Professional Dressing- Grooming Basics

The second post in the series Professional Dressing, you can read the first one- Rules to follow or break here

Apart from dressing up well, certain steps of basic grooming are as important in creating a positive Professional Image. You may dress up well but if your hair is not done well or your nail paint is chipped, the efforts made by you in dressing up will go down the drain. If a great dress gives you style, the finer details of grooming give you all the elegance.

To present yourself at your best, these tips will certainly help you-

• Keep your hair well groomed and trim or touch-up colour as and when required. Make sure they are not overly oily or fizzy. Use the correct hair care products as per your hair and scalp type.  
• If your hair are chemically treated (re-bonded, colored, smoothened etc.), use professional hair care products based on the treatment you've undergone.
• Take good care of your skin. Cleanse, Tone and Moisturize well. Use products according to your skin type. 
• Maintaining a good dental hygiene is equally important. Make sure your breath is always fresh. Keep mints handy all the time specially before an important meeting.
• A light natural make up is acceptable for all kinds of workplace. Infact, a natural makeup can make you look more refined than going without make up. You may go a little dramatic if you work in a creative field but maintain the subtlety. Will talk about the Natural makeup look very soon. 
• Keep your lips moisturized and presentable as the first thing people notice about you is your smile and dry and chapped lips don't do justice to it.
• Once in while, red lips and/or nails are acceptable when you need to pep up a seemingly boring outfit or  just to lift up your spirits.
• Keep your hand moisturized and presentable. Believe it or not, hands are most visible part of your body after the face.
• Go for regular manicure and pedicure. For the hands, French Manicure looks subtle, neat and classy. It shows how much attention you pay to finer details. Keep your nails short or of medium length.
• If you like painting your toenails and/or finger nails, make sure the paint is not chipped. If it is, remove the paint and apply a new one. If you like wearing nail paint, wear it well or don't wear at all. Gel nail paints are low-maintenance paints. You put them on and they stay as is for nearly 15-20 days. 
• If you like to go bare nail, make sure your nails are thoroughly clean at all times and there is no dirt and gunk under your nail.
• Keep your heels smooth and moisturized specially if you wear open shoes.
• Get rid of unwanted body hair specially from the arms, hands, underarms (even if you don't wear sleeveless or wear a jacket over it) legs (more so if you wear skirts, even with a pantyhose). Nothing is more unsightly than tufts of visible hair.  Also, it is more hygienic. 
• Wear a deodorant or perfume with a pleasant and not very strong fragrance and something which goes with your personality.

Well Groomed person can make others feel that how well she takes care of herself/himself and is how detail oriented she/he is. All these are even more important during an interview, where you meet your prospective employers for the first time and as they always say "You have only one chance to make a First Impression".

What is the most integral part of your grooming routine when you dress up for work? Do leave a comment and share with us.

Signing off