Choosing Office Appropriate Makeup That Will Last Your Whole Workday
Applying makeup for work is a double edged sword of issues. On the one hand, it has to look fairly natural and professional. But on the other, it has to stand up to hours of wear-time, under air conditioning or radiator induced heat, without sliding off cracking or generally making a nuisance of itself. But there are products which can fulfil both these needs. Here are the best products for office appropriate makeup that will last all day.
Use A Primer
To start with, in order to get the maximum longevity from your makeup, you’ll need to wear a primer. For a long time primers were sort of seen as the Emperor’s New Clothes of makeup – an invisible product whose benefits could only be noticed if you looked very closely. But this really isn’t the case anymore. There are many primers which help makeup glide on, smooth skin into almost porelessness, and make sure it’s all still there come clocking out. One of the best is the NYX Angel Veil, and as an added bonus, it’s a drugstore product, too.
Many longwearing foundations can be a bit too full-on for office wear. Whilst high coverage looks amazingly glamorous, day to day it’s likely something a little sheerer will suffice. MAC Face & Body is amazing for this. It’s one of the only lighter coverage foundations I’ve found which genuinely lasts all day. As you blend with fingers, you’ll notice the product thicken up and set. Once this happens, it’ll stay put come hell or high water, or at least until you remove it at the end of the day.
Blushes and Bronzers
Powder blushes and bronzers tend to disappear around lunchtime, leaving you with an afternoon of dull complexion woes. Cream stains tend to stick around longer, and none so much as the Glossier Cloud Paints. The shade Dusk is a great nude-brown tone which acts as a superbly natural bronzer, while Beam or Puff bring life back to cheeks. For darker skin tones, new shades Storm and Dawn are ideal.
And Those Eyes . . .
For eyes, a great way to maximise shadow wear time is by using a tinted primer. Think about it – primers are literally designed to help eyeshadow last, right? So it follows that using a primer as an eyeshadow gets the best longwearing results. A bargainous option are the Maybelline 24 hr Colour Tattoos. They also come in a range of more neutral, office appropriate shades. On and On Bronze is a perfect suits-all sheeny brown which draws attention to your peepers in a beautifully non-obvious way.
One of the most common makeup woes is flaking mascara. There’s truly nothing more frustrating that glancing in the mirror and noticing black dandruff scattered across your cheeks. Luckily, it can be avoided – even for those who dislike waterproof options. Tubing mascaras are designed to form, you guessed it, tubes over each lash, which set in place but remove with warm water and a flannel. Glossier’s Lash Slick and Kevyn Aucoin’s Essential Mascara both fulfil the non-flaking requirements, whilst making lashes look long and fluttery.
Lips to Last
I’m of the belief that there’s no real way to make a lipstick last all day. Even liquid lipsticks with 24 hour wear claims don’t look great past the two hours mark. If you want to actually have lasting colour on your lips, a stain is the best option. Clarins Water Lip Stains are absolutely perfect for the job – apply, blend with a fingertip, and you’ve got hours upon hours of beautiful colour. The shade Rose Water is a perky pink which is natural enough but brightens the face up in an undeniably cheery manner. To keep your lips looking their best, apply some balm throughout the day. Nivea stick lip balms are a great mess-free option, and they come in tons of flavours. The Soft Rose and Watermelon Shine options deposit a barely there hint of colour and keep lips smooth, soft and slightly sheeny.
Sarah Dixon writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for internships and graduate jobs.