Last Friday, I received a surprising IM from a friend, asking me for some beauty advice. Well, here goes her question!

Dear Sophie,

I have a new job right now , and my boss seems to be very particular about image, that she likes seeing me wearing makeup. I’m not the type who wears makeup, actually. What should I do? What do I need to buy? I’d like to save as much as possible and not splurge on makeup.

Love,

C

Dear C,

Well, first and foremost, congratulations on your new job! It seems that your job right now is going to be people-oriented ( PR ) because well, you’d be needing to apply makeup! Don’t fret too much because makeup is not as bad as it seems! Gone are the day when makeup equates to a cakey, powdered geisha look. There are very good makeup brands that offer really flawless and foolproof finishes that it just looks like your skin is very flawless, all even, without a trace that you have makeup on.

If you are not fond of wearing foundation, then a good transluscent , or tinted finishing powder would to to even out your complexion. I would recommend mineral makeup as a great candidate for your makeup for it does not contain chemicals and preservatives that harm the skin, and it works like loose powder, only with coverage. If you want a pressed powder, then there are good brands which are not too expensive like VMV Hypoallergenics and In2it. I advice not to scrimp too much on cosmetics specially for foundation because they might damage your skin - eyeshadows and blushes are okay to scrimp on, though.

Aside from a pressed powder or mineral foundation, you would be needing a blush. You can go for a lip and cheek tint ( perhaps, the Body Shop, or Origins? ) that would make things easier, and is a dual purpose product too. It’s also great to invest on a sheer red lipstick ( take note, not high shine gloss ) to make your lips look colored, but not too much. You would know that after you apply foundation and blush, your lips would just feel bare and pale, that you’d be needing some color. My recommended lip stick brand is MAC - it just stays for a long time and the color selection’s fantastic. Maybelline is an affordable choice and the color selections are good, too!

On the eyes, I don’t think that you would need to wear eyeshadow if you hate wearing eye makeup, but do consider wearing eyeliner as it opens up the eyes more and it makes all the difference. If your skin is not too oily, then a pencil eyeliner would be great. If your skin’s oily, a good, waterproof liquid eyeliner like Makeup Forever would be great. If you choose to skip the eyeliner, it’s also fine, but do not forget to brighten your eye area to banish traces of fatigue via your undereye circles with a concealer. And last but not the least, curl lashes, and you’re ready to go!

Well, I hope that helped!

Love,

Sophie

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P.S. I think I just sounded like someone cajoling someone to indulge in the world of makeup - I felt like I wanted C to try everything that I’m using right now! Haha I’m so sorry but I just can’t help it.