Makeup Ideas for Your Online Meeting

Here’s the situation: You’ve been working from home for a couple of weeks now. You’ve got a big meeting on Zoom in about 10 minutes, and you’re still in your wildly comfortable but totally ratty T-shirt and sweatpants. Your hair’s disheveled (and not in a cute way) and you haven’t so much as glanced at your makeup kit in days. Nevertheless, you want to look upbeat and professional, even when the entire world is operating in a different reality than it was back in February when this meeting was put on your calendar.

Many of us will be working from home and therefore conducting business over video conferencing platforms indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, it doesn’t take that much effort to put together a polished makeup look when your coworkers are viewing you through a low-quality webcam.

We asked a few of our favorite makeup artists for their best tips and tricks for fast and easy makeup as long as you have a few key products, your bosses will have no clue your makeup only took about five minutes. Or that you’re secretly still in your pajamas.

Glowing Skin

The first step of looking all bright and fresh is location. Make sure not to sit directly under very harsh lights, which can create dark shadows. Try to sit near an open window so that the natural light acts as an advantage and naturally makes your face look brighter.

Then you can go for an illuminating foundation in order to get an even skin tone. In Zoom meetings our skin is highlighted, which means that it’s the perfect way to show off your glowing skin.

Next, use a concealer to cover any dark circles you have, it will help in brightening your whole face. You can go heavier with concealer if you want to brighten everywhere that you might not normally do. And end by adding a tint of highlighter to your cheekbones.

Bold lips

The time has come for you to bring out your boldest and brightest shades of lipstick. If not now, when? We are in the midst of a global pandemic so you might as well have some fun while we get through it! Applying bright lipstick will make your lips pop when on camera, extra points if you can coordinate your lip color with a cute pair of earrings or a hair accessory. A bold lip gives off that special boss-lady energy that will have you looking vibrant and alive.

Fill in your Eyebrows

Brows are the final touch of your enhanced zoom makeup look. Darken your brows just a shade more than you would usually do. Your brows will seem a bit darker than normal when you look in the mirror, but they will look the perfect shade when you hop on that video call. Groomed brows go a long way toward giving that professional look and polished touch.

Big Bright Eyes

As webcams aren’t very flattering, the shadow that occurs from your setup can darken your image and eyes. For that, you can skip using eyeshadow, and if you don’t wish to, try using neutral shades instead of very loud ones like soft tans, light golds, and blush pinks for your eyes. 

You can make your eyes appear wider and more open even if you’re exhausted. To look more awake, here are some tips:

You can define your crease with a natural-colored shadow. Keep the shadow rounded and make sure it follows your natural eye shape. “If you bring the eyeshadow out too far and create an almond shape, that’s going to actually close the eye by creating an elongated shape. When facing the camera head-on. Don’t line your waterline. To make your eyes look wider, just take some warm color and blend it underneath your lash line. Which will, in turn, make your eyes appear wider, or just a stroke of white kohl can make the difference.

For finishing your makeup use a single generous coat of Mascara. “Mascara is going to change your whole look. It is your best friend when it comes to big-looking eyes because that’s really going to accentuate the perimeter of your eye; just apply one coat of mascara, let it dry, and apply a second coat. Then, layer it up because that is going to give your eye definition.”

Amp up your Mascara

This is where having the right mascara becomes of the utmost importance. Curl your lashes and apply a few extra coats of your favorite mascara before your virtual meeting. When your lashes are well lifted and darkened, your eyes will appear wider and more awake on camera. We suggest sticking to black mascara as opposed to brown one for the purpose of showing up more clearly. Don’t be afraid if your lashes look a little too dark in person; remember that we’re counteracting the dullness and reduced quality that comes with using a webcam.

Don’t go for Highlighter for your Virtual Meetings

We know that highlighters add glow to our cheekbones in real life, but it doesn’t go right with virtual meetings. Makeup for online meetings, in general, will try to steer clear of too much shine, so a highlighter should be the first thing to go. It looks harsh on a webcam and adds extra shine to the cheeks instead of giving a good look. That doesn’t mean you have to give up on a highlighter just skip using it during video calls.