Many working women have that morning issue: just what makeup look would work for your business? What will your employer accept but what hides the bags from a poor night’s sleep?
Most jobs will allow makeup on a daily basis, but it will need to be minimalistic and natural looking. You can create the look by choosing the right products and following the right tips. Here’s a guide on creating a natural, everyday makeup look for your workplace.
The Most Common Makeup Woes for Working Women
What are those common woes you have to work through on a morning?
The first is time, especially if you’re a working mom. Sleep is a luxury that you just don’t get enough of, especially when you’re so focused on making yourself look presentable for the workplace. The last thing you want is to make your whole effort look rushed—almost like your baby has done it all for you!
It doesn’t have to. Going to work doesn’t mean you have to do your makeup in the way you would for a night out or date. You don’t need to worry about matching eye shadow to nail polish and make sure your lips are just the right shade of red. A natural look is extremely easy to create.
But won’t you look overdone? People will know you wear makeup, and you’ll become the talk of the office, right?
Not when your makeup is done right. A natural look can look like you don’t even have any makeup on at all! People start to wish they had skin like yours, and you’ll become the talk of the office for all the right reasons.
But what colours work best and what shades do you need for your skin? These are all woes that we have as working women. We just don’t have the time to go out and try different shades. In many cases, we’re stuck with buying on our lunch breaks or online when we get home with the kids. We need someone to tell us immediately what works best for us, and how can anyone do that to a computer?
On top of that, your natural look needs to look professional. This isn’t always easy when you have just five minutes to get ready in the morning. The last thing you need is a streaky foundation or an eye shadow that makes you look like a clown. Getting the right type of products, as well as shade and colour, is so important for your natural makeup look.
And then on top of all this, you want to make certain parts of your face stand out. You may have beautiful eyes, and want to draw more focus to them. Your cheeks or forehead may already be flawless, so you want to keep that look going.
On the other hand, you may have parts of your face that you don’t want to bring out, like the acne on your chin or scarring on your cheeks.
This is why you need this step-by-step guide to creating your natural look.
How to Choose Makeup for That Natural Look
Before you even think about following makeup tips, you need to get the right makeup.
The right foundation is your first item to buy. This needs to work with your skin tone or just a shade darker. You want it to look natural, so take the time to get into a store and find out what shade your skin is. Whether you have an ivory tone, pink cheeks to work with, or a dark brown colour to compliment, you will find a foundation that works.
Bobbi Brown’s foundation stick is one of the best options for a smooth, natural look. It comes in 31 shades, from alabaster to cool espresso and everything in between.
A loose powder finish will lighten the cheeks and bring some brightness to your face. It will also help to hide some of the smooth patches that foundation can create while helping you to contour. Sheer Finish Loose Powder, again from Bobbi Brown, will help you achieve your look. It comes in 10 colours, from white to warm chestnut to work with your skin tone. Opt for something a few shades lighter for the perfect contouring effect.
Finding eye shadow that will work for your work day doesn’t need to be difficult. You want shades that will work with your natural colours, so you just highlight your eyelids. You can then focus on the eyeliner and mascara to complete your look. Try Estee Lauer for your eye shadow needs, as there is a shade for everyone.
And of course, you need to define your brow. Brenda Christian’s brow definer is a great product to include and is soft enough just to highlight rather than make it look like you’ve drawn some eyebrows on. You only need the one pencil, and it will determine the colour to push through for your look.
For the lipstick, MAC Cosmetics has the answer. Just the simple Sheen Supreme Lipstick will work wonders for your natural look. While the bright pink is popular, there are browns, light pinks, and beiges to work with your natural look. Like foundation, it’s worth spending time on finding out the colour of your lips to make sure you create a natural look.
Basic Makeup Tips for Contouring
Contouring is the latest makeup trend thanks to Kim Kardashian, but it’s not the easiest one to do. When you get it wrong, people really will notice. But by doing it right, you will create that natural look that’s suitable for any workplace. You’ll highlight the best parts of your face and hide the negatives.
You can do it with the makeup that you already have, or you can buy special ones just to get you started.
Whatever you use, make sure you prep your face. Clean it fully when you start the day and apply your moisturiser. You can cheat a little here by using a tinted moisturiser for your face to give yourself a natural glow. Remember to use a foundation that works with the tinted moisturiser if you choose to do this.
Apply your concealer on any of the dark patches that you have, not just under your eyes. Think about between your brows and under your lips. Then you can apply the powder and start to work on contouring.
Rather than applying bronzer all over your face, only use it on your temples and around your hairline. This will help to create a blend with your hair from the rest of your face, especially if you have darker hair. You should also apply it to the sides of your nose to help cover some of the darker spots on your face.
Use a small brush to start with and then smooth in with a larger brush. This helps to make sure your makeup is ready for the next step.
Avoid white powders where possible, unless you have an extremely pale complexion. White is just too bright, and you’ll start to look like a clown. A cream eye shadow will work best, but don’t apply it to your eyes. Take your eyeshadow brush and apply it along the bridge of your nose and your cheekbones. You’ll also want to use it just above the middle of your eyebrows.
Use your finger to blend the lighter colour into your foundation. You shouldn’t see any harsh lines. A shimmering eye shadow is great for this stage of the highlighting.
Now you can apply your blusher. Opt for a small brush for this, so you don’t accidentally go into other colours within your palette. Opt for a shimmery pink colour for this stage, and apply directly to your cheekbones.
If you don’t have any blusher, don’t go out to buy it specifically for contouring. Did you know you can use your lipstick to do it instead? Apply the lipstick directly to your cheekbones and then rub in with your fingers. You’ll be surprised at the ways you can use all your makeup!
Your contouring is complete, and there was no need to worry about time constraints. You’ll have that natural look in just five minutes.
What’s That About Using Different Makeup?
Your everyday look can come from using makeup for different uses. As mentioned, lipstick can be used as a blush. Did you know you can also use your mascara for your eyeliner? There’s no need to spend money on lots of different items or worry about taking extra stock in your purse.
You can also use your eyeshadow as a brow definer. Just use a slightly larger brush than your eye shadow stick, and work with the contours of your eyebrows. Opt for a shade that matches your eyebrows as close as possible to make sure your look remains natural.
Beginner Makeup Tips From the Experts
Now it’s time to get those makeup tips from the people who really know what they’re doing: the makeup artists and beauty school graduates who have tried and tested many different options.
One of the biggest lessons that makeup artists have learned over the years is that they do get what they pay for. This isn’t just about paying for high branded makeup. You need to make sure your tools are up to the job. Spend the money on good quality blusher wands and eye shadow sticks. The cheaper options will just end up with hairs falling out and getting stuck in your makeup.
Beauty school teachers are now focusing on creating a natural, translucent makeup look. The best way to do that is by mixing your primer and foundation before you apply.
Long ago, the primer was the base and then you applied your foundation. Mixing the two will help to lighten and water-down the foundation to stop it looking caked. The best thing about this trick is that you’ll also make your foundation last longer.
How often have you placed beige concealer over your acne and blemishes? Did you know that this is only going to make the areas look worse? The beige collects and makes the areas look muddy. If you want to get rid of them, you need to use a concealer with a green pigmentation. This blends better and covers up the redness in your skin.
You’ve already learned about contouring above. This is a top expert tip, and will help you change the shape of your face slightly. You’ll be able to change the positioning of your cheekbones by highlighting the right places. Your circular face can look narrower by focusing on the right sections with the lighter shaded powder.
For example, using the lighter shades above your cheekbone will help to brighten up that spot and lift the face. No surgery is needed!
The same trick can be used on the eyes, helping to narrow or widen your natural shape. You can use a bronzer on the crease lines to get rid of the wrinkled, aging look.
Also remember about colours and how they’ll work to make certain sections of the face pop. If you have blue eyes, opt for bronzers with a more orange tint as they will make the blue stand out. If you have green eyes, a light green eye shadow will make them stand out. Of course, brown eyes always work better with brown shades, and they are more natural.
For eyeliner, you can avoid the bumps by doing your drawing in two stages. Start on the inside of your eye and then work your way to the middle. Then go to the outside edge and work your way back to the existing line.
You can also help to make wings on the edges sit just right. From the lower lids, start the line on the outside and follow that in a curl. This does take practice, but you’ll get there.
A natural everyday look is one thing every woman needs. Knowing how to do this look effectively should not only make you look good, but also make you feel better about yourself. It’s a great way to boost a woman’s confidence especially at work.
Are you ready to get that natural look for your workplace? It’s time to take advantage of the tips from the experts and stop worrying about a rush. You can do it in five minutes!
