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

Looking professional for me means wearing smart ironed clothes and having brushed hair (the same as men). No one cares who is or isn’t wearing makeup in my job.

Oh man this makes me SO cross.

PSA: a woman does NOT need to wear make up to look more professional, in the same way that a man does not!

Why does my natural face, simply by virtue of being female, look less professional than a man’s? And if you think well, it’s just our culture isn’t it, I would ask therefore why should that be the case?! Why should we allow this to continue?! It’s archaic sexist tripe and I won’t have any of it.

I’m a lawyer. I never wear makeup for work. I didn’t even wear makeup for the interview several years ago now. I couldn’t give a damn how ugly my face is, the quality of my work is beautiful enough!

I’ve worked in academia and now
in a tech company and regardless if I’m WFH or in the office or in a lab on my own I’ve always worn some make up. For me it takes about 2 mins in the morning and consists of a tinted moisturiser spf 50, blush, eyeliner (if I’ve got evening plans) and mascara and that’s it

I’ve worked with countless women that don’t wear make up, and probably and my current workplace maybe >50% don’t wear make up to the office. I look about 12 in general so wearing make up helps me look a bit older which I aim for to avoid the subconscious bias of others in assuming I’m less capable or knowledge than my actual years of experience. In my case wearing some make up I feel more likely to make myself visible, speak up, and put myself forward that I would do otherwise. Yes that’s sexist but I have never in a thousand years even considered whether my other colleges are or aren’t wearing make up, nor would I treat them differently.

I do feel that it’s likely that people that have dealt with acne, rosacea, other skin conditions may feel differently about this question. Personally I grew up with skin issues, which are now resolved but wearing make up stops me rubbing/itching/skin picking my face and eyes so it is net positive for me.

What I really don't like on these kind of threads is the moral superiority some women have about not wearing make up.

Was about to comment the same.

I don’t wear foundation but I do spend a decent amount on skincare that I think helps my skin to feel and look decent.

I use under eye concealer, mascara and blusher. I only wear lipstick if I’m speaking to a large audience.

I always have shellac nails.

Just about back to pre-covid levels of heel wearing!

I don’t wear make up. This is my face and like it or lump it basically!

Not bothered if people do want to wear it though, men or women. That’s their choice.

Make is is just to mask insecurities
Has nothing to do with looking professional.

When I was younger none of my friends or colleagues wore much foundation duing the day but it was the 80s so it was eye shadow-a-go-go and half a ton of blusher.

I've never got on with foundation and still don't. I wear a lot of mascara and a slick of vaseline on my lips an that's it. Going out I just wear more mascara 😁

I wince when I watch make up "tutorials" - all that rubbing and stretching the skin. I can't believe it will do any good in the long run. And [most] young skin simply doesn't need it.

I wear make up every day and am in a professional job. I wear tinted moisturisers or a good primer, with concealer, loose powder or bronzer and a bit of blusher. Very occasionally lipstick. I have been wearing makeup for work since my mid 30s which coincided with me looking more knackered and becoming more senior in my job. I literally NEVER notice if other senior people are wearing make up unless they are properly tricked out with all the various cosmetics.

I would agree with this point, but I would add that ‘looking professional’ is all a facade really. Why does having an ironed shirt make someone more capable or professional than wearing a tee shirt or jogging bottoms? A lot of work rituals e.g. having a pulled together outfit in some settings give us confidence by conforming us to socially accepted norms.
Its just a shame that for woman that can also extend to make up and dyeing hair to mask insecurities in a way that may not apply to men (although having said that I do work with a man that wears make up).

In our office it is 70/30, with most not wearing noticable makeup. There is no correlation between makeup wearing and seniority/success. But it is IT/it project management/it management roles so although some of us work daily with senior stakeholders it is probably more focussed on expertise and ability to deliver than personal appearance. Which is just as well as we wouldnt win any beauty contents 🤣

No moral superiority from me @mynameiscalypso I just have a nice face and I’m lazy as fuck 😄

Thank you for all the replies, it's been very interesting. Good to see that consensus seems to be that it's not required, but is a good option to look less tired. I'm now thinking that probably quite a few people wear natural make up looks and I don't realise they have any on.

A few people mentioned wearing very light / natural looking make up, I do like the idea of maybe getting some to make me look more awake on days where I look particularly exhausted. It seems that some of you would wear it to interview even if not daily. Agree that interview should assess quality of work but also it's definitely true that you're more likely to get a job if you look better... Terrible, but I do want a job!

Absolutely not necessary to wear makeup to look professional.

But I wear it every day anyway. I have PCOS and its attendant poor skin, plus I’m very fair, so my eyes have no definition. I genuinely look ill and spotty without my five-minute routine - very light foundation which looks like natural skin; sweep of very natural coloured blush so I look less unalive; flick of eyeliner; and a bit of mascara. No lipstick as I think it looks best with either lips or eyes done, not both.

It’s a confidence thing really, and entirely my choice. If I had a hint any of my peers or I were being judged for our makeup choices I would be creating a very big stink. Thankfully, where I work, appearance is the last thing anyone is concerned with.

I’m a teacher so a bit professional and I have worn make up twice in the last 5 years - once as a bridesmaid and once for my sister’s wedding. So for me, make up is for when I’m partying not being professional!

I used to wear make up for client meetings in a previous job. But I was 23ish and looked a few years younger than that unless wearing make up. In teaching I kept it up for interviews / parents evening for a while, but that was before I had confidence in my ability to teach. These days I often forget to brush my hair but nobody seems to care.

Nope. I never wear it and am a professional.

I wouldn't say it's necessary
I do wear full makeup for work, only because that's how I started and if I went in without it my boss would presume I was in need of intervention or deathly unwell (very very pale..)

Some people just don't wear it. I don't think my sil has ever worn makeup in her life. Can she still look professional? Of course.

As a makeup fan, I can't imagine going to work or out socially without it as I feel I would look bloody awful. But that says more about me than what I look like to others.

My rule of thumb for most career things is,

are the guys doing this?

If yes, I do that too (eg networking, negotiating, managing up, avoiding adminstrative tasks unless essential).

If not, I don't bother (eg make-up, high shoes, involving myself in office drama, cleaning up after meetings, fundraisers)

I wear mascara because I like it though

Im mid 30's, I work for one of the big 4 accounting firms. I dont wear make up when WFH, when using teams i have the face smoother filter on. I rarely wear make up at weekends unless out for dinner etc. I would never not go to office without make up on. Not a full face but enough to make me look a bit fresher. I really think for interview you would want a bit of make up to look more polished. No one in my office arrives caked in make up but i cant think of anyone who is completely bare faced. Even a bit of tinted moisturiser would make a world of difference.

Make up is absolutely not needed to look professional. I am in a senior role in financial services and I would say most of my female colleges appear to wear very little if any at all. I do always wear it for work (and almost never outside work) as despite being in my mid-40s I still get a lot of spots.

Interestingly about 5 years ago I made the decision not to hide the greys and started experimenting with lipstick. I definitely get treated differently at work, by both colleagues and clients, when I wear bold, particularly red, lipstick. It implies confidence and people react differently to people they perceive as confident. Perhaps red lipstick is the female equivalent of ‘manspreading’…

I don't think makeup makes someone appear more professional. I don't even notice it on anyone else unless there is something that really stands out, like those huge thick eyebrows. But even then I don't really care.

I always wear makeup, though. It's part of my routine, like putting on a uniform. I look pale, blotchy and ill without it. A full-face for me these days is tinted moisturiser, mascara, eyeshadow, and a bit of lipgloss that lasts for 3 minutes. Takes minutes.

I think some of the women at my work who wear no or minimal makeup look more professional than those with a full face, heavy eye makeup and oversized false lashes. Don’t even get me started on the ridiculous tattooed on brows (I know they can be subtle and well done but the ones on a particular coworker of mine are not).

For me it depends on what my skin is like. If I have some spots or blemishes I’ll use concealer and foundation. Other days I can go without. Most days I’ll fill in my brows with a pencil as it’s super quick and makes a huge difference.

Oh and no moral superiority from me. Whether I make up or not (on clear skin days) is mostly down to what time I manage to crawl out of bed 😁