The "Work" Look

  What I call the "work" look is really an advanced or slightly more intense natural look. Not so much the number of products used but the shades and intensity created. Whether you work a 9 to 5 job behind a desk, in a classroom all day or waiting tables at night, this look will suit any woman of any age and situation.  This look can also work for stay-at-home moms or women over the age of 50 as well. 

There is no mistaking that you are indeed wearing makeup with this style..but that's really the whole point. It would be entirely inappropriate to show up at the office looking like you barely washed your face and didn't bother to cover the dark circles or bags under your eyes.  Picture this: You were up all night working on a presentation so you wake up understandably exhausted and perhaps running a little late.  Considering skipping the concealer and just throwing on some Chapstick?  Think again. You show up to that conference room looking a tired wreck and didn't take the effort to do your face and you expect your client or boss to have confidence in your ability to stay on task, follow through and make the company look good? Little clues lead to the bigger picture. It really does matter.

So how do you go about achieving that more polished yet natural every day look? Your normal routine will pretty much stay the same but the important lesson today is color selection.  Brows should be filled in, mascara on top lashes (bottom lashes optional), cheek and lip color and concealing any discoloration or blemishes. This isn't the time to experiment with colored mascaras. Black or brown only. Cheeks can be contoured and highlighted but bronzer should be matte and highlighter shouldn't have too much shimmer. Blush can be neutral pink to soft peach with no shimmer.  Lips should stay from nude to mid-tone berry. Nothing intense or bright.

 

This is a great example of an everyday or work look. You can see the light color on her cheeks, she has a soft glow to her lips. Her eyes are contoured with a lighter shadow on her mobile lid to create an "awake" appearance to her eyes. She looks polished but there is nothing obvious or distracting by her makeup.

 

 

I can just picture her at a business lunch, can't you? Her brows are filled in. Her eyes are lined in black, color to her cheeks and a "her lips but better" pink color on the lips. She has contour on her cheeks but it's very subtle. Nothing sparkly or shimmery here.

 

 

We have more intensity in color here but we're still in the appropriate zone. Warm neutral shadows with black mascara on the eyes, warmth all over her face and cheeks, lips lined and filled with a mid-tone berry to suit her.  She looks polished and pulled together.

 

 

 

I love this one the best because this is exactly the look I create on myself. ;-) Brows filled in, shadow in neutral shades, never forget the highlight shade under the brow bone. Cheeks are contoured with a pinkish berry tone blush. Lips are lined and filled with a rosy lipstick.  Waterline is lined with black or brown and of course under eye concealer is a must for me.  This look will suit you anywhere at any time.

 

 

*Product recommendations for neutral shadows, cheek and lip colors are available from drugstore through high end. Please email directly for assistance.  

The "Natural" Look

   When we think of a natural look, we often think of minimal makeup, if at all. Nothing on the eyes, maybe a little color on the cheeks and a balm or light tint on the lips. Some may call it the "taking the kids to school" look or perhaps the "sporty mom" look.  It is rare however, to see the truly effortless beauty we strive for in our usual attempt of the natural look. 

There are many women who say "I don't like/need makeup. My husband (or I) like the way I look without anything added." Some women simply don't like skin care or makeup, just as there are others who don't wish to carry a purse or wear anything other than sneakers. There are plenty of makeover shows for people just like them. :-) Come on, admit it, we can take the show or leave it but most can't resist the final minutes of the "big reveal" to see the transformation. The goal with makeup or fashion is not to change the individual but to enhance their natural beauty and style.  The experts who get it right are standing next to a person who is thrilled and will be able to maintain, that's the ultimate achievement.

I've heard from many people in the beauty industry that say this: "Men say they don't like makeup but they really have no idea what they are looking for when they see a woman's face." 

This is quite true. If you ask a man to evaluate a woman's look, do you think he will be able to notice that she's wearing warm-toned eyeshadow or created cheekbones by using bronzer? Highly doubtful. If you ask him how he thinks she looks, most likely he'll say, "Oh she looks great!" The difference between absolutely no makeup and the ideal "natural look" is significant.  9 times out of 10, if you ask a man, he will say he prefers a "natural" look on a woman, or specifically "no makeup". What they don't realize is that very "natural" look they prefer does indeed take some product and skill to achieve. Heavy eye and/or lips = clown face in a man's mind. If only they knew what it took to look natural and beautiful.....

The natural or "every day" look can be quite simple. Skin care and facial hair/eyebrow maintenance is a given in this post. After that, the basics should be filling in the brows, mascara on top lashes(bottom lashes optional), cheek color and lips.  If there are areas to conceal such as under eye circles or blemishes, that step should be added as well. In my opinion, the difference between a natural look and a "full face" is the lack of foundation. Skipping the foundation cuts down on time, effort, and of course, the overall look will be far less "done" or polished.

I often think of Kate Hudson as a "natural" girl. She's carefree, relaxed and always has a smile. Above is a picture from a magazine and below is a photo of her at an awards show.

Do you think she's wearing more or less in either picture? Most likely she's wearing the same amount. The makeup artist in each instance,  kept in line with her natural style, both for the magazine layout as well as the glamorous awards ceremony. We don't see anything noticeable. No heavy eyeshadow, the cheeks are a soft flush of color and the lips are a pale pink in both pictures. She could go out shopping with her kids, to dinner with her husband or to the Oscars.

I love this photo of Lori Loughlin for a few reasons. It's a spontaneous pose, catching the hair from her face, the sun is shining bright and she is glowing. But besides the obvious, do you know what else I see? I see the bronze shimmer on her face and décolleté. I see the peachy color on her fabulous cheekbones. I see the goldy pink of her lip color and the very subtle mascara and shadow on her eyes. She looks radiant but it's not because she rolled out of bed and threw that dress on and went into the sun. Every little bit adds to the overall appearance. There's no attention drawn to each and every detail but the result is, "Wow she looks wonderful." She could be out to lunch with friends, visiting relatives at a party or going to work and her look would be appropriate in each scenario.

Here we have Penelope Cruz. Brunette, big dark eyes, full lips and plenty of Spanish flair. Above, she's shown very natural. Eyes lined in kohl, winged liner and mascara. Her skin shows through, a flush of warmth to her cheeks and lips lined and glossed in that full pout.  She didn't roll out of bed like that but if only we all looked that way first thing in the morning, right? ;-)

Below, she has contoured shadow, eyes lined and mascara in her typical style, foundation, light color on the cheeks and a nude lip. With hair and ensemble, she looks polished and pulled together. The overall appearance of both still falls under "natural". Her eyes are the same style in both photos. Her lips are natural hues in both. One shows her sultry and glowy, the other shows her polished and "done".

 

Even the most simple makeup routine can be used to create the every day look as well as the evening or "polished" look. Foundation and setting the makeup is the biggest difference but there are tricks and details to "amping it up" for evening or special occasions without adding extra products. Every morning is a chance to look better than you did when you rolled out of bed, better than you did after your workout and of course, your work or social appearance is enhanced as well. The goal is not for people to notice the details of what you used or why, but to say, "She's just taking her kids to the (insert place here, because we're always doing something with the kids, right??)  but look how good she looks!"

 

 

*If you would like assistance with product techniques and/or recommendations, please contact me directly and I will be happy to give you some ideas.