Bharti Taneja
Earlier round-the-clock performance was like an impossible dream. But, today it is most women’s claim to fame. For the working class, time is money and dressing for success is inevitable. This does not just include choosing the right outfits or accessories, but also personal grooming and makeup.
Women today strive to balance home, family, work and social obligations, with equal aplomb. And what they can’t miss out on is their own look at home or work.
Frequent travel and power point presentations might leave them tired, but their professional appearance always has to match their personal achievements. The business attire cannot be distractingly sexy, drab, or colourful. One must also keep some simple yet important grooming tips in mind while indulging in regular business meets or frequent corporate traveling-
• Avoid using too much perfume or oils. Scents can trigger asthma or overpower a conversation in a room. At the same time, do not smell of smoke.
• While making that sales pitch, make sure your hands look pretty. Avoid wearing too much jewellery.
• Your hairstyle should be neat and conservative. Make sure it is easily manageable while traveling as well.
• Keep your makeup minimal and appropriate during the daytime.
Caring about how you look and paying attention to details demonstrates that you are serious about your work as well needs of co-workers and clients alike.
Too much travel can take a toll on anyone. To avoid such hassle, it is always important to pencil in your travel dates and stay ready, much ahead of time.
One challenge of travel is how to pack light? If you are going to more than one destination with varied temperatures, do not pack multiple outfits. Deal with temperature variations with layering. Always plan a capsule wardrobe, which includes a silk shirt, cashmere sweaters, tights or leggings, pashmina scarves or stoles. Make sure you carry at least one camisole or tank top. Try and keep items that are lightweight and washable.
Before coming to your makeup, here are a few suggestions to plan your wardrobe properly-
1. Research your destination. Check your itinerary to see how many formal and casual sets of clothing would you need.
2. Plan your colours depending on the place and your schedule. Pick neutral colours and white, cream, black.
3. Mix and match items to plan your wardrobe.
4. First pack basic items like bras, underwear, half-slip, tops, bottoms, and shoes and then add extra items like a dress, another sweater or top.
5. Once you are back, review what you used and what you didn’t to help better planning for the next time.
You can consider the following makeup techniques to create your vanity box.
1. Limit your makeup palette- Once you know your wardrobe colours, you can easily toss out lipsticks and eye shadows that don’t match.
2. Double-use products- Carry a moisturizer with a sunscreen, four in one pencil and combination blusher/lip gloss.
3. Decant everything into small bottles or tubes- Make use of small jars or lens cases to store liquids or cleansing solutions. Do not carry big bottles as it adds unnecessary weight.
4. Take miniature brushes and tools- Invest in a set of travel makeup tools like mini eyelash curler and other brushes.
5. Carry makeup removal pads.
6. Minimize electronics like hair dryer or straightening iron.
I bring to you a checklist detailing everything you must carry depending on your needs. If possible, store these items in a different drawer at home so it is easy to pack them at once.
An Ultimate travel check list-
• Hair colour
• Hair fiber
• Hair mousse
• Sunglasses and spectacles
• Slippers
• Socks
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Beauty Grains
• Soap
• Tissues
• Wet Tissues
• Moisturiser
• Cream AHA
• Shampoo
• Under garments
• Night Suit
• Shoes
• Jewellery
• Purse
• Safety pins
• Towels
• Charger
• Rusk
• Tea and tea bags
• Spoon
• Needle
• Thread
• Filer
• Nail Paint
• Scissors
• Gel
• Hair Spray
• Tail Comb
• Cottom
• Medicines
• Lens and solution
• Snacks
Make sure you shampoo your hair before taking off. Carry a dry shampoo in case you feel you won’t get time to wash them on the trip. Perfumes are a must to be well scented. A hand sanitizer in the bag and foot spray to prevent foot must feature in your pouch. Mouth fresheners, toothpicks, ear buds to maintain the highest levels of hygiene is crucial.
We all need a quick touch-up after a long train or flight journey, Carry the lipstick and eye shadow matching that day’s outfit in your bag. Cold eye pads or cold teabags will help rid puffiness from the eyes. Instead of watching television on a long flight, it is better to sleep. Do some exercises on board to not have a stiff back at the end of travel. Carry a change of dress, deodorant, safety pins etc. for emergency.
For an avid corporate woman traveller, it is best to always stay ready for immediate meetings in and out of town or country. A few handy tips to stay ready would consist of going for facials regularly. Haircut, permanent straightening or curling could set your hair and make them manageable.
To save time, you could also explore a permanent method of applying makeup on the face using FDI approved pigments that are inserted deep into the skin. Permanent makeup is applied in the form of lip colour, eyeliner, eyebrow and even a beauty spot to define and enhance a person’s appearance, reducing the time and money spent on daily beauty preparations and to look beautiful for years together.
For all the women who face unique challenges balancing life at home and on the road can consider this a corporate boot camp to ease their hectic schedules with effective makeup and styling tips.
(The author is the Director of ALPS Clinic and Academy)