According to a study facilitated by Proctor & Gamble, women who wear makeup in a professional setting can appear more competent, as well as more trustworthy and likeable, than those who do not. Indeed, makeup professional and founder of the international brand Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, claims that the biggest makeup mistake is not to wear any makeup at all.
That said, common makeup mistakes could worsen your look and bring down your credibility in a professional setting. What are frequent makeup mishaps in both the office and in daily life, and how can you avoid them?
Drama Overload
At the office and in other professional environments, avoid over-doing your makeup application. Smoky eyes, glittering lids, and bright lipstick should be reserved for evenings out on the town – not in the boardroom.
To fix it: You can still go polished and colourful, but simply on a toned-down scale. Add pop to your lips, but instead of a bright red, opt for beige, dusty pink or deeper tones. Keep the eyeliner, but resist the overly dramatic and heightened eye.
Foundation at Odds with Skin Tone
The wrong foundation, or a foundation that doesn’t match your natural skin tone, can be an obvious mistake. A mismatched colour can create a “mask effect,” showing a clear line on the chin separating the face and neck tones.
To fix it: Have your foundation tone properly determined by an image consultant or a makeup professional, as it can be difficult to determine this by yourself without a test application of the makeup and an outside opinion. Also, when applying foundation, make sure that you have good lighting around the mirror so you can blend it properly.
Lip Liner Outline is Obvious
Lip liner is not meant to stand on its own; instead, it should blend with the rest of the lip colour to seal in and accentuate the lip tones. Real Simple’s slideshow on top makeup mistakes provides a good example of lip liner gone wrong, where the liner colour stands out from the rest of the lip.
To fix it: Real Simple’s contributors suggest trying to soften the lip colour by choosing a liner and a lipstick that is closer to your natural shade. We also recommend purchasing a liner and lipstick from the same product line, as they would be designed to go together and would match more accurately than two different products.
Touch-ups in the Cubicle
Most of us take time in the morning to apply our makeup at home, before we get to the office. But during a long day, naturally we are going to need touch-ups and makeup checks before work time is over. Applying makeup at your desk or in other public office spaces, however, is an office etiquette faux pas.
To fix it: Complete your personal grooming in private spaces between meetings and during break time. Yes, it is acceptable to keep a makeup bag, face wipes, a hairbrush, and other beauty necessities stowed in your desk. But avoid making use of them as colleagues walk by.
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