Makeup =/= High Maintenance

I find myself clicking a lot of links as I tour my university's career services website. One of these links had advice for what not to wear to an interview and had this gem about eye makeup:

Too much eyeliner and shadow will only start to bleed and smear as the day goes on (and who has time for touch-ups?) so use eye makeup sparingly.

Now, I'm not disagreeing that some looks aren't office friendly. However, I find this reason laughable. I can only conclude that these writers either a) suck in their makeup application, b) have a job that involves dipping their faces in coconut oil,  or c) have no idea what they're talking about.

For reference, I am a server. This is probably a little bit more stressful on your face than an office nine-to-five as there's lots of sweating and risk of ranch dressing splattering on my face. (It's happened before.) So I did a little experiment, applying my eye makeup as usual. Here's me an hour before leaving for work:

I blended a little more after this picture was taken. Sorry y'all.

And here's what I looked like after a six-hour shift. Excuse the coloring. Yay artificial light!

...Hm. Not seeing a lot of this bleeding. Let's look again.

My wings are faded a bit, which is par for the course for me. Other than that, my eyeshadow really hasn't budged. Would I wear this look to an office job? Eh, depends. Probably not. The point is, "because it will bleed/smear" is a really crappy reason not to wear eye makeup.

If you want to ensure your eyeshadow stays on like mine, I rely on two steps in my makeup routine.

1. Eye Primer - No, seriously, buy it. Drugstore is better than nothing, but mid-end/high-end is the best. Robyn has a great comparison here. I was an Urban Decay devotee until I bought Too Faced Shadow Insurance on sale. My HG (Holy Grail), though, is definitely LORAC Behind the Scenes primer. I got a deluxe sample with my Pro Palette and OMFG. This stuff does not budge. Ever. I use that on days when I put my makeup on early and need it to last through a dinner shift. For my standard 6-8 hours, I go with the Shadow Insurance. Whatever you get, it will not only increase the life of your eyeshadows, it can make colors appear more pigmented. 
2. Setting Spray - This helps keep my whole face on, so to speak. The only ones I've tried are by Urban Decay. I can't tell a difference between All Nighter and Deslick, though the latter is apparently better for oily skin. You can also allegedly make your own using glycerin, but I don't trust the Internet that much. Also, I'm lazy. 

So, there you have it. The myth that eye makeup necessarily smears/fades over a workday debunked, and the reasons mine stays on so damn well. Go forth and be fabulous.