Brand Booster Top Tips Number 6
Tip number SIX…capture your colours and sort out your style statement! (Part 2)
Those of you who saw my Star feature on cosmetic usage recently will know how useful a tool I feel it is in women’s branding armour. In the piece I am pictured with two of my clients, both stunning women who decided they wanted to know for sure which colours suited them best, clinically, instead of emotionally, to ensure they always looked their best in business or at home! Here are a few highlights from the whole article that is on our website.
“If I told you there was something really quick, inexpensive, non-invasive, painless, temporary and most of all, SIMPLE which you could do to reap the following benefits, what would you guess it was and would you be interested? Study after study I have seen shows women are perceived as more physically attractive, cleaner, more tidy, more feminine and sexy, as well as being more secure, sociable, interesting, poised, confident, organized and popular… just by wearing a little light, natural-looking MAKE-UP!
One study (Nash et all, 171 women) examined how average-looking women were perceived after a professional make-over versus cosmetics-free and found that cosmetics and grooming were positively associated with femininity and sexiness, a greater earning potential and more prestigious jobs. The report concluded, “The results suggest that women can successfully employ cosmetics to manipulate how they are assessed, which may be advantageous in social situations where women may be judged on their appearance, such as job interviews.”
In another very interesting study, photographs and CVs were sent out to top personnel officers; in some of the photos women wore makeup and in some they did not. These professionals were asked which of the women they would hire and how much would they pay if they needed to fill positions in their field. The results showed that not only were the candidates wearing makeup more likely to be offered jobs, but they were offered salaries between 20 and 25 percent higher than the un-made-up women. That study concluded, “Makeup for professional women is as important as their outfit. The good news is that an appropriate makeup is one that is well blended and looks minimal.”
As a marketeer, image consultant and former job club leader, I have to sit up and take notice of those findings. Whether I am helping women develop their own special and unique brand, or training employees facing redundancy or school leavers facing the most uncertain job market for decades, my advice on make-up is always the same.
We all judge on appearances, however we might prefer to claim we don’t. Remember the smashing Susan Boyle on her first BGT appearance? I bet all of us who witnessed that moment, watched by zillions on You Tube ever after, can recall the audience’s hoots of derision, the cat calls, the judges gloomy or stony faces, the sighs…. Now look at her on her latest album cover. Every bit the superstar she has become. How would the audience have reacted if she’d have commanded the stage looking that groomed and glamorous I ask? Point made.
As I continually help women “be their best selves” inside AND outside, I need to point out I don’t feel women should feel they have to wear make- up. It’s a personal choice that should come from an inner confidence and creative expression either way. When I come to important situations such as pitching to clients, networking meetings, I do because I enjoy being creative and improving on nature! I look better, so I feel better, so I act better, so people treat me better. Tried it with and without, this is what I have found. On office days like today, I will usually be found in my walking gear with no make-up. That’s fine too.
My experience over the years shows there appear to be three main reasons women don’t wear make up: practical (they don’t know how to use the right colours or techniques, so just leave it, emotional (mum said lipstick was for hookers, husband says it makes her look cheap- I’ve heard a lot in the confessional of out studio over the past few years!) or moral (why should women “have” to wear make up to appear more attractive when men don’t need to?
None of that need be true. A couple of hours and small financial investment in a make up class, such as those offered by my colleagues at True Colours Image Consultancy in Broomhill, will have you looking and feeling fabulous for day or evening in a way that you can easily replicate in colours that flatter your unique skin tone and eye and hair colour and sits comfortably with you and your lifestyle. What’s not to love? As the old Rimmel ad used to say, “Life’s a war. Make-up’s ammunition!” If I still haven’t convinced you, then grooming is the way forward instead. Clean, fresh moisturized skin, tidy brows, a flattering hair cut… Employers and customers everywhere assume, if you look like a polished professional who takes care of yourself, the subliminal message is you can certainly take care of their business.
I’ll leave the final word to well respected celebrity make up artist to the stars, Bobbi Brown, “I want women to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident.” Amen to that sister.
If I still haven’t convinced you, then grooming is the way forward instead. Clean, fresh moisturized skin, tidy brows, a flattering hair cut… Employers and customers everywhere assume, if you look like a polished professional who takes care of yourself, the subliminal message is you can certainly take care of their business.
I’ll leave the final word to well respected celebrity make-up artist to the stars, Bobbi Brown, “I want women to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident.” Amen to that sister.