Sorority recruitment is a loud, busy and stressful week. There will be lots of schedules, finding your way around, and making sure that you still keep a smile on your face despite the fact that you just ran there from your five minute bathroom break. While dealing with all of this and searching for your perfect home, the last thing you want to have to worry about is looking and feeling your best. Well, fear no more. Coming from someone who went through recruitment and learned what and what not to do, I've composed this list of 15 essential beauty tips to make sure you are the most confident version of yourself throughout this crazy week.
1. Find the perfect "your-lips-but-better shade."
One of the things that I think can take a makeup look from drab to fab with almost no effort is a good lipstick. If you don't already have the perfect, natural lipstick, stop by your local Sephora/MAC or search online for good drug store options and pick one that looks best on you. Wearing a good lipstick will ensure that you don't look washed out and that you have a stunning smile all day. MAC Velvet Teddy or MAC Faux are pretty safe bets for a lot of skin tones, but do your research and find out what lipstick color and brand is best for you.
2. Practice doing your hair and makeup look before.
This week is not one to try anything new. My advice is to practice doing your makeup and hair the exact way you plan on doing it all week before the week of recruitment. This way you can avoid any mishaps and panic moments during recruitment week when you'll already be stressed. If you're not experienced with makeup, watch some YouTube tutorials or ask a friend to help you so you can learn how to perfect your look on your own.
3. Keep it natural looking.
While I'll always be the first one to encourage everyone to try bright eye shadows and lipstick colors, this week is not the week for that. If that is what ultimately makes you feel the most confident, go for it. However, if you usually keep it pretty natural I would stick to an enhanced version of your usual look. For my makeup loving girls, notice how I said "natural looking." If you feel more confident with a full face of makeup like I do, still apply your beloved false lashes, highlighters, and fleece brows, but stick to brown eye shadows and nude pink lipsticks. The only round where I would recommend making your makeup a little more fancy would be for preference round, but I would still try not to make your look too dramatic.
4. Use primer and setting spray.
This one is incredibly important. It is going to be hot and you'll be doing a lot of walking and moving around. These two products will save your look. For drugstore I recommend Nyx Angel Veil Primer and Nyx Matte or Dewy setting spray. For higher-end products, I recommend Smashbox photo ready primer and Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray.
5. Bring oil blotting wipes.
These are also incredibly important, especially if you have oily skin. These will be a lifesaver all week to save your makeup in a pinch when you don't have time to reapply. The Clean & Clear ones are my favorite!
6. Wear your makeup out the week before.
Similarly to how I said to practice your makeup look before the week of recruitment, practice wearing your makeup out and about before the week of. That way you can make sure that you are happy with it and you'll know which areas of your makeup are more likely to move around and will need touching up. This will help you to not have to carry around your entire makeup bag all week and to only bring the essentials.
7. Use lots of hairspray.
This one is self explanatory. It'll be hot outside and you won't want your hair falling out of its curls or frizz up. Bring some with you in your bag.
8. Don't try any new hair or makeup products the day of.
This is not the week to try any new products that you haven't tested before. You wouldn't want to break out from a new makeup product or dye your hair right before and hate it. This will only bring your confidence levels down and make you self-conscious all week.
9. Make sure you have all moisturizers, toners and face washes you might need.
You want your skin to be nice and clear all week, so don't forget your face washing essentials at home.
10. Eat healthy and drink lots of water the week before to keep your skin clear.
Again, you want to look and feel your best. The last thing you want is to not feel your best the week of recruitment.
11. Carry a fan with you to avoid sweating and ruining your makeup and hair.
This one was a lifesaver for me during recruitment. There is a lot of walking and waiting outdoors. Bringing a mini battery powered fan will make sure you stay nice and cool and will help you avoid sweating.
12. Buy all necessary products at home before getting to your college town.
Every single makeup and drug store will be incredibly picked over when you get there from other girls going through recruitment, so if there is any product that you actually must have make sure to buy it at home before you head over to college.
13. Contour your face.
It's 2016 and most people know how to do this, but if you do not I highly suggest looking up some YouTube tutorials and at least trying it out the week before to see if it's for you. I personally believe that contouring can dramatically enhance anyone's natural features to look their best. Don't try to go all Instagram model and make your contour too dramatic, but a light contour can really warm up your face and make sure that you look and feel the best you possibly can.
14. Do not have somebody else do your makeup unless they have done it before or you are willing to take the risk of not liking it.
No matter how good someone's makeup looks when they do it on their own face, everyone's face is different, so having them do the same look on you may not look how you were hoping it to. If you really want a friend or roommate to do your makeup, practice it the night before to make sure that there will be no last minute disasters.
15. Wear what makes you feel confident!
This will be one of the most fun/crazy weeks of you life! Wear what makes you feel your best. While this article was mostly all makeup tips, wear what makes you feel the most confident! If you never wear makeup and are really against it, do that. If you love wearing full makeup and false lashes, do that. You want to pick a sisterhood that loves you for you, so don't try really hard to be something you're not. You want to feel like the best, most confident version of yourself this week to make a good first impression and find your new sisters for life!
Hopefully these tips will help you out and prevent possible beauty mishaps for the week of recruitment! If you have been through sorority recruitment and have any more tips to add, please leave them in the comments of this article so we can keep our PNMs prepared and happy!
