BE TEMPTINGLY tough...or tender.(women: adopting two personalities, with the help of makeup and clothing)(Brief Article)

Sometimes a girl's gotta shift her image from office power-player to angelic dinner-date in a flash. Thanks to this season's versatile range of makeup hues, such a switcheroo is no sweat.

As a bright young female today, you need to play two roles: tough chica who faces challenges without flinching and tender sweet-anyone capable of charming anyone. And often, you need to flip between these personae on the fly. Maybe one day you need to show the world who's boss, but later that night, it'll pay off to appear the innocent ingenue. Such a swap is simple with the right beauty tricks and tools. Studies have shown that deliberately changing your exterior can have a corresponding effect on your liter says Duffy Spencer, Ph.D., a social psychologist and impression-management consultant in Westbury, New York. Translation: Create a look and the mood will follow. The Key step to securing a makeup effect with the rig t mood for the moment is to go for the perfect hues. "Certain colors not only send specific messages but also have been shown to alter body temperature, heart rate, and overall energy in the person who perceives them, explains Mimi Cooper, author of Color Smart: How to Use Color to Enhance. Y our Business and Personal Life (Simon & Schuster, 2000) We've created four palettes that'll allow you to go from totally tender" to "tough chick" and then back again, both by day and after dark. Read on for the attitude-altering details.

Pretty Charming

Meeting with your most high-maintenance client and your perpetually crazed boss? Charm their pants off by being the picture--and purveyor--of sweetness and calm. Your tools: understated neutrals. "Soft pinks and nudes are relaxing," says Cooper. "These tones can actually lower heart rate and body temperature and relieve stress in the person viewing them." You can work that effect when you need to win people over and ensure they stay firmly on your side. P.S. This look is also ideal for lazy Sunday play dates with your dude.

* Dab on a highlighting base. We love Lancome Touche Liberte Refreshing Portable Foundation (1), $22.50.

* Blend a creamy pink blush onto the apples of your cheeks. Try Jane Sweet Cheeks Blush in Best Bud, $3.49.

* Sweep on the ultimate tender-eye-zer: a pinkish cream shadow. Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Pink Petals (2), $6.50, does the trick perfectly.