Here’s the thing about Zoom: It’s practical, innovative, and the best way to have meetings from home. In fact, it almost makes you feel like you’re sitting across from someone in a conference room instead of balancing a laptop on your knees and hoping that no one can tell you’re calling from your bed.
Of course, Zoom also comes with its own challenges. Your coworkers are now privy to what the inside of your house looks like (and what the screams of your children sound like). You may run into connectivity issues, and looking good over a computer screen can seem downright impossible.
If you’re feeling like you want to experiment with fresh beauty looks during your work-from-home stint (though we totally condone going bare-faced — whatever feels right for you) keep in mind the rules of makeup change when you’re looking at someone through a screen. More can seem like less. Dewy can read greasy. Too much contouring can look shadowy.
We’re here to help. We spoke to experts and created easy looks that anyone can try at home, and included products from the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab, expert insight, and top-rated online picks.
1. Luminous, glowing skin
The first step of looking fresh-faced is all about location, according to celebrity makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan. Make sure you’re not sitting directly under any harsh overhead lights, which can create dark shadows on your face. “If you have the opportunity to sit in front of a window of any sort and grab all of that natural light, it’s going to fill your face more and make it brighter and more even,” Deenihan says.
Use an illuminating foundation to “add a little glow and even skin tone,” says celebrity makeup artist Laura Geller. Zoom emphasizes shadows, but it also picks up light, which means that it’s the perfect way to show off glowing skin.From there, use a concealer to cover any dark circles, which will brighten your whole face. “You can go heavier with concealer because you are going to want to brighten everywhere that you might not normally need to, because of the fact that you’re creating all of these different shadows when you’re on Zoom,” says Deenihan. You can even go a few shades lighter than normal to make your face appear even brighter.Add highlighter to your cheekbones so that they will pick up light. “It’s kind of just like a happy surprise,” says Deenihan. “Head-on it’s probably not really there, then you start moving and it’s like, ‘oh, she’s glowing.'” To keep the glow on your cheekbones and avoid unwanted shine in the T-zone, Deenihan recommends using powder to mitigate any oiliness (even if you wouldn’t normally powder your face).
