Can you dress professionally without make up?

[DarkShade]

There's a thread on at the minute where people are discussing what they look like at the school gates and I noticed that a lot of the posters who reference good jobs that aren't WFH say they have nice clothes on and a full face of make up. This has got me thinking - is full face of make up part of dressing professionally for the office?

I ask this genuinely, no judgement one way or the other. I'm actually curious as I don't wear make up simply because I never learned how to, but now I'm of the age where I really could do with it. The toddler years have not helped! I also am applying for jobs, and have just had a penny drop moment that maybe my natural haggard looking face is holding me back....

So if you have a professional job in an office or somewhere out of the house where your appearance matters, do you wear full make up? What does 'full make up' mean to you? And would you think someone who didn't do this was underdressed?

For the sake of the poll:

YABU - professional work attire includes full make up, would feel under dressed without it
YANBU - make up is an option but easy to look professional without full make up

No.

I think v few professional women wear a full face of make up - the odd one of course.

I don’t think you need to wear it at all but looking sprightly does aid professionalism - I know I look better with a bit, though can’t be arsed at the moment.

Try the Bobbi brown counter if you want - they will teach you how to do a 5 min brows, lashes, tinted moisturiser and a bit of blush type thing, which makes most people look better. Then you can go and buy the dupes in Boots if you don’t want to pay for BB.

I’m a senior manager. On office days I rarely wear make up as I run out of time. But if I do it is tinted moisturiser, curled lashes with mascara and lip balm with a swoosh of Benefit Dandelion so I look less dead. Nothing major.

I prefer myself in it, and if we have graduations, interviews etc then I make more effort. But day to day I don’t care if I wear it or not. Our dress code isn’t usually formal, smart but not power dressing (eg no jeans, but not suits either).

But I work in HE which is a bit more eclectic than the city. So it’s sector dependent.

I don't think makeup is necessary to look professional.

I never wear makeup to work and neither do the majority of women I work with. I was surprised to see to many mentions of it on that thread too. But I don’t usually wear a suit either, only a couple of times a year. And I’ve never worn heels to work. I’m a civil servant in London.

I have a professional job. I always wear foundation, very light bronzing powder, pink lipstick, eyeliner on lower lids and colour my eyebrows in a bit more.

someone at work the other week said about me not wearing makeup and I said I always wear makeup. She pulled a real disbelieve face at me and I reiterated that I do. She said I don’t. I said well I guess I look like shit even with makeup and she laughed. 🤷‍♀️

I work with lots of very senior well paid women (law & accountancy partners mainly) and if anything the trend is "less is more". Most wear light makeup eg mascara. Definitely no heavy foundation/contouring. They do usually have nails done though and are well dressed but not in suits - more expensive dresses, blouses with trousers.

I wear a bit of foundation because I hate my blotchy red skin without it and mascara because my eye lashes are so fair but nothing else and work in a professional environment

Only if I feel it will do something for me on a bad day, otherwise no. I do apply lip balm throughout the day though out of habit.

And the "bad day" faff is a bit of coloured lip balm or lipstick and a swipe of blusher. Honestly nothing else.

I work in a professional role and sometimes wear a little make up but have never felt under pressure to do so, and can’t think of any colleagues in my role whose make up I’ve noticed. If anything, in my role I’d imagine it might be harder to be taken seriously if too made up. Not that that’s okay either. But there’s definitely currency in looking older and wiser in some professional roles.

I will wear make up for a job when the men are asked to do so.

I don't think that makeup is necessary but I like to wear it (not foundation, eyeshadow etc, but lipstick, mascara and blusher or bronzer)

Numerous studies have shown that attractive people are more likely to get hired, are evaluated more positively, and get paid more. Make if that what you will, but I personally think that I look more attractive with a bit of makeup!

I work in a school and almost every woman wears a 'full face' of make-up, if by that you mean tinted moisturiser, eyeliner, lip colour. This is in London.
I do wonder if those who say they don't wear it are being disingenuous - I mean, some of us look better than others without makeup. If you have naturally clear skin, strong, symmetrical features and dark brows and lashes, you will make more of an impression than if you have hardly any eyelashes, lips that blend in to your face, and patchy mottled skin. If the latter, I think people 'see you' more if you wear makeup.

Me too. I find it barely takes me any time, and makes me feel good about myself.

I have a professional job, I wear a business suit every day (not just “office wear”), good shoes (not necessarily heels) and I virtually never wear make up. Nor do many of my female colleagues. I’m even toying with the idea of not covering my grey hairs🤣

And the men?

I love a Caitlin Moran quote for situations like this...
"When I find myself wondering if something is actually sexist bullshit, I ask myself and are the men expected to do this? Spoiler alert it is almost always sexist bullshit."

I did once have a manager tell me off for not wearing make-up on a daily basis (many years ago now) I was able to appeal to reason on the basis that his boss had given me the job at an interview in which I wasn't wearing make-up, he didn't mention it again.

I wear makeup but am in minority in my sector (academic) I would say. I wear it all the time except on lazy weekend days and running down the shop. I feel better, I don't think it's necessary at all, if anything there might be a slight reverse snobbery about makeup.

@LuciferRising yes it is rather strange to me that men's faces are considered fine as is and (for some people) women's faces need fixing before you could dare be seen in public.

@LuciferRising to be fair, men tend to have stronger features and more prominent eyebrows! Plus they're taller and take up more room. If anything, wearing makeup balances things out a bit.

Yep, I wear light makeup - foundation and mascara, most days. If I have an imports meeting or similar I stretch to lipstick, which definitely helps me look and feel more put together.

My office has plenty of senior women, most of whom take a similar approach. It's the kind if makeup that doesn't make you look made up, but better than if you hadn't put any on.

What looks very unprofessional, IMO, is heavy full makeup. Someone with eyelash extensions, neanderthal eyebrows, orange cheeks and puffy lips would have to really wow me at interview to overcome the questionable judgement in the presentation.

but.. but... glass celling!

I wear less as I get older. Even though I quite often look rough as.

I think it depends what people are used to. If I went in without makeup tomorrow, people would say I looked ill. If they were used to me not wearing it, they wouldn't notice.

If only a bit of makeup balanced 'things' all out!

This

i find full make-up tacky and aging. it always makes me wonder why they are insecure.
equally men need to be somewhat groomed, no flaky dry faces or dandruff off the brows and good nails (short clean and moisturized not dry and cracked).
personally, i find good dental care, healthy looking teeth and gums important much more so than make-up.