20 Important Hair And Makeup Tips For An Interview
So you finally landed an interview for your dream job. You’re super excited, but also super nervous. What do I wear? How am I going to do my hair? Those nerves are understandable. I mean, after all, a good first impression is everything. But, now it’s time to put those fears aside – we got you. Check out these hair and makeup tips and you’re sure to ace that interview.
Let’s start with your makeup. You want your makeup to be natural, as it is important not to distract your interviewer from what you are saying. Here’s a few tips to achieve your natural interview makeup look:
1. Match Your Makeup To Your Skin Tone
This may sound obvious, but let me explain. For women with a lighter skin tone, try a nude lip, light bronzer, and a rose or champagne colored eye shadow. For women with a darker skin tone, the opposite. Avoid anything that’s brightly colored, as it would draw too much attention to the wrong thing and distract the interviewer from what he or she should be focusing on – your perfect answers.
2. Perhaps Skip The Blush
If you are someone who is prone to naturally flushing when you’re nervous or flustered, you may want to skip the blush, or at least go light on it. And if you are really nervous about turning bright red when you’re on the hot seat, try using a green primer before applying your foundation, as it will help cancel out any redness that occurs- one of the most helpful hair and makeup tips for girls who struggle with full coverage!
3. Skip The False Lashes
As tempting as it may be to stick on a natural looking lash, I would skip it. Could you imagine your lash coming off just as you’re delivering a perfectly sculpted answer due to your nervous sweat? It just would not be a good thing, so just air on the side of caution and skip the falsies on interview day.
4. Avoid Clumpy Mascara
Since you are skipping the lashes, you’re going to want a good mascara to enhance your natural lashes. What you don’t want, however, is to go too heavy that it gets clumpy. Remember, you want to look professional and polished, not like you just got home from a crazy night out. This is one of the most important hair and makeup tips!
5. Proceed With Caution When Wearing A Red Lip
Red lipstick is not a terrible “don’t,” however, it must be worn the right way. If you absolutely cannot bear the thought of wearing a natural nude lip to the interview and would rather opt for a confident red lip, wear it tastefully. A red lip can work when the rest of you is understated. For example, if you go for a black dress and shoes and you wear minimal, skin tone colored eye shadow, a red lip can work.
6. Use Mineral Powder
If you’re prone to sweating when you’re nervous, mineral powder will be a Godsend for you. Simply dust it on your face with a large brush over your foundation and this will help absorb any sweat so you don’t look greasy, and it will also help even out your skin tone.
7. Try A Pencil Liner
If you’re used to creating a sharp wing with liquid liner, try using a pencil liner on interview day to tone it down. Do not extend your liner past your eye and only use it on your tight line (top lash area) and use a white or light colored liner on the bottom to make your eyes look bigger and more awake.
8. Go Easy On The Brows
I know a good brow with a nice arch is all the rage, and it is important to make sure your eyebrows are well groomed, just make sure you do it the right way. Tweeze any stray hairs that may be there and fill in just wear necessary. Don’t overextend the arch and make them the darkest part of your makeup look, as that will also distract your interviewer.
9. Avoid Using Highlighter
While this may be a staple in your night out, or even every day look, it’s best to skip the highlight on interview day. If you really want a glow to your skin, try using a dewy or illuminating finishing spray instead. You don’t want to blind your interviewer. This may seem like one of the weirder hair and makeup tips, but trust me, its a good one!
10. Proceed With Caution With Lip Liner
There’s nothing wrong with using lip liner if you want to, just as with a few other tips, use it correctly. Make sure the liner matches your lipstick color as best as possible and do not over line your lips. Again, a natural look is key.
Now that your makeup is done, let’s move onto hair:
1. Wash Your Hair
This may sound obvious, but dry shampoo is not going to cut it on interview day. Make sure to wash your hair either the night before or the morning of (as long as you give yourself enough time) so your hair is fresh and clean.
2. Match Your Hair To Your Makeup And Outfit
It’s important that your hairstyle flows with your outfit and makeup look. That will ensure your polished and professional look. If your hair is too over-the-top, but your makeup and outfit are simplistic, that can also distract your interviewer. This is definitely one of the more important hair and makeup tips!
3. Elegant Ponytails
Yes, you can wear your hair in a ponytail for your interview if you wish. But make sure you don’t just throw it up and call it a day. This ponytail will need to be a neat and polished one. To achieve this, wet a brush and spray it with some hair spray, brush your hair back into a ponytail to smooth it out, and secure it with a hair tie. You’re not done yet, though. Take a piece of hair from the ponytail and wrap it around the hair tie and secure it with a bobby pin to hide the hair tie. That just gives it a more polished look.
4. Go For Soft Curls
If you want to curl your hair for the interview, you can. Just don’t create tight Shirley Temple curls. Looser curls would be best. To achieve this, you could either curl your hair the night before and sleep on it, so that the next day you have perfectly tussled waves. Or if you are going to curl your hair the day of, just use an iron with a bigger barrel – a one-inch barrel would be best.
5. Pin One Side Back
This is a great way to keep some hair out of your face. It’s simple, yet looks nice and acts as a happy medium between all down and a full updo.
6. Down And Sleek
This style is for those who want to wear their hair all down, but don’t want to curl it. Whether you have naturally straight hair or not, run a flat iron over your hair to give it a nice sleek look. This is one of the easier hair and makeup tips!
7. Bun
Yes, a bun can be worn on interview day, but the right kind of bun. A messy bun or any bun on the top of your head will not cut it. If you want to wear a bun, go for a low bun that sits on the nape of your neck. You can either pull it to the side for a side bun or let it sit right in the middle. Also, make sure to smooth out any fly aways. Hair and makeup tips can be hard to follow but this one is important to follow!
8. Braids
Braids can actually look very nice on interview day. If you want to go for something a little trendier, try a side braid. You can wear pretty much any kind of braid you want, just remember to keep it low-key. You don’t want to create too crazy of a braid and distract your interviewer.
9. Natural Waves
This look would be great for those with short hair, who want to spice it up a bit on interview day. To achieve this, try curling your hair the night before with a one-inch curling iron, so that when you wake up the next morning you will have beautiful, natural looking waves.
10. Blowout
Now, I’m not saying you need to go out and spend money on getting your hair done the day of the interview, especially if you have an early interview time (you don’t want to risk being late.) However, if you just are not good at doing your own hair, getting a blowout would be a good solution. You can get a wavy blowout if you have long hair, or a nice sleek blowout if you have short hair. One of the simpler, yet still successful, hair and makeup tips!
Now that you have all the tips and tricks for perfect interview hair and makeup, go rock that next interview! We know you will!
