WHAT’S YOUR MAKEUP I.Q.

True or False

1. Brownish looking lipsticks look good on most everyone.

2. If you can find just one lipstick that looks great on you, you can wear it with everything.

3. Wearing a blue-red lipstick, coral-red nail polish and brownish blush is fine because in the new Millennium anything goes.

4. It’s an “old fashion” notion that you should wear a red lipstick that matches your red suit, top or dress.

5. If you feel you are looking washed-out, wearing a bright bold lipstick can solve the problem.

6. As a woman gets “older”, she should wear less makeup.

7. Your eye brow pencil should match your hair color.

8. Using a lip pencil that is a touch browner than your lipstick is a fashionable look.

9. A sheer, colorless lip gloss is all a woman needs when she’s dressed-down.

10. Makeup artists are trained to know what makeup colors are best for you.

Answers to What’s Your Makeup I.Q.

1. False.  The brownish lip colors came in as a fad and have stayed around for several years now but that doesn’t mean they look good on most women.  They actually look very bad on most women because they gray and muddy the skin and can literally make you look drab and older instead of contemporary and chic.

2. False, unless all of the clothes you wear also look great with this lipstick.

3. False, unless you’re style is funky or eccentric.  It is always stylish and elegant to match your lipstick, polish and blush.  Each could be a little lighter or darker than the other, but closely matching the shade is important.

4. It may be an idea that has been around for “ever” but it is still, by far, the best look you can get.  If you are wearing a raspberry jacket, for example, your lip, blush and nail color (if you are wearing one) should be the same shade of raspberry.  The same goes for red, coral, fuchsia, plum, the pinky oranges and all shades that fall in between. 

5. Maybe, but depending on your coloring, this lipstick could make the problem worse.  Read “Dressing Smart in the New Millennium” to find your very best clarity (brightness) for lipsticks, blush, polish and clothing.

6. Maybe, maybe not.  First, we need to know how much makeup she has been wearing.  Classy women of every age don’t want to look overly made-up but neither do they want to appear washed-out.  The “occasion” needs to be considered, of course, but often “older” women need more (but not heavier) makeup applied with a skilled hand.

7. Usually, but not always.  If your eyebrows are the same color as your hair, it’s perfect to have a pencil that matches.  If your brows are a different color than your hair, let’s say that you are coloring your hair to a medium auburn shade and your natural brow color is a medium brown, the look may be great on you.  But if your brows are a dark brown, for example, you may want to bring your brow color closer to your hair color by blending in a few strokes with a hair color pencil (to extend the brow, you will need to use both a dark brown pencil and the hair color pencil).  Generally speaking, your brow color can be the same, a touch lighter, or a touch darker than your hair color.

8. It may be/have been “fashionable” but it is very aging, generally unbecoming and can cause the skin around your mouth to look gray or muddy, calling attention to any lines, even the fine ones.

9. False for at least 50% of women.  If your coloring is strong and gutsy looking, lip color becomes so important if you want to look radiant.  Check this site to find out more about your “coloring” and why it is so important if you want to look great everyday.  For all of you, regardless of your coloring, when going to work on dress-down days, please strive for a well-pulled together look which includes wearing makeup.  Doing otherwise could prove to not be a wise investment in your future.

10. False. The vast majority of makeup artists are only trained in technique and they are trained to sell the latest look in color.  This look it very possibly not your best.