Makeup by Day and Night
Your appearance makes a big impact on the people you meet and how they perceive you. And unfortunately whether we like it or not, people make assumptions based on how we dress, how we wear our hair, and what our makeup looks like.
First, let’s take a moment to focus on what makeup is supposed to do—enhance our natural appearance to highlight our best features and mask any imperfections. In other words, we want makeup to make us look like ourselves, just enhanced. Makeup should never be a distraction. But what is appropriate can vary —greatly—depending on the occasion and time of day.
Daytime
During the day most of us are either in school or at work. Academic and professional settings are places where we want to be taken seriously. The key is to look pretty without looking washed out in fluorescent lighting, which is not forgiving to say the least—anyone who has looked in the mirror at the office bathroom will say as much!
Foundation should be applied evenly but not so heavy that it looks cakey in the harsh lighting of schools and offices. A little blush or bronzer is a good idea to add a little color. Stick to neutral shades of eye shadow and eyeliner—you don’t want people staring at your green eye shadow or eye glitter when you’re attending a lecture or meeting. Lipsticks and glosses should also be softer for the day. If you prefer dark or super bright tones, keep in mind that these looks can be a little severe in the daytime. A good way to tone them down is to mix it with another shade. So for example, if you’re a classic red junkie like Taylor Swift, dabbing a more neutral or softer shade on top can make a difference. One or two coats of mascara should do the trick. If you like to wear false eyelashes, filling in with individual lashes is the better way to go rather than applying full strips, which can look overly dramatic during the day.
Transforming from Day to Night
When you have a happy hour, event or dinner to go to after work, you’ll want to freshen up. If you’re feeling grimy or not-so-fresh, makeup removing towlettes are a great way to give yourself a fresh start. Feeling tired? Anti-puff eye rollers are a mini magic trick to zap undereye bags.
Evening
Evening is the time when you can go all out with your makeup. It’s ok to go a little bolder than you did for the day—a little more eyeliner, an extra coat of mascara, a brighter shade of lipstick—all are appropriate. One general rule of thumb that’s always good to follow is to emphasize your best feature. Do you have a great smile or really full sensuous lips? Choose a knockout shade of lipstick or lip gloss and use subtle eye makeup. Luscious-lipped beauties, such as Beyonce and Angelina Jolie, are always seen with a dramatic lip—this is by design. If your eyes are your standout feature, do the opposite. Jennifer Aniston and Gwenyth Paltrow almost always sport a nude lip with eyes that pop.
Once you decide what feature you’d like to emphasize, you can check out our other blogs to learn more about techniques.