Wearing make-up can affect a woman's mood - and the way they are perceived by others, a poll out today suggests.

A group of 100 women felt they were treated differently in shops depending on whether they wore make-up or not.

• The majority (67%) thought they got more attention by wearing cosmetics than by going bare-faced.

An additional survey of 1,026 people by students at the London College of Fashion found 85% of women said wearing make-up helped lift their mood on a bad day.

• Eight in 10 (82%) of the women surveyed said they preferred their female colleagues to wear make-up.
• And 78% thought wearing cosmetics affected the way they were treated by other people.

When asked to choose from a series of photos, most of the women surveyed (80%) said they would prefer to employ a woman who wore cosmetics than one who did not.

Of the men surveyed, 78% thought women who did not wear cosmetics were confident and laid-back.

But when shown five pictures of the same girl wearing increasing amounts of make-up, 75% said the girl with moderate to heavy make-up was the one they would most like to date.

• Half (54%) of men thought red lipstick was tarty or overdone.
• 37% found it sophisticated, sexy or cute.

London College of Fashion cosmetic science course director Anne Emblem said the study showed women used make-up to help them feel good about themselves.

"When we get it right, we know we look good and this knowledge gives us confidence and makes us feel positive about ourselves,'' she said.

The London College of Fashion research was commissioned by cosmetics brand Avon.

Students from the College carried out face-to-face interviews with 1,026 people aged 18 to 50 years, of which 73% were women and 27% were men.

In addition, 100 women were tasked with approaching shop assistants with a request at a grocery store in Camden Town, H&M on Oxford Street and Selfridges on Oxford Street, while wearing no make-up, very light make-up and full make-up.