Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Workplace Cosmetics-What to Wear


Workplace What to Wear

Some women have no problem picking which lipstick to wear in the morning but so many MORE struggle with "What shadow is appropriate to go with what liner?" and "Is this blush just too much?" let alone have the time to figure it all out before she's late getting to work.

With my 27 years of makeup wearing experience and my various employment background consisting of conservative suit salesgirl to visual display artist to cosmetic manager, event coordinator to shipping manager and the list goes on; I have had to apply the makeup accordingly. Now admittedly this wasn't a chore nor challenge for me but I have come across so many who have confessed that this is so for them.

Makeup doesn't mean you have to look like Tammy Fay or a drag queen by caking on the foundation, blush and mascara. In fact if one is a minimalist in the cosmetic realm think of it as protecting your skin with at least a sheer spf tinted moisturizer to even out the skin tone and provide needed everyday sun protection and hydration.
Everyone wants their eyes to stand out so there is no harm in sweeping on a light weight mascara to accentuate and comb the lashes naturally. Instead of blush pick a fleshy-bronzer to brighten and tone the face and decollete.(Even on the eye lids) Your'e almost done!
Add a sheer stain to the lips or a tinted lip balm and voila'! It's you. but "you'er"!
Well anyway, for the novice, the young, the wet behind the ears per say of cosmetics and skin care let us makeup loving and experienced show you the way.
Always begin with a skin care regime.
Basic yet essential for your very skin type.
Don't know your skin type?
Well, Are you breaking out? Does your skin become shiny all over within one hour of washing the face? Within a couple hours? At all? Just in the T-zone(nose, forehead, and chin)? Is your skin flaky? Dry? Sensitive? Does your skin react to fragrance? Get to know what makes your skin comfortable and what it reacts adversely to. For the oily and acneic skin types cleanse with a gel based foaming cleanser, anti bacterial, and soap free. Tone with a soothing alcohol free toner. Hydrate with a light weight serum and protect the skin with a hydrating lotion. Spf for the day.

If you are more combination dry and oily, wash in the same way, tone as well, find yourself a balancing serum to control sebum production and hydrate with a light weight protective moisturizer.
For the dry and sensitive wash with a cleansing milk, tone with a softening toner alcohol free, use a hydrating serum and a gentle fragrance free moisturizer to protect and seal in moisture. Spf for all skin types during the day.
Once your skin is prepped, picking the essentials for a quick and painless touch of color is your next step. Applying foundation isn't for everyone but I have always shared that by wearing foundation for me has saved my skin ten fold mostly because of the built in spf. It's saved me from painful sunburns and kept my skin well protected from the outside elements such as smoke, sun, drying winds etc.
Picking out shadows for the eyes can be grueling but with the right direction can make all the difference for the eye color and shape. Rule of thumb: no more than three shades on the lid. Accentuate eye color by picking the OPPOSITE tones from the eye color. Ie: If your'e blue eyed your complimentary colors are rust, copper, peach, warm mauves and cocoas. If your'e brown eyed your complimentary colors are cool mauves, lavender, amethyst, and purples. For green eyes your complimentary colors are eggplant, soft lavenders, burgundy, plums.
Mascara, even if your'e part camel, one can sweep a light weight mascara or if your'e like most women who want longer and thicker lashes, a thick dramatic black water resistant mascara to shape and accentuate the lashes.
Blush isn't for everyone. That's why God made bronzer! A natural warm sheer bronzer can sculpt and warm the face without the clown like effect a heavy handed rooky could create with a rosy blusher.
Lips should match the cheeks not the eyes. Important hint. If the cheeks are warm pick a warm lip tone and if cheeks are a cool pink pick a cool toned lip color. How dark one wears their lipstick is a personal preference, so is how shiny. Staining the lips with either a lip liner or a sheer lip stain can prevent the lips from feathering as well as provide more security for you in not having to worry about it coming off on your teeth, clothes, or smudging.

Never fear the fashion and beauty that comes with cosmetics. It's been said over and over behind every cosmetic counter, it's only makeup, you can always wipe it off, but when it's done right you will find your inner self woken up!

Enjoy your beauty, live strong and happy, seek out all that is beautiful in this world and hold it firmly within and allow it to shine without!

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