At work you need to be taken seriously, but there’s no reason not to enhance your best features and look as good as you can. Knowing that you look your best will boost your confidence and help you to perform at your best.

The working week is not the time to be experimental with your makeup – stick to neutrals for eyes and lips and save more adventurous looks for weekends and nights out. The most important thing is to appear slick and well groomed at all times, however pressured and stressed you may be feeling on the inside. Keeping your hair and nails conditioned and tidy makes a good impression, while neat defined brows will give your face a strong frame, which suggest an air of authority.

Considerations

• For a work environment, makeup should be natural and subtle in an understated neutral palette.
• The idea is to project a slick, professional image that doesn’t stifle your personality.
• Makeup needs to be quick to apply in the morning rush, long-lasting so that you don’t need to worry about it during the day, and easy to touch up on the go.

Tips

• To combat the drying effect of central heating and air conditioning, keep a mineral water spray by your desk to spritz your face, or use a light gel moisturizer that hydrates without disturbing makeup.
• Touch up any redness around tired eyes with a concealer or neutralizing eye base, and draw along the inner rim of the eyes with a pinky-beige eye pencil for a brightening effect.

Work-Place Makeup Look

Face

   Use foundation and concealer as needed to neutralize any redness, cover up dark circles and create an even, natural complexion. For a radiant glow of soft color, blend a little peachy-pink light-reflecting cream blush on the cheeks. Set with a light dusting of fine translucent powder.

Eyes

   Spend time perfecting your brows. Pluck stray hairs and define the shape with a brow pencil and powder, darkening and strengthening them to frame your face. Apply a wash of soft taupe eyeshadow over the whole lid area, building up the color in the crease of the socket at the outer corner of the eye. Blend a pale mushroom shade along the lash line at the inner corner, and brush a little cream highlighter over the brow bone. Define the lashes with long-lasting lengthening black mascara.

Lips

     Outline the lips with a neutral pinky-beige lip pencil, then fill in the shape – use a brush if necessary to work the pencil into the creases of the lips. Apply petal-pink lipgloss and blend over the lips with a brush so its not to harsh.