In honour of Lipstick day last week, I hosted a lipstick day at the office and had all the beautiful women I work with wear the lipstick they feel most powerful in. We took cute photos and discussed female confidence and how we all felt with wearing our favourite lipstick shade. (Photos are at the end of the page!)
I wanted to use this day as an opportunity to talk about Lipstick psychology and lipstick at the office!
Yes, wearing lipstick can be a pain. All of the meticulous applying and reapplying. But when it comes down to it, stepping out in a bright shade of lipstick is 100 percent worth the minor trouble. What’s a little cosmetic upkeep when you reap such psychological benefits?
Trust me, it’s not about looking good for other people — there are plenty of reasons why wearing lipstick can make you feel great.
Lipstick can give you a boost in the most adverse situations. When wearing lipstick, you’ll appear more competent in a professional setting…
Anecdotally, I can certainly say that I get a jolt of confidence each time I slick on a bright lippie, but that self-assurance is not just in my head. In a 2011 study by researchers from Harvard and Boston University found that women felt more confident while wearing makeup, which included lipstick. What’s more, they found that people wearing colour cosmetics were perceived as more competent and reliable. There are times when you want to give a powerful ‘I’m in charge here’ kind of impression, and women shouldn’t be afraid to do that.
The reason I am advocating that you wear lipstick to work is because it has been scientifically proven to help women get the attention of others during . I was reading into the Psychology to Lipstick and learn that if you wear lipstick to work, specifically to meetings or during any sort of discussions or negotiations, the people in the room are more likely to give you their attention. It has something to do with your mouth being highlighted by the lipstick so that it draws attention to you and to the value of your words. Pretty interesting I thought!
But we’re really wearing lipstick for ourselves.
The most important part of wearing lipstick, however, is how you feel when you wear it. It’s more about having a signature and feeling comfortable and identifiable than an aesthetic choice. When you pick a shade that you feel great in, it can become what differentiates you from your peers — it can help you find what makes you you.
Sure, it might seem vain, but sometimes a little vanity can help us find self-worth. And that’s OK.
Do you wear lipstick to work? How do you feel confidence-wise when you wear it? Do you notice that more people pay attention to what you say when wearing it? Has this article inspired you to wear bright lipstick more often? Maybe you think this isn’t true or doesn’t work?
Every time you wear your lipstick, repeat:
“I love HER the woman in the mirror.”
Inspired yet?