I have to look grown up. Makeup and hair advice sought. (Long and self-involved.)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Starting in January, I have a Real Job as a lecturer in the physics department of a liberal arts college.

While the blue jeans and flannel have served me well lo these many years of graduate school, I have this uncomfortable feeling that I need to finally start dressing like a grown up. I think I have a handle on the wardrobe issue. I’ve been slowly aquiring pants, blouses, sweaters, and jackets–nothing too formal or dressy, just professional looking (I think.) Oh, and shoes. I’ve got a bunch of nice shoes.

But now I’m thinking I might look a little bit odd in nice clothes and not a jot of makeup.

Now, I don’t think I look that bad without makeup. My complexion is not perfect. I have the occasional zit here and there. However, I generally have rosy cheeks and lips. I am also blessed with long, dark lashes. I don’t want to make out like I’m some kind of stunning natural beauty, but I don’t think I look washed out or unpresentable without makeup. On the other hand, when I’ve served as a bridesmaid, I’ve had makeup expertly (and in one case, professionally) applied, and I have to admit that I was very impressed by the illusion of flawless skin and the amazing things that can be done with eyeshadow. And, I dunno, I feel somewhat unwomanly, not really having a clue how to do this stuff.

I’ve been doing a little research, and it looks like to do one’s makeup well one must:

**1) Spend quite a bit of money. **

This, I’m not averse to. I’d rather buy quality products and have them work well than get cheap stuff that’s frustrating to apply and looks tacky. Unfortunately, at this point I don’t really know what’s a quality product, and what’s a ripoff, or what kind of infrastructure I need.

2) Schedule time for makeuping.

I gave up wearing contacts in order to gain five more minutes of sleep. The whole makeup thing seems like a Step in the Wrong Direction.

Plus, if I’m going to wear makeup at all, I’m definitely going to strive for the doesn’t - look - like - I’m - wearing - makeup ideal, which, I’m told, is Much Harder to do (and, ergo, is more time-intensive, I assume.)

So, sigh, I guess I’ll have to get up early if I’m going to do this thing right.

3) Actually put the stuff on.

I anticipate this sucking because our apartment has a crappy little bathroom with no counter, so my choices will be balancing my makeup case on the wash basin while using the mirror above the sink, or balancing my makeup case on the toilet while using the mirror on the medicine cabinet, which has better lighting. Maybe I ought to look into getting a vanity table or something?

**4) Have stuff caked on my face all day. **

Ick. Do you get used to that? Doesn’t it totally freak your skin out? I’ve finally found that, as long as I keep my hair clean, washing my face with plain water and using a gentle moisturizer in the winter causes fewer zits and less grotesque flaking than any of the bazillion cleansing routines I’ve tried, from the deep-pore-cleaning anti-acne to the all-natural herbal extracts to the super-gentle hypo-allergenic. Do I really want to mess with moderate sucess? I see the care of the skin adding on more time in the morning. sigh

Also, the hubby hates kissing me when I’m wearing lipstick. “Kissable lips” my ass. “Waxy grody-tasting lips” is more like it.

5) Remove makeup at the end of the day.

Actually, this has always been my favorite part. It’s all exciting to be glamorous and beautiful, but after a day of itching my face feeling werid and stiff and trying really hard to remember don’t touch your face! glopping on the makeup remover and getting my own face back again is so soothing. I’m guessing the routine will be, arrive home, drop bookbag, pet cat, run upstairs, remove makeup, sigh in relief. But again, we’re getting into the freaking-out-of-the-skin, what with the makeup-removing cleanser and the moisturizing and the what-not.

Okay, so I’m wondering, what’s the absolute minimum I can get away with here? Based on my preliminary research, it sounds like if you want the happy blemish-free thing, you’re committed to concealer, foundation, lip liner, lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and blush. Is it possible to skip any of this stuff without looking like a goober?

Is there a product line or regimine (requiring less than, say forty-five minutes a day!) that will prevent my skin from a) breaking out, b) flaking off, c) becoming so oily that nothing will stick to it, or d) doing all of these things at once in different places.

Or, can I get away with not wearing any of this damn stuff? I’m not out to make my students think I’m the goddess of love and beauty or something. I just don’t want to look like a total loser by wearing sort-of-nice clothes and totally neglecting my face.

Oh, and yeah, there’s hair. I usually wear my hair pulled back in a bun. I have three (count 'em, three) variations on the Basic Bun that I can alternate between for exitement. The bun fulfills my basic requirements for a hairdo in that it gets my hair out of my damn face, it stays in place without fussing with it all day, it doesn’t make my hair snarly, and doesn’t require a blowdryer, styling product, or more than five minutes to put up.

Other hairstyles that fulfill my requirements are the braid, and the pulling-back-of-the-hair in a barette (which, unfortunately often leads to snarliness.)

None of these are particularly glamorous, but I think they get the job done. Again, am I going to look like a dildo by wearing nice clothes without a fancy hairstyle? I think it should be sufficient that my hair be tidy and not interfere with the completion of my job responsibilities, but, hell, I fear change, and I’m lying awake at 3 in the morning, afraid that I’m going to fail utterly at the looking-professional thing by not having the right hair and makeup to pull it off.

Any comments, advice, and sharing of life experience welcome.

2

Let me get this straight. You’re going to be a lecturer in Physics and you’re worried how you’re going to look? You just may be the first Physics professor who ever even considered it.

Seriously, makeup is not something you should worry about (unless it’s important to you, which it apparently isn’t). Wear decent professional clothing and take your cue from the other faculty members. Invest in some tweed :slight_smile:

I actually think you’ll end up getting more respect from the physics/engineering crowd without makeup.

3

Most people seem to need some compact powder so their face does not look all shiny. If you don’t like lipstick, maybe lip gloss would do. I haven’t tried those department store makeup counters, but maybe they could offer advice after looking at you. Good luck!

4

Hey, congrats on the job! I myself have seriously slacked on the makeup lately (I’ve had my first “grown up” job for three years now), but when I do want to look a little more “done”, I keep it simple:

I use M.A.C. Studiofix, which is like foundation and powder in one, so there’s a step saved. It’s about 20 bucks, and lasts about a year, for me.

Then I use blush on my eyelids, cheeks, chin, forehead, and nose (caaaaareful… don’t want to look like Rudolph), schlop on some mascara, and finish the whole deal off with Dr. Pepper Lipsmacker.

And I’m done. Two minutes tops.

In answer to your question, though, I do have those moments where I forget not to scratch or rub my face, but I imagine that if I wore makeup every day, I’d eventually adapt.

5

Makeup’s a pain in the ass…you do sound like you don’t need it…I’d say nothing more than lip gloss/stick and naybe a bit of loose powder…the only really icky thing is to be shiny under flourescent lights…trust me :slight_smile:

For hair, as long as there is a definite style, it should be professional enough. My problem was that my old hair-style (long and straight) looked young/unprofessional…once I gave it a shape, it looked fine.

Re clothes, I cannot recommend Bannana Republic more…simple and basic yet comfy. It’s very easy to match their clothes even for me (I don’t have a lick of fashion sense yet everyone thinks I do). Patterns are bad. Solids are good.

Just my HO…which may be kinda similar to yours in that I was a 25 year-old lawyer and couldn’t get anyone to take me seriously (because I looked 18) until I made a few changes.

Good luck Podkayne on your new endeavor!

6

I would go to the MAC counter, if you have dry skin get a tinted moisterizer, if you have oily skin a compact like aunty em’s.

7

Hey Poddie, congrats! Excellent news! Which college?

As for dress, don’t sweat it. When I give invited lectures, I wear jeans. Yes, dungarees (as my mom would say). I usually wear a button-up shirt, but that’s the closest I get to being formal (that, and making sure my pants don’t have holes in them). And this is for every venue, including colleges and even the Hayden Planetarium last month.

IMO, people are there to hear what you have to say. As long as you aren’t distractingly slovenly-- or distractingly overdressed-- then who cares? Of course, I have a persona of being informal and relaxed, but that’s the way I really am. I wear a tie maybe once a year, and that’s only because I have to. I usually wear my Star Trek one. :slight_smile:

8

I second going to a department store and doing a makeup consultation at Lancome, MAC, Clinique or something like that. They can show you how to apply makeup so you don’t look overdone, and as long as you keep them on a tight leash you can get the advice you seek. The last time I did one of these it was free–this was also years ago–and it gave me a good idea of basic makeup skills.

I personally avoid the sensation of having stuff caked on my face all day by not using foundation, just a light powder to even my skin out (Lancome Dual Finish). Lip gloss is a good option, so is a matte lip color you feel comfortable wearing. It sounds like you could get away with a little eyeshadow, mascara (since you have such nice lashes you could play your eyes up), some powder, and lip gloss or lipstick.
I’m also devoted to an Almay eye makeup remover with a moisturizer in it. It’s amazing.

Anyhoo, just MHO. Congratulations on the job!

9

Well, not all of the products that are good are expensive. You can go to a Target, Walmart, or K-Mart and find quite a bit of good stuff. Maybelline works well, and a couple of my favorites are Revlon and Covergirl. You don’t sound like the type of person who wants to reapply makeup a thousand times a day, so many of the companies make lipstick that lasts 8 hours. However, if you do choose to use this, I suggest using a moisturizing chapstick at night as the lipstick can be a bit drying. One product that I feel is definately worth a little bit of extra money, though, is eye-makeup foundation by Clinique (which you can find in department stores.) This will keep the eye-shadow from creasing.

This actually isn’t all that bad. You’ll get used to it. As to it causing trouble with your face; try using an oil-free foundation. Use only a little bit of foundation, and just a little bit of powder to set it.

Well, I think you can get away with using very little. If you have any big zits or anything, there’s no need to freak out. Physician’s Formula (you can find their products at any K-Mart, Walmart, Target, etc.) makes this stick of green stuff that you can put on it. Green is the opposite color of red, and thus reduces redness. After this, you can put a bit of foundation on, and some light powder. If your face gets oily, you can put more powder on it, but if you want a less made-up look, Nutrogena makes oil-absorbing sheets. Just blot your face with them, and they won’t even screw up your makeup. Other than that, just wear a little bit of mascara (using dark brown instead of black generally gives a bit of a softer, more natural look) and a bit of lipstick. I don’t think that lip liner is necessary. Use just a little bit of blush so you don’t look too pale.

If you pull your hair back with a barette, that gets it out of your face. It’s a simple style yet can go with anything, fancy or casual. I’ve worn my hair like this just hanging around the house, to school, and to dressy occasions, and it worked great every time.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Also, my mother decided to go back to teaching high school last year, so I had to help her figure out what she was doing clothes-wise…if you need any help there, I might be able to help too.

10

I am a lawyer, and I rarely wear any makeup at all. So far, no one seems to care. (Of course, I’m a patent lawyer, so I deal with geeks all day). When I do wear makeup to work, I wear mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick. Cheap drugstore versions of these products are just fine. Foundation, etc., are nice for special occasions, but hell on my skin if I wear them every day (I have tried the expensive kinds, as well as the drugstore kinds, and it didn’t make any difference).

I can do very nice daytime or evening makeup, as well as slather-it-on-with-a-trowel ballroom competition makeup, but it just doesn’t seem worth the extra ten minutes of sleep. (Incidentally, if you think it feels good to take off your foundation after a day at work, you should try peeling off the false eyelashes after a competition).

If you do want to wear something, one trick is to realize that if you wear one strong color (e.g., lipstick or eyeshadow), you can usually get away with not much else. (The books will tell you to wear “neutral” lipstick with strong eyeliner. If you have some color to your lips already, though, they probably already count as “neutral”).

11

You asked for it: (IMHO, YMMV, etc, etc, etc)

I am generally a low-maintenance type of person, but have had to look like an adult for a little while now. It sound like we have smiliar looks (decent skin, dark lashes, glasses), so I’ll do my best to describe what I do.

  1. Hair. I would stick with the bun. It looks fairly professional, and sounds like it is low maintenance for you. It would take me a million years to do that, so instead I put gel in my curly hair and just let it dry naturally. I would avoid the barrette or braid - both are too schoolgirlish. Or, you could get a shorter cut and just leave it down. This will probably have the effect of making you look more sophisticated, if you get a good cut. Would need more detail to help in this area.

  2. Face (skin) Makeup. You don’t have to goop on the makeup. The bridesmaid makeup you described was probably pretty, but way too over the top for every day. I would use a little bit of liquid makeup if you think you need it to look polished, but use one with light coverage. I’ve had good luck with Lancome’s Maqui Libre. It is very light but evens out my skin tone (since I tend to get a little red on my cheeks.) I actually only use it on my reddish areas. DON’T USE POWDER. Unless you tend to get oily, and even then I would just blot.

  3. Since you wear glasses, go minimal on the eye makeup. You can get away with a little eyeliner and mascara. I use Lancome Defenicils macara (it’s really nice and doesn’t clump), and Lancome pencil liner because it goes on well without being too soft or hard. I generally stick with black for both. Only put the liner and mascara on your top lid and lashes, not underneath or you’ll look either like a raccoon or a reject from 1983 or both.

  4. I don’t wear blush. Too much of a pain, and it makes me look too made-up.

  5. Always, always wear lipstick. Even if you wear nothing else, make sure your lipstick is on. It will brighten up your face. You could have a full face of makeup, and without lipstick still look washed out.

  6. Removal - This will probably be the most important step, as without clean skin you really can’t get away with minimal makeup. I just use Neutrogena Foaming Face wash. It removes makeup and cleanses in one step. Then, I go over my face with a cotton swap dipped in hydrogen peroxide, to stop breakouts, and follow with an AHA product to exfoliate. I got this regime from Paula Begoin’s book Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me. It’s a little controversial because she promotes her own products a bit, but I’ve gotten some great advice from her.

12

Spent 15 years in corporate America and don’t wear makeup often. I don’t think you need to, but if you want to…

When I do wear makeup, I wear pressed powder, lipstick, blush, eyeliner, mascara and shadow. I use Aveda products, which are pricey, but don’t make my face break out. I can put in on in three minutes and take it off as fast. I use Oil of Olay to take it off, and wash with Noxema. I don’t look like I’m wearing makeup (the guys at work can’t tell, but the other women can).

Back when I worked with exec’s a lot (I don’t know and work with engineers who don’t care), I kept a makeup bag in my desk and put it on at work once I got there. That may be an option for you (I’ll assume you have an office, in which case, you need a makeup bag, makeup and a small mirror that will stand on its own).

I’ve never gotten used to liquid base, but pressed powder doesn’t feel like much of anything on my skin.

If I were you, I’d pick a brand of cosmetics you think you’ll like, and ask at the counter for someone to do a makeover with you and help you pick colors. Explain you want “light” and want to end up with half a dozen products max.

13

Cotton swap? Huh? Cotton ball. :rolleyes:

14

I’ll second Morgainelf’s book recommendation; it was very helpful to me in picking out makeup and taking care of my skin.

Lipstick is a pain, but it does help emphasize the mouth - especially at a distance, the lips can get lost in your regular skin tone. The one I’m currently using is Avon’s Perfect Wear All-Day Comfort Lipstick; it has some moisturizer and suncreen in it as well. It doesn’t last all day in my experience, but at least half the day, and you don’t see it coming off on stuff like your coffee cup and so on. You’ve said you have rosy lips though, so give lipstick a try and see if you need it or not. If not, lip balm or some light (not too shiny) lip gloss will add some emphasis without color change.

Powder to reduce any shine would be good, and some blendable concealer to cover blemishes/undereye circles.

Especially in winter, I would use your moisturizer on your face before putting on any foundation. Otherwise you may find that it flakes and cakes oddly.

Remembering to not touch your face will help with acne - you won’t be spreading oil/dirt/germs around on your face. (Similarly, get disposable makeup sponges to apply foundation; it helps make the application more smooth as well.)

Your hairstyle shouldn’t matter much as long as your hair looks tidy. Spray gel, which keeps frizzies down without causing helmet-head, works for me in this respect.

15

Thank you, everyone, for all the advice! I really appreciate it!

Finagle, I’m trying to take cues from the other faculty. They seem to be a little more formal than the department I’m coming from, and, sadly BA, there’s a bit of a double-standard where women are concerned. Yes, it would be a terrible blunder to be overdressed in this biz, because then people start thinking that you’re overcompensating, but I think it really pays for women to put a little extra effort into their appearance. The woman (singular–sigh!) in the department is someone I know and respect, and she is always nicely dressed and has nice makeup. Anyway, it’s very important for me to make a good impression because this is just a one-semester thing, and I’m going nuts at the moment trying to apply for teaching positions in the fall, and references are going to be crucial.

I’ll have to check out the Banana Republic, Jeanie. Sounds like just what I need. There’s one in the next town over.

I am releived to see some suggestions for not going the full monty. I’ll be experimenting a bit to see what works out. Oh, and BA, I’ll email you and tell you where the job is.

16

One more thing ** Pod ** on Banana Republic…some of there stuff can be more expensive than others (it’s usually a little more than Gap stuff) but when they put something on sale, THEY PUT SOMETHING ON SALE!

My SO and I bought down parkas (15 of them) for 10 dollars apiece in San Antonio and I have purchased 100-150 dollar cashmere sweaters for 20-30 bucks. I;ve bought other stuff sometimes for like 8 bucks…just keep checking the sale stuff.

17

Another thing you could try is a talking to a Mary Kay or Avon lady. They can help you pick out the stuff you like and the colors that are good for your skin in your own living room. They can also show you how to put it on.

I love my Mark Kay stuff. They have a foundation/power combination which is very light and natural feeling. My face doesn’t feel or look caked. My face doesn’t break out with Mary Kay like it use to with cheap makeup if I forget to wash it off before I exercise or go to sleep at night.

If it takes you more then five minutes to put your makeup on in the morning once you get use to it then you are probably wearing too much.

18

I am a very loooow maintence make up user. Make up has to fit my lifestyle, not the other way around. A doper (I think it was **Juniper[/b}?) turned me on to this Max Factor lipstick that is… well, semi-permananent is what its called, I think. The brand name is Lipfinity.

Basically there is an undercoat that you apply thinly and carefully. Let it dry for a few seconds and it “sets.” Then you carry around a little tube of moisturizer/gloss and top off the shine now and then. The color lasts all day and cannot be licked off, rubbed off, or tasted. If you eat oily foods it does come off, though (the way you get it off at night is with a dab of moisturizer). It is truly the ultimate lipstick for lipstick haters!!!

1 tube of color (comes packaged with a tube of the gloss) costs about $12-14. Since you apply it at most twice a day, it lasts a long time.

All about Lipfinity:
http://www.papa.org.uk/Maxfactor/Lipfinity.htm

19

Bare minimum (if you must wear makeup, and quite frankly, I don’t think you must) would probably be lipstick or gloss, mascara, and possibly blush if once you put on the gloss & mascara you look totally washed out.

If you want to go full out, I’d recommend heading for the Bobbie Brown counter at the department store. (I love MAC, but it doesn’t really say “I’m not wearing makeup, I’m naturally beautiful” it tends to scream “LOOK AT ME! I’m so beautiful I have no problems with making sure everyone sees how gorgeous I am!”). It tends to be very low key, very natural looking, very understated.

20

Don’t wear makeup.

Weddings, office jobs, job interviews,…no man has ever pondered whether or not to wear makeup to these events, so why should we?