Interviews always give me the jitters - the idea of being judged by multiple potential employers is nerve-wrecking! In order to minimize the amount of impending nervousness that comes with an interview day, I like to plan everything out, even down to the makeup look I'll be doing for the day. Makeup makes me feel more confident and powerful every day, and interviews are no exception. I've developed an easy makeup look that gives me just enough confidence to carry myself through a long day of interviewing without giving me more to stress over.
1. Comfort is key - use your holy grails!
Interviews are not the time to try out that new foundation you picked up at Sephora yesterday or attempt a new eyeliner look. Your appearance and first impression are super important to the tone of the interview, so perhaps playing it a little bit safe is a good idea. If you want to know what makeup products I always rely on, you can check out my last beauty post here!
2. Traditional > Trendy
You want your interviewer to be focused on the interview, not your makeup look! Chances are that a potential employer is not going to appreciate "cut" eyebrows, a killer wing, glowing highlight, or bright red lipstick. I highly suggest changing up your makeup routine to simply enhance your features rather than alter them completely. Keeping things a little more conservative and natural will really focus their attention on you, which is the whole point of the interview!
3. Be prepared!
When packing your purse for the day, make sure to bring your lip color of choice and translucent/foundation powder to touch up really quickly before the interview. It's a perfect way to collect yourself and take a deep breath before it's your time to shine. Reapply that lipstick girl, and take on the world!
If you want to find out how to achieve my favorite interview makeup look, continue reading below! (Look at me, attempting to be a beauty blogger!)
(excuse the awkward/bad/strangely lighted selfies) (ok, let's get started)
1. Prime your eyelids with concealer & set with powder
We want our makeup to last all day, so priming the eyelids is super important! I like to use the Covergirl Outlast All-Day Soft Touch Concealer ($12) all over my eyelids, and then set with any translucent powder or neutral eyeshadow.
2. Blend a soft brown shadow into the crease
I use a fluffy crease brush to blend a neutral brown into the crease (typically from my Morphe palette, or even a bronzer will do!). It's a great way to add dimension to your eyes without going overboard.
3. Line your lash line with eyeliner of your choice
I personally like to add a little bit of a flick with black liquid liner because I like the way it makes my eyes look, but go for whatever makes you feel most confident & natural! I also like to drag a little bit of eyeliner about 1/3 of the way across my water line because it helps to define & open my eyes a little bit. (Pro tip: A brown eyeliner like this one from ColourPop is a great way to make your eyeliner look more soft while still defining your eyes)
4. Curl your eyelashes & apply mascara
Next, use your eyelash curler of choice and apply a coat or two of your favorite mascara - it'll make your eyes look more open and awake and ready for the day.
5. Softly fill in eyebrows with brow powder & set with brow gel
Brows, in my humble non-makeup-artist opinion, are the most important part of any look. They frame your face and honestly just complete the whole look. To make your brows look a little more put together, run a coat of brow gel through them, wait for it to dry, apply eyebrow powder in soft strokes to mimic brow hairs, and run a coat of brow gel through your brows to set them. Easy peasy.
6. Apply medium coverage foundation all over face with a beauty sponge
Even skin is important, but you also don't want to look like you caked on 5 layers of makeup! Applying your favorite foundation with a beauty sponge rather than a flat-top brush is the perfect way to achieve even coverage while still maintaining a natural, dewy finish. For those of you looking for a BeautyBlender dupe (your girl is not about paying $20 for a sponge!), I love these Beauty Junkee ($13)
sponges from Amazon. They apply foundation flawlessly, and you can get 4 sponges for less than the price of one BeautyBlender!
sponges from Amazon. They apply foundation flawlessly, and you can get 4 sponges for less than the price of one BeautyBlender!
7. Apply concealer under the eyes and on any blemishes
Hide the fact that you didn't get any sleep last night stressing about this interview by applying a brightening concealer under your eyes - you want to look like you're effortlessly this beautiful and well rested! On the other hand, if you have any pimples/blemishes to cover up, use a concealer that is closer to your own skin tone to blend them into your base.
8. Set all over with a translucent powder/powder foundation
Set it and forget it! I use a powder foundation with a light hand to set my base because it gives me that little extra bit of coverage I like, but translucent powders work just as well. Make sure to set your under-eyes too!
9. Add a little bit of blush to the apples of the cheeks
You might look a little washed out because of the base that you applied, so bring some life back to your face with a pop of neutral blush on the cheek bones. I personally love MAC's Powder Blush in Sincere ($23).
10. Brush a minimal amount of bronzer around the perimeter of the face
In the same theme, applying a smidge of bronzer will make you look like you're glowing. I say smidge because you want to avoid the dreaded bronzer helmet! Apply a thin layer of bronzer in a "three" shape on the perimeter of your face - your temples, underneath your cheekbones, and jawline for definition.
11. Apply a tiny bit of highlight to the cheekbones and inner corners
Highlighter is probably my favorite part of any makeup look. I apply either Lunch Money or Wisp by ColourPop minimally on the tops of my cheekbones and in the inner corners of my eyes to add a little bit of "pop" to my look and make me feel like the glowing goddess I truly am. (loljk)
12. Apply your lipstick of choice!
Sorry, I lied. Lipstick is my favorite part of any makeup look! Opt for a pinky nude shade that gives you a little bit of color without being too dramatic. I wrote a post on my favorite nude lipsticks for work, and you can use any one of those or your tried-and-true lip shade!
Phew. That was a long one. If you made it to the end, congrats! You've been equipped with a makeup look that will help you take over the world (or just land that job, whichever is on your agenda for the day). Good luck on your interview girl, I know you'll kill it!
What are your go-to products for interview makeup? What's your favorite lip color? Let me know in the comments below!
