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A Note on Graduation Makeup

Graduation

Graduation Day seems like years ago. Probably because it was years ago. Three years to be exact. Madness. With hindsight on my side I thought with the big day in the diary over the next few months for some of you, that I would share some pointers on things I look back at the photos and think ‘gurl, good decision‘ and others that make me shake my head. The first few are applicable to prom too, so future alumni and prom attendees listen up…

Go Natural or Go Home. And by natural I mean ‘not differing dramatically from your usual look’. If you normally wear a red lippie then slap it on, but if you’re more au naturel then just stick to the basics that you usually use. My only other tip makeup-wise would be to apply a little more powder than you usually do. It’s a long day and it will hold everything in place and stop things looking a tad too greasy in the official photos.

To-do List Ticked. If you’ve been wanting a hair cut for yonks. Do it. If you’ve been meaning to get a spray tan for yonks. Do it. If you’d love to give your eyebrows some professional attention (speaking from personal experience here) – then do it. I’m not saying that all the aforementioned need to be ticked off before you get up on stage, but just if there’s a beauty related task that’s been niggling you then make sure it’s seen to. My brows would be looking a lot less angry and angular had I fully got my to-do list ticked off.

‘Dem Nails. The picture of you holding a fake scroll will ultimately be the one that ends up on the mantlepieces of every single family member and is really the ‘mile-stone’ picture; so make it a good’un. Being a new beauty blogger at the time, my beauty choices for the day were long pondered before and one good decision I made was in regards to my nail colour, that if you think about it, plays a pretty big role in that scroll photo. I went for something simple and not too ‘in yer face’ – Essie Topless and Barefoot. I still love it and look back on it with fond graduation memories. It’s probably not the day to whip out your leopard print nail wraps.

Clothing conundrums. For gown fixing-on purposes we were instructed to wear a shirt with skirt or trousers so we had a button hole to loop the gown onto, however most of us ended up in dresses with a safety pin get-up underneath. I seem to remember my Dad saying that is was less of a Graduation ceremony and more of a fashion show. But with a course that was 97% girls, that was inevitable. Pencil skirts are having way more of a moment now than they were three years ago, so a safe bet is to go for that. But if you want to be a rebel just make sure you have a handful of safety pins tucked away somewhere. Also be wary of up-dos or plaits as they will ultimately get squished under your jaunty hat.

But really Graduation is about getting through the ceremony without tripping up on stage or pulling a strained smile as your parents snap their 634th photo of you of that day. Good luck! 

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