Tag Archives: makeup

jobseekers: hiring managers judge a book by its cover!

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I recently had a conversation in which I was discussing my 10+ years of experience in human resources management. It’s not something I talk about often these days, but it’s definitely a huge part of my life and career experience. During this conversation, the other person asked me, “what’s something that HR managers/hiring managers don’t want people to know?” Honestly, I can think of a few things that are considered to be on a “need to know” basis when it comes to recruiting and hiring, but thinking along the lines of my particular focus, what jumped to mind is this: they’re judging you. Not just your experience – YOU.

Optimally, and on the record, hiring decisions will be made on tangibles such as your resume and skill set. By the time you make it to the interview, though, you can pretty much presume that those things pass muster, especially if you’ve been pre-screened by phone. When you’re sitting in that interviewee seat, you are being judged on not only your experience and responses to the questions asked, but also how you look and speak – your overall presentation. In fact, you are being judged on those things from the time you walk through the door. Don’t underestimate the impressions you make on the receptionist or other staff members you may encounter prior to the actual interview. You never know how much input someone has. Put your best foot forward with everyone you see.

One buzzword that a lot of companies use is “fit.” They’re looking for someone who “fits” with their staff and company culture. I’m not necessarily a fan of this because finding the right “fit” can often translate to biased hiring; however, you will be judged on how well the interviewer thinks you will fit in with the company.

My point here is: don’t underestimate the importance of your presentation – both visual and verbal. Your manners, personality and conversation skills also come into play.

Bonus secret: sometimes people are brought in because the company requires that a certain number of people be interviewed for each position. Don’t rest on the quality of your resume to seal the deal. Of course your resume is important, especially these days when the candidate pools are so large, but once you get your foot in the door, make sure your shoe is polished – literally and figuratively! Stand out among the rest. Remember, you’re being judged.

Need help polishing your image and presentation skills for your job search? Contact me at tamara@msrasberryinc.com or 202.681.8598.

YOU are your brand. Represent!

need a style update? ask yourself these 5 questions.

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One question that I am often asked is “How do I know if I need an image consultant?” I would venture to say that most people know, even if they don’t want to admit that they know. If you’re considering it, you probably need one. If you’ve ever seen one of those shows such as “What Not to Wear” or “How Do I Look?” you would probably agree with me that most of those people have to know on some level that their look is not working, be it for their personal life, professional life, or both.

When I work with clients I always ask “what is your current style saying about you?” Then I ask “what do you want your style to say about you?” This is important because often times the two aren’t in alignment. When they aren’t, that is when you should hire an image consultant!

Here are some other questions that you will want to ask yourself when determining whether or not to engage someone to help you up your style (and branding) quotient.

Have you been wearing the same clothes/makeup/hairstyle for 10+ years without regard to any changes in career or lifestyle? As our lives change, so should our style. Not at the core, but certain key elements that will keep you looking fresh and focused.

Has it been a VERY long time since anyone has complimented you? Longer than you’d care to admit? :( I don’t suggest that you dress to impress others. Dress to impress yourself. When you feel good about your image, it comes across to other people.

Do you look in the mirror and remind yourself of one of your parents because your look is so outdated? Granted, some of us have quite stylish parents, but in general, you and your parents should not be wearing the same types of clothing. Dress age appropriately.

Does your personal style match the life that you want to live and how you wish to be perceived? This goes back to my motto, “YOU are your brand!” If you want to be viewed as the confident professional, the hip, stylish artist, the fun-loving parent, etc., the image that you present to others must match. We tend to be visual beings so the saying, “Image is everything” is well, everything.

If you are an entrepreneur, does your style match that of your business brand? By this I don’t mean that you should always dress in your logo colors. I mean do you present yourself so that people will think of you in the same manner in which you want them to think of your business? Consistency is the key to branding.

If you answered “YES” to any of the questions above, I can help you! Email me at tamara@msrasberryinc.com or call me at 202.681.8598.

YOU are your brand. Represent!

five free iPhone apps for image consultants

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I originally wrote this post for Appolicious in 2011. Since I’m seeing a lot of press for some of these apps lately, I thought this would be a good time to revisit.

As an image consultant, I help people develop their sense of personal style when it comes to makeup, wardrobe and overall presentation. I am very hands-on with my clients, but there are definitely a few iPhone apps that make my job easier and make it easier to convey certain ideas and images to my clients, whether or not I am with them. Here, I share with you five iPhone apps that I have found to be very useful. The best part is they’re FREE!

Instagram is a photography app that allows you to not only take photos but to apply a variety of filters to them (ex. making the photo appear brighter or in black & white.) This comes in handy particularly when taking post makeup application shots or headshots. You can also set the app to save the photos in your camera roll. It will save both the original and filter-applied versions.

Pinterest allows you to create virtual pin boards and “pin” various photos that you take. The best use of this app for an image consultant is to create inspirational vision boards using categories such as fashion, beauty, makeup, client recommendations, etc. Let me warn you, it can be addictive.

Makeup Simulator allows you to show your client what various makeup looks could look like on them. You can use a photo from your photo library or take one. The app then analyzes the face and you can apply foundation, blush, eyeliner, etc. The major downside is that the included foundation shades don’t offer much diversity, but you can create a custom shade so it’s not all bad.

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising allows you to keep up to date on fashion related news and trends. This app gives you access to news topics such as Fashion News & Events. My favorite feature is the blog section; which includes the ‘Fashion Club’ and a Student Video section. FIDM is a renowned school and they are offering quite a lot of interesting information via this app.

Evernote is a great app for business in general, but in particular for the busy image consultant it allows you to catalog notes, photos, websites etc. – anything that inspires you! You can save information for general use, reference and/or to share with clients.

What are some of your favorite apps for business?

the psychology of personal styling

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Way before I was a new media/image consultant, even before I was a cosmetologist or an HR professional, I wanted to be a psychologist. I’ve always been intrigued by human behavior and thought processes and though I didn’t make it to Ph.D status, I aced all of my college psychology courses.

Recently I realized that doing makeup and wardrobe consultations is like being a layperson psychologist (or at least a talk therapist.) I have to get inside of my clients’ heads, understand them and how they view themselves, then devise a workable and realistic plan for getting them from where they are to where they want to be. ‘Realistic’ is key because if my recommendations are too complicated, too overwhelming, take too much time, etc. most likely they will not stick with them and will end up going back to their same old ways. Even when people know that they want to change, they often don’t want to have to change too much or work too hard at it. My recommendations have to be not only suitable based on external factors such as skin tone and body type, but also based on their personality type. So, you see, image consulting isn’t just all fun and games – there’s a science to it. :)

I thoroughly enjoy what I do and being able to combine my passions for helping people, beauty, fashion AND psychology makes it that much better. Need help developing your personal style? Contact me.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

YOU are your brand. Represent!

when should you hire an image consultant?

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One question that I am often asked is “How do I know if I need an image consultant?” I would venture to say that most people know, even if they don’t want to admit that they know. If you’re considering it, you probably need one. If you’ve ever seen one of those shows such as “What Not to Wear” or “How Do I Look?” you would probably agree with me that most of those people have to know on some level that their look is not working, be it for their personal life, professional life, or both.

When I work with clients I always ask “what is your current style saying about you?” Then I ask “what do you want your style to say about you?” This is important because often times the two aren’t in alignment. When they aren’t, that is when you should hire an image consultant!

Here are some other questions that you will want to ask yourself when determining whether or not to engage someone to help you up your style (and branding) quotient.

Have you been wearing the same clothes/makeup/hairstyle for 10+ years without regard to any changes in career or lifestyle? As our lives change, so should our style. Not at the core, but certain key elements that will keep you looking fresh and focused.

Has it been a VERY long time since anyone has complimented you? Longer than you’d care to admit? :( I don’t suggest that you dress to impress others. Dress to impress yourself. When you feel good about your image, it comes across to other people.

Do you look in the mirror and remind yourself of one of your parents because your look is so outdated? Granted, some of us have quite stylish parents, but in general, you and your parents should not be wearing the same types of clothing. Dress age appropriately.

Does your personal style match the life that you want to live and how you wish to be perceived? This goes back to my motto, “YOU are your brand!” If you want to be viewed as the confident professional, the hip, stylish artist, the fun-loving parent, etc., the image that you present to others must match. We tend to be visual beings so the saying, “Image is everything” is well, everything.

If you are an entrepreneur, does your style match that of your business brand? By this I don’t mean that you should always dress in your logo colors. I mean do you present yourself so that people will think of you in the same manner in which you want them to think of your business? Consistency is the key to branding.

If you have been considering engaging an image consultant, I want to give you a little added incentive to take the leap. Throughout the month of July, I am offering a five-hour consulting package for women for $325*. This will include makeup, seasonal wardrobe consultation and shopping. For men, I am offering a three hour consultation for $200* which includes seasonal wardrobe consultation and shopping. What a bargain! If you are in the Washington, DC, area, you won’t want to miss out on this limited time only deal.

Please contact me at tamara@msrasberryinc.com or 202.681.8598 to schedule. I look forward to working with you to help you take your image to the next level.

*A mileage fee applies for locations outside of Washington, DC. Maximum travel time for this offer is one hour outside of DC.

insight: why I don’t show before & after photos

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Some people may wonder why I don’t show before and after photos of my makeup and image consulting clients. After all, you may be thinking “how will I know that you can really help me if I don’t see photos?” I have two words for you: high school.

My teen years were a definitively non-photogenic period for me. I have purposely not retained a single photo from that period. Recently, as part of a reunion website for my graduating class, my senior yearbook picture was posted online. I immediately insisted that it be removed. I have no desire for that photo to be spread across the internet – or anywhere else.

When it comes to my clients, I think of them as being iterations of my teenage self. This is not to say that they are in any way ashamed or embarrassed of their looks. They are; however, coming to me for an upgrade of either their makeup, wardrobe or both because they feel they need a change. So why would I post photos of them in a state from which they are trying to evolve? That doesn’t seem right to me. When I am finished, they are pleased and that pleases me. I suppose I could just post ‘after’ photos, but alone they don’t pack quite the same punch, so I don’t bother.

So there you have it. No tabloid shots here. I respect my clients and hopefully you will respect that and my current and future clients will appreciate it.