I used to manage this blog many years ago, at the time it was called We’re With Her. When I started blogging again I archived all my old posts, looking to start a fresh. Now that I have been up and running for awhile, I have decided each week I’m going to bring you a (slightly edited) blog post from the archives. So please enjoy this post, which was originally made on April 18, 2014 — beauty school: nailing office beauty.
In a professional environment, your appearance is pretty much as important as the work you do because it shows how much you value yourself and your job. So your beauty routine speaks volumes! While it’s important to put some effort into your look, you don’t have to go overboard. So I asked some of my beautiful friends how they maintain their beauty habits for their full time jobs. Let’s see how their opinions mix with mine!
Here’s the background info. My best friend Rebecca is 20. She recently picked up a dream job working for Amy Taylor Collection, works mostly 9am-5pm. Some days she has to hang around for client appointments till about 9pm. My friend Sarah is 19 and is a full time nurse. She starts at 6am (who knew there was one of those in the morning too?!) and finishes at about 1pm.
Mel, 20 – Property Manager
Rebecca, 20 – Amy Taylor Collection Store Manager
Sarah, 19 – Nurse
Hair
Mel: I usually straighten my hair the night before and then head off to sleep on my silk pillow case. In the morning I only have to re-style the pieces that frame my face and voila! Hair in like 20 seconds. Okay more like 5 minutes… Other times after I wash my hair at night I plait it and in the morning it comes out like it’s crimped! On days that I really can’t be bothered, I resort to a top knot because it’s so quick and easy.
Rebecca: I’d wear my hair up in a bun every damn day if it were acceptable. However my boss, Amy prefers us to embody more of a simple, chic, effortless look. So I usually straighten my hair and wear it out one day, the next I’ll wear it out again but pin some front bits back so it’s a little different. Same goes for previous day curls but I brush it out so it’s more Hollywood style waves.
Sarah: Well umm a messy bun or a ponytail. Like once a month when I’m feeling adventurous I do a braid, cause 5am hair straightening and styling, ain’t nobody got time for that!
Nails
Mel: You will probably never see me with no colour on my nails. Sometimes polish fails me though and I know chipped nail polish comes off as a sign of sloppiness to my boss, co-workers and clients. So I keep a little purse in my handbag with Manicure Nail Polish Remover Pads to remove chipped colour. Colour wise, I usually stick to whites, reds, pinks and dark purples — look pretty much any colour.
Rebecca: Mostly neutral colours because I’m too picky to stick with one that may not match every outfit for the week. Amy doesn’t mind acrylics but I can’t type or do anything with them in the store. For my summer toes (cause who cares in winter) I always make sure I have deep red toenails because that’s what June Dally Watkins taught me!
Sarah: Okay get ready to be jealous… I’m not allowed to do anything with my nails! I have to keep them short and can’t have any polish on them and god forbid I ever show up with acrylics. We can’t have them because there is way too many germs. Plus we could accidentally scratch our patients which is a serious no-go.
Eyes
Mel: The office isn’t the place for a dramatic smoky eye or a sparkly shadow. Some girls like a thin line of eyeliner… I don’t even go for that because I tend to be an eye rubber. I opt for some light mascara to keep my look clean and professional. My favourite at the moment is the Maybelline Lash Sensational Lengthening Mascara.
Rebecca: I keep it pretty simple rather than risk a really interesting asymmetrical liner look cause I usually do my makeup on the train. I use my foundation base in the crease of my eye, bronzer as eye shadow, eyelash curler (my essential!) a few coats of mascara and depending how rushed I am, sometimes liquid eyeliner, and very rarely just a small bit of pencil liner to fill in my lashes.
Sarah: I’m all for a little eye makeup because that’s the only thing we don’t have any restriction on! I wear my Revlon Colourstay Eye Liner and a touch of Rimmel London – The MAX: Bold curves mascara because it doesn’t blink off if I’m showering the patients.
Lips
Mel: I would love to be the type of gal who could slap on some red lippy and be on my way but I’m just not. So instead all I ever wear is my trusty Blistex Lip Conditior and Model Co Marshmallow Lip Gloss which together give me a soft pink lip.
Rebecca: Most days I use Maybelline Baby Lips and maybe NARS lip gloss. Sometimes I go bold with a red or dark red lip if my outfit is monochrome. You’ll never see me with much glittery metallic sort of colours because there is a time and place for them and honey it’s not the office.
Sarah: I’m not a huge fan of lip colour, so I like to stick to a more natural look. I just coat my lips with Lucas’ Paw Paw Ointment and bring on my day!
Fragrance
My advice: My favourite scent for work is Daisy by Marc Jacobs. I just spritz some on either side of my neck and head off for the day. I know some people spray the air and walk in and others spray their wrists, but I never want to be too overpowering with my scent so the neck works for me.
Rebecca: I’m actually obsessed with fragrances. Do I really have to name all these? I literally wear a different one every day depending on my mood and I love them all. I highly recommend —well all of them.
🌿 Rihanna Rebel Le Fleur
🌿 YSL Babydoll
🌿 JLo glow
🌿 Mariah Carey
🌿 Guess Seductive
🌿 Juicy Couture Viva La Fleur
🌿 Calvin Kelin Euphoria
🌿 Katy Perry Killer Queen
🌿 Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina
🌿 Bvalgari Amethyst
🌿 Calvin Klein Summer
🌿Calvin Klein Eternity Aqua
Sarah: Guess what? I can actually have that here! Most days I wear Killer Queen by Katy Perry because it’s my favourite as well and I’m a killer queen.
Thanks so much for stepping back in time with me to read beauty school: nailing office beauty.
Until next time,
Melissa Jayne
MELISSA JAYNE 