Makeup can be a girl’s best friend, especially when she needs a quick touch up to look her best, however it can also be her worst enemy. Several issues come up when picking out makeup; is it truly long lasting and is it the right shade for your complexion? The trickiest part comes when it comes to choosing the right makeup for an outing.

You might be in love with your “smoky eyes” but the look is not necessarily right for a big job interview or an office outing. However, just because you have to go to an office luncheon does not mean you have to forgo makeup altogether, you just have to know your limits. A big event can turn up at any time and you’re going to have put your best face forward, but what is that face? Well don’t fret because with some simple considerations and tricks of  the trade you will be sure to make a big impression at your big event all the while looking the part.

Night out on the Town

 This is a great time to try out your new glitter or even metallic eye shadow you just purchased and put it into action but before you do there are some things to think about. Whenever you plan to get a little wild with your makeup, take into consideration two things, your outfit and most importantly where you’re going. For example, if you’re heading to the club with neon pink lights and you’re wearing an even hotter pink dress, you might not want to wear your favorite shade of rose pink lipstick to offset your sparkly eye shadow and white eye liner. That is to say unless you want to look like a giant piece of glittery bubble gum.

To add a pop of fun to your look, try mixing a metallic shadow with a neutral color and black. The neutral color will act as your base. When applying the metallic, keep it towards the inside of your eyelid, typically mid lid to where your eye and the bridge of your nose meet. The black will be applied to the opposite corner of your eye. To take this look to the dramatic side of things, add eyeliner and mascara or even fake lashes.

For glitter eye shadow, the application is similar with the use of a neutral color; however, in this instance you will add drama by using two shades of glitter eye shadow, one lighter and one darker. The lightest will be applied to the inner part of the lid with the darkest on the out.

Your eyes are surely the focal point at this point so, when you’re out on the town keep the blush and lipstick to a minimum and of course, one that best fits your skin tone.  If you are not one for blush then go for a shimmery bronzer to keep you the life of the party. Finally, when choosing a lip color, go for something matte as to not compete with the brightness you have going on up top.

First Date

A first date is all about the first impression so you want it to be a good one and the best way to do this is by enhancing your features. Enhancing your eyes is the best choice when going this route and for a romantic evening, try adding a little romance with a smoky eye.

To achieve a smoky eye, first choose three to four colors that are in the same color family from lightest to darkest. Your lightest color will act as your highlight, the second lightest will act as your eye shadow base then you have your medium and dark. The application process is simple; first cover your entire eye lid with your second lightest eye shadow so that the rest of the colors have a base. Next, highlight the area just below your brow; this is your brow bone. From here you will then add your medium color starting from the lash line and blending upwards. Finally, use your darkest color. Be sure to keep this very close to the lash line. For the perfect smoky eye, be sure to blend upwards in a uniform method so that the color visibly goes from dark to light. For a more defined smoky eye, use your darkest color to fill in the crease of your eye. This is the area between the brow bone and your lid. Use a small brush to do this. Finish up by adding mascara and/or eye liner.

If you feel the need to wear lipstick, NEVER use a darker shade than your eye shadow and never use a color that is extremely too light. Instead go for a medium tone or simply go with a nude lip with a bit of lip gloss.

A little blush can tie in your look but, for a healthy glow that will look lovely over a candlelight dinner, try for a bronze instead. Brush on lightly starting at the apple of your cheeks and fade up towards your temple.

Job Interview

The key rule to remember when you’re going in for a job interview is that “a little bit goes a long way”. Even if you were doing an interview for a makeup artist, the employer wants to see you, not your foundation and your sugar plum eye shadow. There is so much to consider on the day of a big interview and you will most likely already be stressing over what you’re going to say, so doing your makeup should be as hassle free as possible. Pass over your bright color palette with a K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) and go the all natural route. This look is great as it allows you to wear makeup and still look like the beautiful bare faced you. There are three main things that you need to pay attention to when it comes to the natural look and that is face, eyes and lips.

Most people have the typical liquid foundation, but for this purpose it is best to go for a powder foundation. A powder foundation not only allows your skin to breathe, it also gives you a much cleaner look than a liquid foundation. When using a powder foundation use appropriate brushes and avoid powder puffs at all costs as this can cause the foundation to cake on your face. Also, remember to tap off your brush after taking it to the powder to remove excess makeup.

No matter your complexion, a copper colored eye shadow will do the trick; just cover your entire lid. Too add a little depth to your look you can also take a shade of brown to the outer most part of your eye and blend towards the center of your eyelid. To complete your eye makeup, forgo eyeliner and mascara and instead use an eyelash curler to give your eyes a natural wow factor.

To finish off your interview ready look, go for a nude lip. You can either do this with a simple gloss or a nude colored lipstick. Beware, choosing nude lipsticks that match your skin tone is tricky as some can either make you look washed out if you have fair skin or if you have a darker skin tone, it may look as if you are wearing orange lipstick. If you are not sure of your nude lipstick, when in doubt go without.

Remember, makeup is meant to enhance what you already have, not cover it up. Makeup does not have to be your best friend, but it is easy to get along with when you know how and when to use it. No matter where you’re off to, day or night, when applying makeup make sure that you have ample amount of lighting and that it is not fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lights, though efficient, are not efficient enough when it comes to makeup application. In fact, they have the habit of “fading” you out which may lead you to applying more makeup than you need. With this in mind and a few new tricks up your sleeve you are now ready for the next big event in your life and little doubt that you’re choosing the right makeup.

 How do you do your makeup for your big day?