Look Book: Wear To Work Purples

Look Book: Wear To Work Purples

When many people think of makeup artists, they think of all of the glamour of photo shoots and everything that comes along with them, and sure that’s a major part of makeup artistry but one of my favorites is working one on one with clients and helping them build the skills they need to look and feel at their beautiful best every day.  One of the most common questions I receive is how can I wear makeup to work without looking overdone?  So today, we’re doing a Wear to Work Look in Purples.

look book wear to work Purples
look book wear to work Purples

In preparation to putting my face on, so to speak, I always prepare it by cleaning, toning and moisturizing because a flawless face starts with flawless skin.  Then, I apply my primer (the NARS face primer has been a long time favorite) to ensure my makeup goes on smooth and lasts all day.

Since this look is for work, I’m assuming your day starts first thing in the morning, which means there is plenty of natural light out.  That considered, it’s a very light look since we don’t want to look overly done or have a heavy face.  At the same time, it’s completely buildable should you want to transition it into the evening without going home.  We are using neutrals in pinks, plums, and purples on our eyes, cheeks and lips.

I start with the eyebrows, filling them in to frame not only my eyes but also my face.  I used Anastasia’s Perfect Brow Pencil is Brunette, starting from the inner corners and working my way out in light-handed short strokes, to mimic the growth of my hair.  I then prime my eyes with Lancome’s Aquatique, applying it with my finger from lash line to brow.  And since I don’t want a heavy, overloaded face for my day at the office I’m skipping the foundation and only applying concealer where I need it – under my eyes and on any blemishes or dark areas.  I use Bobbi Brown’s corrector under my eyes first to neutralize the darkness, and then go right over it with her Creamy Concealer to brighten that area.  For spots like around my nose and upper lip, I switch to the Bobbi Brown Face Touch Up Stick, and blend with my finger.  I top everything off with the Sheer Finish Pressed Powder (again, Bobbi Brown) with my MAC 109 brush, using small circular motions (as if applying a mineral foundation) to keep everything in place and to even out my skin tone without using foundation.

Since my eyes are going to be the focus, I do them before my cheeks or lips so in the end my look is completely balanced.  Since I already applied primer and powder, I went straight for my MAC shadows and applied Gleam to the inner two thirds of my eyes.  I did this first because it was the lightest of the three I chose, and I always like to work light to dark since it’s easier to darken a light color than it is to lighten a dark color.  I also used Gleam as my highlight, since I wanted cohesion and it was light enough.  On the outer one third of my eye I applied Sable, then at the very outer corner put a dash of Satin Taupe using my MAC 217 brush.  I got rid of any harsh lines by blending, then went for my eyeliner.  Black can be quite dramatic, so I like to keep it for evening occasions but still wanted something on my eyes.  Since I was going for a neutral plum and purple look, I got my Glideliner by Xtreme Lashes in Plum and applied that to my upper lid and lower lash line.  It gave me just the right amount of color without making my eyes look overly dramatic.  The only thing left for my eyes was mascara, so I applied Lancome’s Cils Booster XL (my absolute favorite mascara primer and my best kept secret for longer and fuller lashes) then topped it off with CoverGirl’s LashBlast Fusion in Very Black.

Again, I just wanted to focus on one feature (which was my eyes, today) so I left the cheeks and lips very simple.  On the apples of my cheeks, I applied a light coat of MAC’s Powder Blush in Margin and blended it in thoroughly to get rid of any lines of demarcation.  Then, on the lips I used LipFusion XL (my favorite lip plumper that I have come across to date) and for a bit of color used Urban Decay’s Ultraglide Lip Gloss in Deep.

A quick check in the mirror, and I was done and ready to start the day!

This article was written by Natasha Kohli, makeup artist and editor of TheCosView.com . Natasha’s philosophy on beauty is to find and then do what makes you feel good and feel gorgeous no matter what it may be, because that’s what this is all about.

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37 thoughts on “Look Book: Wear To Work Purples

  1. Oh my! you look so pretty and your hairdo looks great! :hypnotized: :silly: :hypnotized: ……..

    I’m crazy about purples, but cant wear them to classes, n your look is kinda toned down so I’m definitely gonna try this, thanks :-))

    1. Hi LP, thanks very much. 🙂 Any color can be worn with ease, so long as you tone it down. So glad you liked it enough and we’d love to see how it looks on you!

    1. That’s exactly what I wanted for a wear-to-work look. So glad you like it, Jas!

      By the way, is Jas short for something? I’ve always had a strong love for the name Jasmine.

    1. Hi Vinitha, thanks very much! What is stopping you from wearing shadows and trying to make this look your own? Rati has some great tutorials on applying shadow and other eye makeup.

      I would say start with a few basic neutrals (but you can see here that neutrals don’t always have to be brown), and some good brushes (MAC has some of my favorites) and play around. Practice makes perfect, and often times simple looks are the most elegant and beautiful.

      And of course, let me or Rati know what we can do to help!

  2. ohh natasha.. tht was ur pic. i thought sum model 😉 .. u luk beautifulllll :beauty: …. n ur eye makeup luking fantastic :lashes: .. i just luv ur eyebrows tooo..overall superb.. :-)) :yes:

      1. Thanks, Smita! Looks like Rati answered your question, and actually Max Factor is getting wiped off the shelves in the US if it hasn’t been completely done already. Glad you gals still have access to it!

    1. Hi Nids, thanks so much. 🙂 I actually forgot to mention that I first use the Anastasia pencil then for even more definition I apply MAC’s Brow Tech (discontinued). Anastasia also has a brow powder that I’ve had my eye on ever since I realized the Brow Tech has been discontinued.

      But at least, try the pencil. It does wonders for my sparse brows.

      1. Anastasia -never heard of this brand natasha.. i’m sure its not available here,in india.. or is it? i wud luv to buy its brow pencil if u say tht u r using it here in ur pic… :-))

        1. They’re known for their brow products: http://www.anastasia.net/

          Actually, what I was explaining was I use it as my base. It has a waxy texture, so it really holds all day and fills in the brows without making them look too heavy. But, it looks so natural that it’s not quite defining enough for the look I like (shown in the photo), so what I do is I take an angled pencil and fill in a bit with a powder. In the photo I used MAC’s Brow Tech, but it’s discontinued. I just put an order in for the Anastasia brow powder and will let you know how that is!

          It looks like they ship internationally, but they don’t list the countries they ship to.

          Hope that helps!

    1. Hi Bhumika, I think that’s exactly how women should wear their makeup during the day, whether to the office or wherever they’re headed. So glad you liked it 🙂

  3. Wow………………this lady is one of the most beautiful ladies I have seen. :-)) ……………………and there is just a hint of purple………….no gaudiness………….very wearable…… :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

    1. Jomol, thank you for such a generous comment. 🙂

      Exactly, with bold colors I like to show just a hint of it so the look is fun, but just like you said it’s wearable during the day. I hope you’ll be able to try it out soon!

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