Inappropriate Work/Office makeup

[luvsic]

Hi Ladies,

Although I do not work yet, I am a business major and am going to be working in the field when I come out of school (not sure which field yet.) I was wondering what was actually INAPPROPRIATE for the workplace.

My everyday makeup look consists of MAC's Tempting on my lids and underneath my eyes (for the extra bright-eyed awake look), Almay black-brown eyeliner, and I put some Ricepaper under my browbone and in the inner corners of my eyes. I also wear Ardell 109 false lashes. Yes yes, DAILY.

I read somewhere that anything with shimmer on it looks horrible and cheap in florescent lighting so I might have to change things up to make it a little more neutral. Can anyone recommend any colors that lack the shine but have a similar warm effect that TEMPTING has?

Another problem I have is that I wear false lashes every day. Yes, I admit it, I am an addict. But they're easier than mascara and I am Asian, so I have sparse lashes so they enhance my look a lot. And when I say a lot I mean A LOT. Is this too much for the office, or will it look too cheap? You can't really tell from the front, but when I turn to the side they're really long and obvious.

I just envision myself making a presentation in my falsies and this weird picture pops up into my head. I like the way I look with them on but it just seems a bit heavy because I have smaller eyes and although they don't overpower my eyes, they really do enhance them. I've gotten really accustomed to seeing my face with them now, I just don't look right without them :/

Just wanted some advice. TIA.

 

[MizzVivaGlam]

I think you could pull off falsies at work, just don't coat on tons of mascara with them and don't wear a super dramatic pair, you can find natural everyday lashes for sure! Use matte shadows that are very close to your skin's natural tone-Soft Brown,Espresso, ect. Avoid anything frosty and skip highlighter(anywhere on your face). Forget bright blush and go for soft neutral sheer rosey cheeks. Avoid lipgloss and frosty lipsticks again and go for a lipstick close to your lips natural shade. Fill your brows in and keep them groomed very neatly, I think doing just that makes a huge difference when your are wearing natural makeup.

 

[Cherrymint]

I would say go for a more matte and a bit lighter looking color like Cork e/s, but if you want to keep a little shimmer in in go for Soba e/s *I looove this color for everyday!*. For the highlight I would say the same, try something like Shroom e/s or even Vanilla e/s. For lashes, if you want a longer/fuller effect try some microfiber mascaras that add length like:Maybelline XXL Curl Power *volume plus length* or L'OREAL Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara and don't forget to curl your natural lashes! If you want to keep the falsies maybe go for the single false lashes and try to add them only to the ends of the eye for that bigger eye effect. Maybe you know this trick, but adding a white eye liner to the inner rim of the eye really makes the eyes pop/make them look awake! If you wear eyeliner,you can lightly line your lid with a black pencil liner and smudge it a bit for a more natural feel...I use to do the cat eye with gel liner eveyday until I started doing this.

I use to work at a bank and had to tone down my makeup. It doesn't mean "put on mascara and be done with it"...just try not to do crazy colors like bright neons, weird color combos, excessive glitter, or super dark everyday looks. Experiment with more natural colors...you'll get use to seeing yourself like that and not feel so weird with out your lashes. Hope this helps!

 

[BeautyizPain]

well i'm an nc40 and my hg brown neutral is Folie..its a beautiful matte reddish brown i love this so much..you can put folie all over the lid and ricepaper or even vanilla as a highlight ..i prefer ricepaper because the folie is matte so i dont like an all matte look but its a perfect work appropriate look

 

[luvsic]

Everyone, thank you so much for the advice!!

I will stop by my local MAC and check out those colors next weekend. I actually quite tan (blame it on walking to class every day in the sweltering sun..) so I think that some browns will look good on me...I actually have a nice plum from Bobbi Brown, but I don't like how that looks on me for the every day. It's too dark.

I wear shimmer bronzer daily too :O ok that is definitely going to change lol

MizzVivaGlam - I need to stay away from frosty things! D: a lot of my makeup is frosty...so not good for work...I think I need to invest in a good nude lipstick.

Cherrymint, I have tried single falsies and they don't work for me. I am not kidding when I say I have very SPARSE lashes...mascara makes my lashes look wirey and odd, and not very nice.

So the single falsies just look more obviously fake, believe it or not. I think my problem right now is doing super-dark eyes....I don't know how else to explain it other than my eyes are kind of small (I am Asian!), and my double eyelid crease isn't that deep so any falsies or whatnot on me end up looking more dramatic than usual :/ haha. I don't do smokey eyes - definitely no - but I do line my eyes all the way around....hmm, I wish I had a picture to show you but I don't have a camera

BeautyizPain - Yeah matte looks are always going to be work appropriate but I like some shimmer in my life

I'm going to experiment around a little more to see what works for me...I use ricepaper for a highlight color, and I think that might be the little bit of shimmer I have. Otherwise I need another base color for my lids...hmm..

 

[kariii]

luvsic, I'd love to see a photo of your eye make up so I can be able to 100% give you some advice.

 

[elektra513]

IMO I think it does depend on the individual office, but across the board, mattes are good. They make utilizing colors more acceptable. If it were me, I'd stick to neutral shades and one or two little "pops" of color on the eye. Shimmers are fine, glitter is a huge NO. But then again, if you have the personality to rock it, then hey?! LOL.

Oh and smoky eyes are ok IMO as long as they are not too, too dark. You have to mute it for day, and get creative with the shade you use to smoke it (ie not black or dark brown)

But yeah, def balance mattes and shimmer. A general rule (no matter the setting your in) is to balances those textures.

Oh, and cat eyeliner is appropriate for all occasions, lol, but that's just me

HTH

 

[luvsic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kariii luvsic, I'd love to see a photo of your eye make up so I can be able to 100% give you some advice.

Hey girl, sorry but I don't own a camera. Here is the best picture i have (taken with my friend's camera ) - it's just not very clear so you can't see the shimmer...and keep in mind I'm smiling so you can't see the lashes that well :O

elektra513 - thanks for the advice. I think I will try to stick to mattes

I have not yet mastered cat-eyeliner but I like the way it looks!

 

[xLongLashesx]

^^ your eyes are so pretty! I don't think those lashes are over the top at all.

 

[thewickedstyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elektra513 Oh and smoky eyes are ok IMO as long as they are not too, too dark. You have to mute it for day, and get creative with the shade you use to smoke it (ie not black or dark brown) HTH

Totally agree, I do a day version of a smokey eye as my regular look, I usally use a muted color (Girlie, Memrobilia, etc) and smoke it lightly with Remotely Gray. I will wear some frostier shades like Satin Taupe or Patina but nothing glittery (my Urban Decay pallates have been retired).

 

[caramel_geek]

Hmm...i've probably done all the no-no in terms of office makeup. I work in an engineering industry (i'm a software engineer to be exact). the atmosphere is kind of laid back (we get to wear jeans and sneakers to work). and my eye makeup range from very basic-totally-proffesional neutrals to greans and blues and greys. LOL. I think all the guys here are used to it already.

So, my point is...it totally depends on your workplace. on the first week or so, go with neutrals, just to be safe. Then you can start adding little pop of colors every now and then.

colors are fun. I love them.

as for neutral shades you could try:
Satin Taupe
Soba
Cork
Espresso
Woodwinked

HTHs!

 

[kariii]

Me too.. I work in the financial industry.. I wear suits to work with hosiery and everything.. and I still wear make up like any normal day.. haha, but then AGAIN I think it could depend on where you work... I'm in San Francisco, so most people here are laid back and live on their own terms.

 

[Holy Rapture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by caramel_geek Hmm...i've probably done all the no-no in terms of office makeup. I work in an engineering industry (i'm a software engineer to be exact). the atmosphere is kind of laid back (we get to wear jeans and sneakers to work). and my eye makeup range from very basic-totally-proffesional neutrals to greans and blues and greys. LOL. I think all the guys here are used to it already. So, my point is...it totally depends on your workplace. on the first week or so, go with neutrals, just to be safe. Then you can start adding little pop of colors every now and then. colors are fun. I love them. as for neutral shades you could try: Satin Taupe Soba Cork Espresso Woodwinked HTHs!

ITA with caramel_geek

I am a Software Tester and our workplace is pretty laid back too. Jeans, flip-flops ... Everything goes! For make-up colours, I've worn green and aqua blues too. I hope your office is as easy-going as that

 

[LRWade]

A nice, conservative look on your eyes would be a nude slightly shimmery eye shadow (can't pick a shade cause I can't see your skin tone as well as I'd like!), with a moderate amount of liquid liner on the top lid, and a couple of coats of mascara on the top lashes. You can leave the bottom lash line bare or maybe a faint smudge of kohl liner. A small flick with the liquid liner would be ok, but nothing too "night out".
Bronzer is a bit too casual for an office because it makes the whole face shimmery. It would be better to keep the rest of the face very matte, especially under the fluorescent lighting. A healthy glow in matte powder blush (whatever you'd be most comfortable in but I'd suggest a peachy colour) will add colour without the shimmer effect of a bronzer.
Fake lashes look different on everyone, but I would suggest a few carefully places individual lashes would be more subtle then a full set.
Hope this helps!

 

[L1LMAMAJ]

those falsies are appropriate for work/office i think because it's not too long and crazy dramatic. they look very nice and natural. if you're afraid of the flourescent lights making ur shimmery shadows look crazy, try some mattes or satins. go natural and light with the lids and the lips.

 

[BEA2LS]

it really depends on the company.. keep it neutral for interviews than when hired feel out what you can get away with

i wear less make up to work but mostly out of laziness, and i work in a courthouse so it's pretty conservative but they really dont care about make-up or anything.
i go all out with make up on the weekends but mostly to save time i usually do a wash of color for eyeshadow, mascara (i wear tons to work, my lashes are nothing!), blush, foundation and a bold lip. but this is more because i hate waking up early.

 

[LMD84]

on my first day at my curent job nearly 2 years ago i basically used my woodwinked shadow and shroom shadow to death! they are my 'safe' shadows. however when i realised that the guys at work weren't bothered about make up and my area manager wasn't either (his wife is also a mac addict) i thought screw it! and now i wear all colours of the rainbow to work. i've been in a managers meeting before with all blokes and one actually stopped speaking twice because he said my make up was amazing! i was wearing pink pearl pigment that day for the record!

so start off with safe colours and then branch out. and i think your falsies look fine for the day so don't worry about that.

 

[_Kaitie_]

My go-to natural shades for work are Satin Taupe, All that Glitters (lightly) and Buckwheat. I suppose it would depend on the office, though. Mattes are always good no matter what the situation, though.

I totally agree about Remotely Gray, too. Gorgeous natural smoky eye.

 

[MaskedBeauty]

I agree with L1LMAMAJ & Mizzvivaglam.

 

[Almond_Eyed]

I just started wearing more matte colours recently. Before that I was all about the Amber Lights or Woodwinked and Shroom. It's a big change... but after the initial awkwardness, I've grown to really like wearing mattes and looking to try more.

I have a tan, Asian, skintone, and I love using Wedge and Quarry together.

<3 A