Back to School/Office Appropriate Make-Up

Hi Lovelies! It's back-to-school time and I know a lot of you are going to be looking to freshen up your look for school or just looking for a fresh, basic look for the office. This look will work for both. If you are someone who has never worn makeup and are looking to dip your toes in, while still looking like you, this look is sort of a foundation upon which you can build to the smokiest of looks or just leave as is, for a polished, versatile make-up look.

First, start off with a foundation (or tinted moisturizer) and apply to your whole face. Apply in a thin layer using your hands or a make-up brush or sponge. I prefer to use a brush or a beauty blender and this particular foundation in the picture is a great, natural finish that will work on a variety of skin types.

When applying foundation, start in the center of your face and blend out. Typically most "imperfections" are on the cheeks, close to or on the nose, under the eyes, etc. By applying this way you will apply the most product to your "problem" areas and less to those spots that don't really need it.

Another tip here is that if you do not have concealer, take a Q-tip and dip it into the cap of the foundation. Product that is sitting in the lid is usually a little thicker as it sits there when you aren't using it, and is a great alternative to concealer. Go over each spot you want to conceal with a light layer. You can easily build up, but it's a lot harder to remove product without having to start all over.

If you are normal or slightly oily, you may choose to set your foundation with a powder. I don't have one pictured because typically I don't use/need  it. CoverGirl makes amazing pressed powder and E.L.F. has an awesome translucent loose powder for $6.

Now moving on to blush. I love this one from Milani. The color is called Luminoso and it's stunning! A great option for a variety of skin tones. Stick to something more natural looking (pinch your cheeks to see what color they naturally flush and go from there) and apply with a light hand. I prefer using a blush brush and not the tiny ones that come in these compacts but if you don't have a separate brush use what you have! Apply this lightly to the apples of your cheeks and blend into the hairline (there are a lot of great videos and posts about applying blush based on your face shape, just Google it!)

Next is mascara. There are a million and five mascaras out there. You need to decide what it is you want the mascara to do. Do you want length? Volume? No clumping/flaking? Do you need a water-proof formula? The mascara in the picture is a great volumizing and lengthening option. It comes is brown and black and I believe there is a water-proof version of this. If you have never ever worn mascara OR you have fair skin, eyelashes and eyebrows, you MAY want to try brown mascara first as black can be intense, especially if you are new to it. A great natural finish option is the Maybelline Great Lash in the pink and green tube. Or you can even buy clear mascara just to give your lashes a polished, glossy finish.

Finally it's time for lips. In this picture I chose a Revlon Lip Butter. I love these for their variety of colors, the smell and the price. Plus they look a little more professional than Chapstick or Maybelline Baby Lips if you need to re-apply at the office. I love Pink Truffle, Creme Brulee and Red Velvet from this line. It just depends on how dramatic you want the look to be.

And now you're set.

If you want to build on this for an after-work happy hour or special occasion, it's easy. You can go back and touch up your face, add in a little more blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow and freshen up your mascara.

For one more add-on to a more natural look, I would fill in my brows. There are tons of powders, gels, pencils and liquid liner style brow products. And there are a lot of great options from the drugstore. I really like the Milani, Maybelline and CoverGirl pencils and powders. I also love the brow mousse from Blinc Cosmetics (a little pricier option).