From Day to Night: Makeup for Networking Events

One thing I hate is lugging makeup with me back and forth to work. I keep some cosmetics at work (mostly lip balms and lotions), but I don’t take a full case of makeup to do touchups throughout the day. I just figure that by 5 o’clock everyone looks just as drained—and again, the culture of my work doesn’t really call for a full face of makeup throughout the day.
However, whenever I have events in the evening, I always do my best to prepare so that my face looks bright-eyed and polished; especially when it’s a networking event with private attorneys. I mean, let’s be real, other legal aid attorneys may not bat an eye over an uber business casual look, but that’s usually not the case with other attorneys. And, at networking events you want to look like someone worth networking with! Aside from wearing the appropriate clothes, your face should not look like your everyday 5 o’clock drain.

In order to make sure I look my best for these events, I do a little prep work in the morning, with a few slight touchups before the event. The products I reach for have always delivered a nice, professional look so I really recommend keeping a few of these things on hand in your desk.

The first thing I do before the workday starts is to use a makeup primer. I generally don’t use one on a daily basis because primers really make your makeup pop, and that’s not always the look I want. But the primer helps my foundation/cc cream last forever and I don’t have to worry about faded makeup before the event starts.

The second step before work is to use a golden toned, but semi-sheer shadow. I wouldn’t reach for a gold that’s very opaque (or glittery!), but rather a nice understated, bright shadow.

My favorite is the Marzipan shadow in the original Too Faced Chocolate Bar. It’s a beautiful melon-y, shimmery shade. For drugstore options, I recommend the gold shade in Maybelline’s The Nudes palette (a great dupe for Urban Decay’s half baked, FYI). I opt for these tones because they make my eyes look a little brighter and awake. When I’m wearing this for the day, I don’t really have to worry about looking tired at the end of the day.  Both are circled in the photo.

Then before the networking starts, I add a little bit of blush because a flush of color looks nice and also helps you look alive and alert. The finishing touch, which for me is the most important, is a colorful lip. Now, if you use a bright lip everyday then this isn’t that big of a leap. But if you’re like me and stick with mostly nudes and neutrals, then changing to a more vibrant color will really make a difference. Not only will you look polished and professional, but the colorful lip looks appropriate in an evening setting, and elevates your look more than another nude shade could. Of course, I don’t go crazy here. I tend to stick to simple dark berries or dark reds–nothing that will overwhelm my features. Again, this is because I want to portray a conventional, polished, and professional look. If I’m walking into the place with orange lips (which is my current go-to summer look, btw), my lips may get more attention than my ideas—and that negates the whole purpose of networking.
So the goal is to look good, but to not let your looks take over. For networking and other evening events, it’s usually smart to level up your style, and just prepping a little in the morning with slight additions in the evening will make a big (and easy) difference in how you present yourself.