Office Beauty Dos and Don'ts

The best advice for office-ready beauty, including why it's OK to wear red lipstick in a board meeting.


Wet hair, smudged eyeliner, chipped nails. These mishaps top the list of Office Beauty No-Nos. We all know that we need to be presentable at work. But beyond the obvious, what does presentable actually mean?

What you can get away with in terms of grooming in the office has a lot to do with your company's corporate culture. Much like a dress code, more creative, laidback occupations call for less stringent beauty routines. However, there are some rules that apply to almost everyone.

In Pictures: 10 Office Beauty Dos and Don'ts

For one, don't shy away from color, especially when it comes to lipstick. Red lipstick looks right, even in a boardroom. "A perfect red mouth, with a bit of blush and a neutral eye shadow, always looks appropriate," says makeup artist Napoleon Perdis, whose clients include Debra Messing. Shy away from glosses and try a matte, creamy lipstick like Brick Red--a neutral, brownish red--from Bobbi Brown. The key is to keep it clean. To ensure the lipstick doesn't bleed onto the skin around your mouth, fill in your lips with a nude pencil before applying.

Bold makeup can work at the office. But if your beauty routine currently consists of a swipe of moisturizer and a smile, take baby steps to clean it up a bit. Simple makeup is never a bad idea, especially when there's an impromptu meeting or luncheon to attend. The trio of mascara, concealer and blush adds just enough polish to your appearance, says Perdis.

Hair, on the other hand, isn't always so simple. Some of us spend hours each morning blow drying, curling, ironing and teasing our tresses. For a perfectly sleek 'do, a professional blow dry--also known as a blowout

--is worth the cash. Any salon will do a blowout, and prices often start at just $25. Buy some dry shampoo--a powder shampoo that soaks up oil from your roots--and your frizz-free tresses will last for days. "For a big interview, invest in a great blow dry. Looking simple and classic can help you land a job," says hair stylist Patrick Melville, whose clients include Jennifer Connelly and Eva Longoria Parker.

If you're still weary about spending money on something you can do for yourself, there are plenty of frizz-taming productson the market. Those behind Living Proof No Frizz, a new line created in the labs of M.I.T., say that their products smooth hair with polyfluoro ester, a molecule that is said to work better at reducing fuzz than silicone. There are formulas available for several different hair types, including curly and straight, thick and thin.

Melville says that roots-free hair is also a must for professional women. If you can't muster up the time--or money--it takes to maintain roots, consider doing the touch-ups yourself. Kits are often sold at professional salons; your colorist can formulate the dye to ensure it matches your in-salon treatment.

In Pictures: 10 Office Beauty Dos and Don'ts

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