Hello!
Makeup isn't something I was worried about for the longest time when the pandemic first hit. I think I went an entire quarter without even putting so much as mascara or brow gel on. The company I work for made it a point to minimize meetings in order to avoid "zoom fatigue" so I was rarely seeing others online, so it never crossed my mind that I might want to look presentable during the work day. By presentable I don't necessarily mean makeup, but more so not having a really messy birds nest on the top of my head with PJ's that I'd been wearing for a week straight.
Several months into the pandemic, the realization hit that we'd be working like this for a long time, so everyone slowly started creating new routines and looking like humans on video calls, with the number of video meetings going up. One year in now, I have a really quick and easy routine that works well with the low quality webcam so I can look really good on camera without having to put much effort in. Some of the links in this post will be affiliate links.
The webcam in general blurs my skin because it is such low quality (you'd think for the price of a MacBook that they'd be great), but on Zoom specifically, I have the beauty feature enabled, which smooths everything out a little bit. Those features make my brows look a lot lighter, as well as my eyelashes and lips, so that's where I focus. This is the makeup I've been doing whenever I have slightly more important meetings, without the potato quality camera from my work computer:
The first picture shows what I look like with the lighting I utilize with zoom calls. The second picture is with my phone flash, which I never use at work, but does show the concealer marks more clearly.
Brows are my priority. I'll mainly opt for my Essence Make me Brow Gel since my brows are fairly decent on their own and the fibres to make them look a little bit fuller. If it's something very important, I'll first go in with my Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade to make me look extra put together. I use the smallest amount of product, but it makes all the difference.
Concealer is the next thing I go for because my under eye area will forever be darker and I also like to spot-conceal my darkest acne scars (which I'm in the process of trying to fade as much as possible, check out my last skincare routine post for more info). Since the webcam helps with some blurring, I don't use my full coverage concealers and instead opt for my Revlon Photoready Candid Antioxidant concealers, mixing colours 015 and 020, which are both warmer (yellow) toned. This is my new favourite drugstore concealer and it's super easy to blend with my fingers or a brush, which is a big deal because getting my beauty blender wet and having to wash it is just too much work.
Mascara is my third priority, which may seem weird, but for that I'll use whatever mascara is open at the moment. I ran out of my last lash paradise (my favourite) and just started using the Almay Liquid Lash Extender mascara, which I'm not sure if I love it or hate it just yet. I do like my Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara for my bottom lashes since it doesn't smudge, the wand is small enough to not make a mess and it's easy to remove.
Finally, lips. I avoid lip products as much as possible because if we go out after work for something, I'll absolutely destroy my mask. I'm also no longer used to the feeling of a lipstick or lipgloss on my lips, so when I pulled out my NYX Lip Lingerie in “Push-Up”, I was really happy to see how good it looks on camera and how thin it feels. I often times forget I have it on at all and once it's been on for a while, it doesn't transfer to my mask. I'm honestly surprised liquid lipsticks haven't made a comeback because of the pandemic. This is definitely my favourite formula for what I own because it is so light on the lips and it's easy to take off when you want to.
Those are all of the products I focus on for meetings. Once in a while if I have a big meeting, like interviewing candidates or presenting to important stakeholders high up in the company, I'll do a few extra steps, so I'll quickly list those below.
- Makeup Geek single shadows in Banana Split and Had me at Yellow, but if I want some drama I'll add in a little bit of Chocolate Wasted for some smokiness
- The Balm’s Mary Lou-Manizer highlighter from The Balm
- Catrice cosmetics blush, at the moment I'm using "Burgandy" since my tan is getting darker
- Essence Sun Club bronzer in the light shade
In real life the makeup won't look heavy since I'm going for sheer options and no foundation. Of course doing my hair look nice, either having it straight and brushed, or reviving my natural curls with some water and conditioning products, makes a huge difference and for my more casual meetings, that's all I'll really do.
Let me know if you have any recommendations for 'Zoom Makeup' that are easy to put on and remove. I'm really liking this little routine right now and can see me sticking to it even once I'm back in the office since my skin has been a bit nicer without foundation, but we'll see what happens once things start going back to normal.
I'll be back next week with my review and results of my six-week skincare routine for trying to fade my spots!
