Does wearing makeup help a woman in the business world?  I'm reading the book The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease.  Here's what they have to say.   An experiment was designed to test the effect of makeup and glasses on perceived personal skills and personal presentation.  The woman who wore no makeup and no glasses was rated the worse on personal skills and presentation.   The woman with makeup was given a good rating on appearance and presentaion.  The woman who got the best rating on personal skills (such as listening and building rapport) and personal presentation wore both makeup and glasses.  This woman was rated as confident, intelligent, sophisticated, and outgoing. 

In another experiment, the effect of lipstick was tested.  Women wearing red lipstick were seen as more interested in themselves and men's attention.  Those with muted lipstick were viewed as career-oriented and businesslike.  Those with no lipstick seen as lacking in personal skills. 

So what does this mean?  Wearing a modest amount of makeup gives a woman an advantage in business.  So, ladies, it's a good idea to take the extra 5-10 minutes each morning and add a little "facepaint."  And you might want to consider saving the contact lenses for evening and weekends.