Avoid these office makeup mishaps!

When it comes to fashion and beauty, few of us can look at ourselves objectively and decide what works and what doesn’t. Especially when we find looks we love and have been wearing for years. This is particularly true with fashion. Men will find a designer brand and silhouette and stick with it for decades. My aunt discovered blue eyeshadow in 1973 and has been wearing it in abundance ever since.

Unfortunately, these favourites can become dated. When I interviewed New York fashion designer Anna Sui recently about her makeup look, she told me that she tweaks her products each season. She sticks with her signature red lip, but she’ll switch from a lipstick to a lip pencil or from high shine to matte texture. “It’s important to change your look slightly each season,” she says. “Find your signature look but then make subtle changes.”

The truth is, in today’s competitive workplace, it is more important now than ever to look “current”. This doesn’t mean you need to chase every cutting-edge beauty trend that walks off the catwalk. It just means you need to look modern and polished. We’ve canvassed a handful of our favourite makeup artists and editors for the makeup mishaps and best tips and tricks. Here are some common beauty pitfalls to sidestep.

7 Office Makeup Beauty Tips:

Avoid severe brows

“Eyebrows that are fine lines can have an intense, even angry look,” says Dior’s Angie Semple. “I’ve seen women who looked permanently surprised and angry because of their brows.” She says it is important to soften the effect with a brow brush, or even a cotton swab. “If you are using a pencil, use light, feather-like strokes to create the effect of ‘hair’. Be sure to choose the right shade that is slightly lighter than your natural brow colour.” Angie swears by Dior’s Universal Brow Styler. One colour suits all and the pencil boasts a brush on one end. It takes the guess work out of finding the perfect shade.

Control your lip liner

Be careful when working with a strong-hued lip liner. Many women outline their lips but forget to colour in the rest of the lip area with the same pencil. If you fail to do this, the lipstick can fade away throughout the day leaving the liner outline. One solution is to use a universal lip liner that matches your skin tone to keep lips from bleeding. “Consider applying your lipstick first which will help soften the liner,” adds Semple. She likes to keep her lipstick and gloss close by for frequent touch-ups during the day.

Give your shadow some dimension

Applying a sweep of shadow over you lids in the morning is a quick makeup solution but it may not be too flattering. Blend more colour in the middle of the eyelid and into the lash line. This one tip can instantly make your eyes pop.

Be wary of tattoo makeup

Once a popular trend in makeup, tattoo colouring is difficult to make look good over the longterm. Tattoo makeup that is too black or has a hue of blue or green will look artificial under natural daylight. If you are determined to go this route, really research the colours and technique carefully first.

Line up your false lashes

When you see baristas in Starbucks wearing dramatic false lashes at 6:30 am, you know it is a beauty trend. But fake lashes need to line up with your lash line perfectly or they’ll look askew. Use an eyeliner brush to help press and push lashes as close to the lash line as possible. Applying your liner beforehand will also reduce the visibility of this error.

Update your foundation

The fastest way to date your daytime foundation is to stick with an older, thick formula that appears cakey. You can still get good coverage in a weightless formula. YSL’s Fusion Ink Foundation is a perfect example. It gives full coverage but feels like you are wearing a moisturizer.

Streamline your mascara

Here is a trick that pro artists use to get perfect lashes every time. Before applying your mascara, roll the brush gently in a tissue. This will remove any excess product and give you an even coating of mascara. Work the product into the roots in a zig-zag motion. Then extend through to the tips. You’ll have flawless lashes in seconds.