Can’t decide on an everyday makeup look for work?
We know your job is taking up a huge chunk of time from your day already, and makeup might be something you don’t want to think about too much. So, save your energy for the more important decisions for the day ahead. We’ll take care of the makeup. 😉
Here are some everyday makeup looks you can do for work!
Fierce Makeup Look for Work
Red lipstick’s significance dates back to ancient times—even way back to when Sumer, the earliest known civilization in history, still existed. For a long time, the red lip symbolized power.
Queen Shub-ad of the Sumerian city-state Ur created what might be considered the first red lipstick by mixing “crushed red rocks” with white lead as its base, which, for obvious reasons, led to a lot of deaths. Sumerians’ neighbors, Assyrians, also painted their lips red. In 50 B.C. Egypt, carmine was used to effect the color red in lipstick, something that Cleopatra reportedly had produced with “flowers, red ocher, fish scales, crushed ants and carmine in a beeswax base,” beauty historian Rachel Weingarten told Bustle.
But wearing red lipstick did not always remain a sign of high status. During the 1200s in Italy, the color of women’s lips indicated the class to which an individual belonged to: if you wore bright pink, you belong to high society; if you wore red, you were deemed to belong to the lower class. So, depending on the time and culture at play, the meaning and significance of red lips can be found—sometimes—at the polar ends of a spectrum.
In the present day, wearing red lipstick has been associated with power, drive, and even seductiveness. A quote that can be found in a 2011 article by Psychologies and that was allegedly said by Poppy King, founder of Lipstick Queen, goes: “Red lipstick is a source of strength. You put it on and suddenly you feel more capable than you did without it.” Of course, not everyone will experience the same rush of vitality and confidence, but you never really know unless you try it out! Here’s how you achieve a fierce look for work—with a red lip.
CHECKLIST
☐ Prime your face with a silicone primer. The silicone will fill out the creases and cover any fine lines.
☐ Apply foundation lightly. Avoid using an excessive amount of foundation as the product can settle into your skin and make the fine lines even more pronounced.
☐ Highlight the key areas of your face. Add a dewy touch by highlighting the following areas: your nose bridge, Cupid’s bow, cheekbones, and even the inner corners of your eyes.
☐ Gently brush light brown eyeshadow on your lids, and add depth to it by swiping white eyeshadow in the middle. Feather the sides of the white eyeshadow outward to make the highlight look natural.
☐ Thinly line your lids with wings.
☐ Fill in your brows with the appropriate color. Make sure it matches your hair!
☐ Apply red lipstick—matte, cream, or glossy will do. Red lipstick with a blue undertone is often best for the workplace as it exudes a more powerful and dominating vibe.
Soft & Simple Makeup Look for Work
It is a well-known fact that women are pressured to look more “presentable” at work compared to men. Let’s face it: not all women actually want to wear makeup to work or in public. And while the reasons for this refusal are varied and distinct, they are all equally valid.
But the demand in some workplaces for their female employees to appear dolled up sounds more discriminatory than necessary, doesn’t it? This is made even worse when you consider how makeup takes some money from your budget: a service-based job generally does not pay well, and it is this type of job that requires female servers to have makeup colored unto their faces.
Makeup should be fun and something that people look forward to. But if you’re the type to not enjoy it as much but have to pander to your job’s—admittedly unfair—requirements, we hear you. Here are some things you can do to lessen the amount of product on your face and at the same time avoid your boss’s uncalled-for criticism.
CHECKLIST
☐ Use tinted sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Doing so is like hitting two birds with one stone: you protect your skin, and it looks like you put on a bit of foundation.
☐ Line your eyes. A simple winged—or non-winged—line will do.
☐ Apply tinted lip balm. To avoid looking pale, add some tint to your lips. Lipstick doesn’t have to achieve this; lip balms get the job perfectly done, too.
Fun Makeup Look for Work
Do you feel stuck in a work rut? An article published on Verywell Mind, an online resource for mental health-related guidance, noted that the source of a person’s rut is different from another’s, which is why it is necessary to first determine the reason behind your feeling stuck.
If the source of your rut is a significant part of your daily life, then that might entail a major shift. If, however, you determined that it plays only a minor role in your day-to-day, then a slight (and fun!) deviation from your routine might do the trick. Our suggestion: jazz up your makeup.
Side note: Do this makeup look only if your workplace does not have a strict dress code.
CHECKLIST
☐ Prime your face with a silicone primer. The silicone will fill out the creases and cover the fine lines.
☐ Apply foundation lightly. Avoid using an excessive amount of foundation as the product can settle into your skin and make the fine lines even more pronounced.
☐ Highlight the key areas of your face. Add a dewy touch by highlighting the following areas: your nose bridge, Cupid’s bow, cheekbones, and even the inner corners of your eyes.
☐ Apply your favorite eyeshadow color on your lids, and add depth to it by swiping a lighter colored eyeshadow in the middle. Feather the sides of the lighter eyeshadow outward.
☐ Put on your favorite lipstick!
☐ Optional: Add faux freckles on your nose and cheeks.
What’s your favorite makeup look? We want to know! Message on our Facebook page at facebook.com/HyeLoves or share your experience with your fellow beauty enthusiasts at LIVE & GLOW.