By Makeup that Works for Work
During a long shift, makeup has a funny way of disappearing, and who has time for touch-ups? Here, some quick fixes.
Bear in mind that mineral powder has more staying power than cream or liquid foundations. (This is particularly true if you work up a sweat running from patient to patient, or if you work in a warm environment, like an NICU.) Nurse Watson loves Colorescience’s Suncanny Foundation Brush, a small tube of powder with a retractable brush. “It’s water-resistant, so it stays on all day, and you can apply it really fast.” Choose the shade that’s closest to your skin color and doesn’t have orangey undertones, which makes skin look sallow under fluorescent light. Likewise, avoid very pink blush, which appears exaggerated under fluorescents. If you have oily skin, toss a pack of blotting papers in your makeup bag. “In seconds, you take the shine off, but the powder stays on,” says Nurse Haney.
Maureen Burke, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist, recommends waterproof mascara: “It’s not going to budge, even through a 12-hour shift.” Another option, from Sydney Lipsky, a labor and delivery nurse in Santa Barbara, Calif., who is blonde and has fair eyelashes: “Twenty years ago, I started having my eyelashes tinted every three weeks so I don’t have to worry about mascara.” A number of nurses we spoke to recommend waterproof eyeliner, or any product that promises to stay put, like Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner.
Lip color is probably your best ammunition against fluorescent lights and long days. But bright red lipstick isn’t an option, as it is out of place in a hospital, and “it will leave a telltale ring around your mouth when it wears off,” says makeup artist Burke. Nurse Lipsky likes M•A•C’s Pro Longwear Lipcolour, which has both stain and gloss in one tube. “The stain colors lips for the day, so all you have to do is touch it up with gloss,” she says. Or opt for a good hydrating gloss (like the Balm Plump Your Pucker) in a subtle color. “I keep lip gloss in my equipment pack, right next to the trauma shears,” says Nurse Watson.
RX for Raccoon Eyes
A lot of nurses are sleep deprived and have the dark circles to prove it. And even if you’re getting enough z’s, fluorescent lights can emphasize any under-eye darkness. Concealer to the rescue! Makeup artist Burke likes Shu Uemura’s double-sided Cover Crayon, which has light and dark ends. “You can mix the two to get the perfect shade, and you can slip it into your pocket for easy touch-ups during the day.”
Tame Your Tresses
Few jobs put hair through as many ups and downs—literally!—as nursing. But as much as a brutally physical day at work may make you feel the need to wash your hair daily, resist the urge. “Nurses often shampoo too much, and that’s drying,” says Barbara Lhotan, a stylist at ElieElie Salon in Winchester, Va., who counts several nurses as clients. “Instead, alternate just rinsing out perspiration with washing.” Use conditioner sparingly. Avoid the scalp and roots, and use it primarily on the ends. That’ll help keep hair from getting too oily and looking flat under fluorescents.
A lot of nurses wear low ponytails, which look pretty and professional as long as there aren’t wisps flying everywhere. To keep stray strands in place, use barrettes, but soften damage potential by wrapping their bottom bars with surgical tape. (Note: “Be careful not to wear metal hair-holders or bobby pins in the MRI suite,” says Nurse Kelly. “I learned that the hard way.”) Another option from Nurse Haney: Go for a headband. (Check out hairboutique.com—the website has 63 pages of headbands.)
There’s no “best” haircut for nurses, but there are some practical considerations. For instance, if you wear a surgical cap and have short hair, ask your stylist to cut your hair either above the cap’s edge or at least two inches below so it doesn’t flip up. If you want to avoid the flat “hat hair” after hours of wearing a surgical cap, a layered look may be the answer. Nurse Sapp said she finally settled on a shoulder cut with good layering in the back “so my hair comes out of the hat looking fresh and full. At the end of the day, I spray on a little of Bumble and bumble’s Tonic Lotion to revive it.” Nurse Lipsky, who has wavy hair, avoids hat hair by rubbing a little Aveda Be Curly on her locks as soon as she removes her surgical cap. “I carry a little one in my purse,” she says. “My colleagues and friends tease me, but I really want to not just take care of my patients, but to take care of myself, too.”
Hair to Dye For
Fluorescent lights—again! With their greenish cast, they can be the bane of beautiful hair. “But the right color can counteract the deadening effect,” says Larry Dunlap, a stylist for more than 30 years in Raleigh, N.C. “If you’re brunette, choose a warm red-gold tone to liven up your color. If you typically go blonde, choose a shade with beige-gold undertones.”
Should you splurge and go to a pro, consider semi-permanent hair color, which lasts about three months before fading. You can still see the variations in the original hair color, which gives the appearance of highlights without their high price.
