We may be confined to our own homes, unable to go to parties or take ourselves out for a fancy dinner, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still look great. While working from home, you are probably enjoying the comfort of leggings and baggy tops while being able to give yourself an extra half an hour of sleep each morning as your normal beauty regime isn’t currently needed. There is some upside of the pandemic aren’t there? Read more quarantine blogs here.
But then it happens, the dreaded video call. While we enjoy catching up with colleagues and having someone other than household members to talk to, it can also mean we are rushing around trying to make ourselves look presentable and professional. But this can be done quicker and easier than you might think. From simply popping on a pair of strip lashes to choosing the correct lighting, we’ll help you look stunning for your next virtual meeting.
This isn’t just confined to work-related calls, virtual dating is the latest trend when looking for love and we always want to enhance our natural beauty when meeting a love interest, even if it is through a screen.
1. Effortless Lashes
Nobody wants to spend ages blending, highlighting and contouring just for the sake of a half an hour video call. Lockdown is the perfect chance to let our skin breathe and recover from years daily makeup applications.
However, we understand you still want to feel beautiful and for many of us, the comfort of makeup makes us feel 100 times better.
That’s why false eyelashes are the perfect solution for this. Choose a natural-looking set and pop them on beforehand. You’ll notice an immediate difference in your face and they may even give you the confidence you need to nail that presentation you’ve been worried about.
The best part is, you can remove these straight afterwards, you don’t even need to leave your desk! You can even reuse your lashes as often as you want, reducing waste and saving your expensive mascara for when the pandemic is over.
It is always best to remove the eyelash adhesive, if not straight away, at least before you go to bed as it can cause damage to your lids if left.
2. Matte Your Face
If you are happy to put a little extra effort into your face, especially if you have an important pitch or perhaps a date with someone you really want to impress, it’s important to choose the right base coverage.
You may go for a dewy, glowing look on a normal day, but your low-quality webcam can give you an awful effect. Instead of glowing skin, you can look shiny and even greasy, not the look any of us want.
Use a matte foundation or powder, teamed with a matte setting spray to give yourself coverage but avoiding glare on your screens.
If you don’t have any matte products, you don’t need to spend money just for a few uses during lockdown. Lightly apply some translucent powder over your usual foundation, or even talcum powder, to give a temporary matte finish.
3. Get Your Lighting Right
You can be forgiven for trying to achieve bright lighting, directly hitting your face. After all, that’s what models have for photoshoots so surely it’ll work for your video call, right?
Going over the top with bright lighting and using a standard webcam or phone camera will highlight any imperfections and can cause your skin to look washed out.
Instead, backlight yourself. This works best with natural lighting so if you can position yourself in front of a window then do so.
If you can’t do this, you can use lamps instead. Be aware that if they are directly behind you and pointed towards your laptop, you may end up blinding those you are talking to. Set lights at a slight angle and make sure they are above your eye level, lighting from underneath your face can give a real horror story look!
4. Lip Stick Not Gloss
We love lipgloss but not for a video call. Anything ‘glossy’ will bounce off the light and draw too much attention to your lips.
It will also highlight any imperfections in your application. Let’s face it, you might apply this quickly a few minutes before your call and not get perfect lines. This may not be noticeable during normal social events but sitting for a long time face-to-face with colleagues will make it obvious.
5. Hair Hacks
If you’re not leaving your home every day, it’s more than likely that you’re not washing your hair as often.
Instead of trying to hide that grease with a messy bun or high ponytail, be a bit more creative.
Headscarves and turbans not only hide our oily locks but can also be a great statement and give the appearance of high-end fashion, instead of just covering our laziness.
You can even match these colours with your outfit to make the whole thing look very deliberate.
If covering your hair isn’t your style, take some dry shampoo and section your hair at the hairline. Using a small round brush, work the dry shampoo into your roots. Not only does this remove oil but also provides volume that will hold for your video call and longer
6. Speak With Your Body
Perhaps you don’t want to put makeup on an impromptu call means you don’t have time. Using the right body language can make all the difference.
Make eye contact with the other participants, look into your camera and don’t be distracted by looking at yourself on the screen.
Hold yourself properly and don’t slouch, you wouldn’t do so in a normal meeting so this shouldn’t be any different. Make sure you’re comfy beforehand, wriggling and adjusting yourself throughout the call can look unprofessional and be a distraction for others.
If you are still worried about what you look like, take the time to think about how others really perceive you. Are you conscious of anyone not wearing makeup or how they’ve styled their hair? You probably haven’t given it a second thought and that’s exactly how others will feel about you.
At the end of the day, a smile and a confident manner are what is most crucial with video calling.
