BEAUTY AND MAKEUP IN THE CORPORATE WORLD

The majority of the workforce spends their passing hours during the week in an office environment, cooped up in cubicles. But you don’t have to look dull and boring. Learn to liven up your days at work by looking and feeling fabulous with makeup tips that will bring more life to your office and your next meeting.

The thing to remember when it comes to wearing makeup to work is that not all colors and shades work well with an office environment. How you present yourself on the job is very different from how you would present yourself going out to dinner, to the clubs with your friends, or on a romantic date with your sweetheart.

Wear colors that complement your skin tone and be sure to avoid loud colors. There’s nothing wrong with attracting attention but you want to make sure it’s favorable and not off-putting - or the source of talk at the water cooler. Some safe colors you can include in your makeup palette are brown or black mascara, brown or black eyeliner, warm tone base, rose or apricot blush, gloss or peach lipstick, and eye shadow in warm tones. 

For those who can pull it off, skip out on the foundation. At most dab concealer where needed. If you choose to wear foundation, be aware of how the color may appear with your office’s fluorescent lighting. Try to use a base that has warm, gold tones to offset the greenish tones of the lights. Pink-based tones can make your complexion look muddy or orange. In keeping with a warm complexion, opt for rose or apricot shades of blush. Blend well to avoid sharp, defining edges. Using pink or red shades of blush can appear too harsh for office lighting.

When it comes to eye makeup you want to keep it simple and natural. Office lighting tends to not only make things look harsh but can also bring out details you normally wouldn’t notice so keep that in mind when choosing the right colors to wear. Your best bet is to stay with lighter eye makeup colors, such as rose, gold, and peach. Avoid blues and grays since they can make your face look dull and drab. To keep your look natural, try brown mascara and eyeliner instead of black. Or you can choose a mix of brown/black mascara and liner for a happy medium.

It’s helpful to play up your eye makeup and keep your lips natural when it comes to office makeup. Opt for a peach shade of lipstick colors or simple gloss. Sheer or shimmery lipstick shades also look flattering for office makeup. Be sure to avoid taupe, beige, and other earth tones that can appear muddy and dirty under fluorescent office lighting. 

Because of the professional atmosphere, you want to aim for a makeup look that is soft, light, and natural. Skincare-wise, you’ll want to stick to a clean and fresh look. In the mornings be sure to thoroughly cleanse, tone, and moisturize. Because the air and heat in office buildings can wreak havoc on the skin, keep a bottle of water handy on your desk to keep yourself hydrated. Carrying a bottle of hand moisturizing lotion in your purse, on your desk, or in your car can also help keep your hands from getting dry and cracked. 

MAKE-UP ETIQUETTE: How and Where Politely Put on Make-up

The rules for etiquette are never set in stone. Just like asking your mother about which style of make-up would be best, her answer for make-up etiquette may no longer be applicable to your generation. Maybe it`s not so bad to put some lip gloss on at the train station nowadays. 

The ancient Greeks actually had a custom of writing down a code of expected behavior for any controllable circumstance, which they called protόkollon. This helped to make crystal clear exactly what could and could not be done, and was overall an ideal way of running things until they began mixing with other cultures with different opinions. Hence, written rules could never really apply to something as universal, yet personal, like make-up. Things change.

The general rule for when and where to apply or remove makeup is, "Never in public." This would reasonably rule out touching-up around a restaurant table, in church, on a crowded street, in a movie theater, in the classroom, and at almost any kind of social gathering. These guidelines sound simple, right? How, then, do we determine what is "public"? With pressed schedules and roomier public scenes that allow more privacy out of home, social lines begin to blur. 

If I never see them again . . . does it still count? 

The anonymity of a crowded street affords some kind of privacy in itself. If a woman pauses at an empty deli window to wipe some flaking mascara from her lower lid, will she really care if a stranger passing by disapproves? Many people from any background would agree that it would be offensive for her to squint at her reflection in a spoon and do the same thing at the dinner table in front of her date. The difference is, she cares about her date`s opinion. Considering that, the general rule about the make-up application can be modified to say, "Never in front of anyone important, in public."

If I apply make-up in a public place, and nobody sees it . . . is it still rude?

When people are squeezed for time, they often need to make do with improvising for privacy. If you can duck beneath the booth at the cafe and escape being seen while you pencil your lips, it`s up to your own discretion whether or not it`s worth the risk of being caught. Foremostly, the person who has to deal with the consequences of impolite make-up application is the person applying it. However, if you fear you might make the group you`re with look bad, it`s better to have top-notch manners; any personal grooming should go to the restroom.

To modify the rule further, then, it goes something like, "Never in front of anyone important, in public - and never when it conflicts with your own set of morals." If you think it`s wrong to put make-up on in public (period), then don`t do it. Just keep in mind that the one thing more offensive than putting make-up on at a bad time is telling another grown-up, whom you don`t know, that it`s impolite. 

But what about in the car, while I`m driving? 

Yes, absolutely, it`s 100% rude to put on make-up while driving a car. It doesn`t matter if the whole town sees a girl putting mascara on in her rear-view mirror; the problem is that a driver`s attention is being divided between touching up and controlling a few thousand pounds worth of moving vehicle, all while sharing the road with other people. Be polite. Wait until you pull over.