Fundamentals on primary day

Happy primary day! Today we'll see primary elections in New York, Massachusetts, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Maryland, featuring a number of candidates we've already featured here like Christine O'Donnell,  as well as incumbents like Barbara Mikulski and Carol Shea-Porter.

Today, let's look at one more candidate: Reshma Saujani, who is challenging Carolyn Maloney in the Democratic primary in the House 14th district.

Two features strike me:
1. She's young
2. Hello, black eyeliner (Lest you think this is just the video, check out her website - it's not)

So let's talk about what this means. First, she looks young. That might not be a bad thing. But in this case, I think she might be reading a little too young for a member of Congress, especially when you put her next to Carolyn Maloney, who is formidable. One of the biggest factors in making her look young is her long hair, well below her shoulders, which she wears loose and mostly unstyled. This is just a very young look. Even if she weren't ready to lose some of the length, a barrette or possibly even some curls might make her look older and more polished - something that looks like she did more than wake up and run a brush through it.

Second, the eyeliner. This much dark kohl on the upper and lower lids is closing in on her eyes and making them look smaller and harder to read. For voters looking for honesty and trustworthiness, having open, visible eyes is really important. I would recommend something much softer for her, perhaps a dark shadow applied with an angle brush on the upper lid only. That would outline the eye without shrinking it.