Professional style

Having transitioned to a much more professional work environment, I've been trying to suss out what to wear and what not to wear. It's amazing (not to mention to a degree, upsetting) how quickly I realized the majority of my former "business casual" work wardrobe wouldn't pass muster. T-shirts? Out. Jeans? Out. the occasional flip-flop on unbearably sunny days? No. No. No.

To add to the change of threads, I've begun wearing makeup on a daily basis which is HUGE. I've never been your typical "girly girl..." painted to the hilt. And to be completely honest, I've had some of the makeup in my bag for more than seven years. ...Hey, when you only wear it five times a year, it takes a long time to use up a tube of mascara. So- I've got new mascara, powder, and foundation, AND I bought a whole new bunch of cleansers and some sunscreen for my face. Basically I figure if I'm loading that stuff on every day, I've gotta make sure I'm taking it off every night and protecting my skin to boot. Lots of changes.

But- my big question for you all is what to do with my hair? More specifically- I've always been a ponytailer. If it was long enough to be pulled back, it went in a ponytail. Even when it was uber short, they called me "paintbrush" in college because the little nub of hair I pulled back made a sort of brush on the back of my head. So I'm wondering... is a ponytail professionally acceptable? Are there height restrictions or looping rules? I know scrunchies are out but is there some sort of barrette or ::gasp:: modern banana clip device I should be using to tie back my tresses?

School me, please because I definitely can't sort it out on my own.

Photo courtesy of www.hji.co.uk.