FACE YOUR INTERVIEW FOR UNDER $50

You saw us on Career Girl Network last week, now here's Katherine Toll, a beauty industry pro, of CGN on how to 'Face Your Interview for Under $50'!

It’s rare I open Excel – as in the software program. I’m not much of a numbers person, relying instead on what I refer to as ‘slop math.’ I slop out some estimates and fly with those, never really caring to ‘drill down’ into exact numbers. They’re so tedious, don’t you think?

But, when two of my favorite fashion and beauty bloggers, Jess and Jill stopped by the Career Girl Network office a few weeks ago I decided to get serious with some number crunching.

You see CGN, and Jess and Jill decided to take on a challenge. We set out to answer the burning question of how to create a professional interview make-up look on a limited budget of $50. Since Jess, of the aforementioned Jess and Jill, is a graphic wiz kid, I thought I better take the rational end of things.

So, here it is! My carefully curated picks for a polished, professional interview look for $50 (give or take depending on the product choices you make.) And, to insure you stay on budget, the CGN statisticians developed a highly complex Beauty Budget Data Validation Tool! (The BBDVT)

Face Up

• Conceal what you need to: Use Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Eraser prior to your foundation or BB/ CC Cream. I absolutely love this stuff, but one tip: use your fingers, or a brush instead of the spongy applicator. It lays down too much product for my liking. Or, try NYX’s HD Concealer Wand – I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m hearing amazing things about it! Follow up with L’Oreal’s Studio Secrets Professional Magic BB Cream to even out skin.
• Get (a little) cheeky: Add a subtle shade of blush; you want a pulled together look, not a fevered one. I love Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Rose Petal, or for a deeper skin tone, Hot Tamale. If you prefer powder, try Cover Girl Cheekers in Rose Silk. It’s a dead ringer for NARS cult blush, Orgasm.

Keep a Clean Eye

• Prime of your life: Skip the creases and fading with my new fave, Wet n Wild’s Eye Shadow Primer from their Fergie collection. Or, try L’Oreal’s Magic De-Crease Eyelid Primer
• Shadow, don’t smoke: Yes, I know it’s boring, but unless you’re interviewing as a MAC makeup artist, let subtle be the watchword for your eye makeup. Wet n Wild’s Icon Collection Eye Shadow set in Comfort Zone ranges in eight neutral shades, which suit most skin tones. Plus, they tell you what colors go where AND two of the shades double as your liner!
• Bat a lash, not a clump: Finish with clump-less mascara formula like Cover Girl’s Lashblast Clump Crusher mascara.
• Frame it: Do not forget the brows! They frame your eyes and finish your look. I like Maybelline’s Define a Brow. They wear well and offer a terrific shade range. A word to the wise: Get a professional brow shaping from time to time – then maintain the shape between your tune-ups.

Have the Last Word

• Finish with lips: You want a “Wow, how fabulous, yet incredibly intelligent am I?” kind of lip. Lip gloss wears off too quickly for an interview, so opt for a semi-matte lip in a neutral shade like Maybelline’s Color Sensational Lip Color in Warm Me Up, or Rimmel’s Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 08.

Congratulations! You look the part. Now make sure you’re ready to answer the tough questions – consider this article your cheat sheet!

Knock ‘em dead!