can keep enough backup makeup in your purse for when you get caught in that rainstorm.
3. Make sure it’s durable
You want makeup that can last as long as your day does. Buying better quality makeup can help. You can also buy brands of eyeliner and mascara that are smudge-resistant, and some waterproof brands can do the trick, too. It also helps when you give yourself a good foundation. Applying a moderate coat of concealer can be as easy as a few swipes with a makeup brush, it can be easily touched up, and it can help keep your eyeshadow, eyeliner, and even your mascara from smudging throughout the day—but make sure you match your skin tone.
4. Accentuate your you-ness
A good makeup application is about enhancing your features, not hiding them. You have features that you should be proud of, so set aside your modesty and let them shine! Use eye shadow shades that compliment your eye color, and use liners and mascaras to show off how big and beautiful those eyes are. Nothing can make you feel more in control than a good lipstick color, but make sure you find a complimentary lip-liner, too; it will help make your lips extra full, extra dramatic, and can even help keep your lipstick from smudging awkwardly.
5. Most importantly…
Remember that you are making your makeup beautiful—it isn’t the other way around, so wear makeup that makes you feel comfortable and like yourself and you will be unstoppable.