I have an interview for an important corporate position next week and I want to make the best impression I can. Is there such a thing as "interview makeup"?

Absolutely. The face you show to your prospective employer is of paramount importance. You want to present an outward show of reliability, strength, competence and professionalism to support your written resume. Good grooming and appropriate makeup will help translate this message. Here are a few tips:

• Don't apply your makeup in a hurry. Give yourself an extra few minutes to blend, especially foundation and blush.
• Use tweezers. Take a glance at a magnifying mirror for errant eyebrow hair, or the ever-pesky chin hair.
• We all know the importance of maintaining good eye contact during an interview; so don't go overboard with eye makeup. Remember, the goal here is to translate a serious sense of capability and competency, not cabaret. Stick with muted tones of brown, taupe or gray.
• The same goes for mascara. Comb through those lashes after you've applied mascara; clumping is ugly; especially heinous at an interview.
• Don't wear lip gloss to an interview. Keep the lips semi-matte and muted; a neutral pink or berry tone is pretty and appropriate.
• Don't use makeup that contains shimmer, sparkle or glitter. (Did I have to say that?)
• Keep blush natural-looking; a soft pink hue will work well.
• Because of the stressful nature of an interview, you might perspire a bit more than usual. It's a perfectly natural response. So be prepared with blotting tissues to use before the interview, or take Kleenex to blot, and a good translucent powder to apply over that.
• Arrive a few minutes early to touch up in the restroom or a nearby cafe, to check for perspiration, lipstick on the teeth, crumbs around the mouth, and (I'll say this as delicately as I can) anything around your nose.
• Lastly, fluorescent lighting can wreak havoc with makeup, especially so with green and orange tones. To combat the effect, colors in the pink and rose families are the most flattering.

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