Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [34]
As I was walking to the subway stop recently, a well-dressed man who was shaking hands with as many people as possible entering the station stopped me by saying: “Hello, I’m Joe So-and-So and I’m running for mayor . . .” As he continued his short spiel, he shook my hand with his right hand and constantly scratched his head with his left hand. He had more dandruff on his new-looking suit than I’d seen on any man’s clothes lately. I threw his brochure away as soon as I was out of his sight.
In short, if you know you have a problem with dandruff, there is simply no excuse not to do something about it before your public appearance.
There are many shampoos on the market today that effectively eliminate most cases of dandruff. If commercially available shampoos do not seem to be working on your case of dandruff, consult your doctor. If you have the kind of dandruff that persists most of your life, wash your hair daily with a dandruff shampoo. Also be careful not to use someone else’s brush or comb.
On TV, dandruff shows up on your shoulders like grains of sparkling white sand. Usually the studio’s floor manager will remove any dandruff with sticky tape, but you cannot count on this. As a public person, it is your responsibility to take steps to eliminate dandruff.
WOMEN’S HANDS
Your hands will be very much in the picture, and they thus deserve tender, loving care. Use a good hand cream, containing lanolin, to keep them soft. Protect the backs of the hands from dark spots by using a sunblock. Any spots you already have can be covered up by applying a little makeup base.
To make the fingers look longer, taper the nails slightly and use a clear, pink-tinged, or flesh-colored polish. Not only do such colors look professional and good with all clothing colors, but if the nail polish gets chipped or has worn off the tips of your nails, it is not very noticeable.
Long, red fingernails cut off the ends of the fingers and attract too much attention to themselves. Long, red, artificial glue-on nails may seem to express excessive preoccupation with your appearance.
Many busy women think that it is worth the time and expense of going to a professional manicurist a couple of times a month, especially if they travel constantly. If you have never had such a manicure done before, try it once to see if it is for you. Having your nails look good all of the time without much effort on your part may just give you a small boost of confidence every time you look at your hands.
Be sure to ask the manicurist to apply the natural or pearly pink colors suggested earlier, and ask for an extra top-coat layer. Don’t let her talk you into a polish that is bicolored, too dark, too bright, or an “evening look.”
If you are one of those people who bite your nails or cuticles, now is a good time to break the habit. Getting professional manicures on a regular basis can help because you will be less apt to mess up the manicure that you have paid for and looks so good.
Your hands must look good when you gesture; they must be an effective part of your total look without attracting too much attention away from your face.
EYEGLASSES
Eyeglasses become a vital part of your general appearance because they control access to your eye contact. It is important that people see your eyes rather than your glasses. Since they are a barrier between the viewer and your eyes, they should be reduced to a minimum and not attract attention on their own.
If you see your glasses first and your eyes second, then do something about them. Find frames that are not too big or too flashy. The design should be simple and should not obscure your brows or alter the expression of your face. Glasses that come down to the tip of your nose are too big for your face and tend to distort your cheekbones. Also avoid frames that come down too low onto the fleshy part of the cheek under the eye. In other words, the glasses should not dominate or obscure your features.
Look for frames