There’s no doubt that your graduation day is a day when you want to look your absolute best. It’s a moment you’ve been working hard towards, and your graduation photos will no doubt do the rounds on social media and among friends and family. Here’s what you should do when it comes to hair, makeup, jewelry and adding meaningful extras into your graduation day outfit.

With so much focus on getting your education completed, graduation day itself can creep up on you. For some people, they dared not to even dream that the day would come, particularly if their education journey has not always been a smooth one. So when graduation day is finally approaching, you may be wondering how you should style yourself on the day to ensure you look your best and photograph well. While your gown and cap will pretty much be standard issue, there a lot of finishing touches you can do to complete the overall look.

Here are some of the main style areas you should focus on to pull off a successful graduation day appearance.

Makeup

Whether or not you typically wear a lot of makeup, you will probably want to consider wearing some on your graduation day, so your features really stand out in your graduation photographs. This rule applies to men and for women, as there are certain things everyone can do to make their features pop on photographs. To perk up your features just a little bit, adding some blusher to cheeks and a little bit of eyeliner and mascara to the eyes should do the trick for most people. Use foundation and concealer on your face and neck too if you have any blemishes.

If you want to achieve a bolder look, add a little more eyeliner and mascara for a fuller look around the eyes, and go for colored varieties if you really want to dazzle. There is a growing trend at the moment to choose blue or green mascara and eyeliner to match eye colors. You should also consider your lips in your choice of makeup. A little lip liner and lipstick that peps up your natural lip color is a good start for everyone. Choose a bold red or another vibrant color if you want to make more of a statement. If you want to go even further with your graduation day make-up, experiment with things such as cat eyes and gradient eye shadows ahead of the day to see what works for you.

Meaningful Extras

Once you’ve got the look for your graduation day face, consider what meaningful extras you could add to your graduation day outfit. One option could be graduation leis, which are great for adding color to a graduation day outfit. Also a symbol of your achievement on an important day, leis for graduation can add a truly meaningful touch to the overall look and feel you have for the day.

Another extra that could be meaningful to you on your graduation day is to have henna designs added to your hands, and your feet too if you will be wearing open sandals. Some people also choose to have a temporary or permanent tattoo done to mark the occasion. If you’re going for a permanent one, just make sure you have it done well in advance of the ceremony, so that any wounds settle down before the big day.

Jewelry

Adding some jewelry pieces to your graduation day outfit can make you feel good, and generally adds something extra to the overall look of your outfit. Firstly consider if there are any pieces of jewelry you want to wear for sentimental reasons, which might be something passed on from a family member who cannot be there on the day. If you have any must-have items such as these, you can base the rest of your jewelry decisions around this.

In general, matching sets work really well and bring some continuity to your outfit. If you want a classical look, pearls, diamonds or crystals work really well. If your style is a little bolder, colorful necklaces and long earrings can bring a more original look to your whole outfit.

Hair

The main thing to remember about any decisions you make about the style of your hair for your graduation day, is that you will be wearing a graduation cap for at least part of the day. If you have long hair, you will be a little restricted regarding any styles you might like that relate to wearing your hair up. Wearing your hair down is therefore a brilliant option – either straightened or wavy, depending on your style. Add some streaks of hair dye if you want a vivid look. If you do want to wear your hair up, put your cap on to measure out where exactly it sits on your head. Then plan for any hair ties to sit lower than the lowest point of the cap.