Video Conference? How To Look Your Best For The Camera

Zoom meeting, Skype call, Facetime, Air Nomikai (エア飲み会)? Here’s how to adjust your make-up, hair, and clothes to look (and feel) more confident in front of the camera. 

Yes, we are being told to #stayathome and refrain from traveling/going to the office. But that doesn’t quite mean that we can treat this time as an extra vacation! Most of us are expected to #workfromhome, meaning less face to face interactions and a whole lot more skype calls and video conferences. Just when we thought we could get away with ditching the daily makeup routine and living in our sweats all day…  

Of course, you could just stick to your normal make-up routine and work/going out clothes, but if you really want to look fresh and glow on camera, give these 5 tips a go! Admit it, we all want to be told: “you’re a natural on camera!”

Let’s start with the face

So you’ve woken up at 9:15 a.m. and realize you have exactly 15 minutes until your scheduled online meeting. That’s just great. But before you panic, I’m here to tell you that you’re going to be absolutely fine. All you will need to do is make some slight adjustments and get your priorities straight!

As tempting as it is, rather than caking your face in foundation, quickly apply a tinted moisturizer to even out your skin tone and hide any blemishes. 

Blusher should be made your next priority. Why? The problem with Skype and Zoom calls is that although they’re in HD, they can still totally wash you out. Ranked as #1 blush on cosme in 2019, the CEZANNE Natural Cheek N (¥360) will help solve this problem. This matte-type blush blends very well and will help you add some color and warmth to your cheeks. Goodbye ghost face, hello glowing goddess! 

CEZANNE Natural Cheek N, ¥360

Your eyes are the biggest giveaway

Some say that the eyes are the window to the soul. By looking into your eyes, fortune tellers will convince you that they can see into your future, whilst others say that the eyes convey your true emotions (stop looking at me! I said I was fine!).

But what’s MOST annoying is that the eyes can be the real giveaway as to how much sleep you got the night before. Your boss/colleague/client will be able to tell whether you chose to get a good night’s rest or decided to stay up all night to binge-watch your favorite TV show…

Before you get labeled as unprofessional, here’s what to do! The camera is said to pick up on red and pink tones, meaning your red eyes will stand out and give away your tiredness. That’s why you will need to get yourself some eye drops that will instantly whiten and brighten the eyes!

I personally love and recommend the Sante Beauteye (¥1,500) eyedrops. Coming in a beautiful perfume-like bottle, the eye drops will help with fatigue, inflammation, and combat red eyes. You can’t go back in time to get more sleep in, but you can definitely fake looking awake!

Sante Beauteye eyedrops, ¥1,500

If your eye bags are making you resemble a panda, quickly dab on some concealer.  And finally, it’s a no-brainer but be sure to swipe on mascara to add definition to your eyes. 

Send chapped lips packing but be careful with color…

Surprisingly, lips can actually be a little tricky to nail. Of course, a virtual red lip sounds ideal and can be a great way to show that you put in the effort to look good. But here’s the problem. In real life, although bright lipstick may make us look and feel like a queen, on camera, this does not always translate well and may actually look a little off.

And if you tend to wear dark lipstick, you’ll want to slightly overdraw your lips with a good lip liner. This is because often, on camera, anything dark can look smaller. For this reason, the multi-purpose Visee Avant Lip & Eye Color Pencil (¥1,200) will be a great addition to your ‘camera-ready makeup bag’!

Visee Avant Lip & Eye Color Pencil, ¥1,200

If you’d rather go au naturel with the lips, just be sure to apply some lip balm to keep them looking glossy for the camera. You’re ready for your close-up now!

Please let today be a good hair day!

Why is it that when we have nothing on the agenda, our hair will behave and shine as though we’re about to hit the red carpet, but when the day comes for our important online meeting, it decides to look dry, dull, and have a mind of its own? Typical. 

For those bad hair days, what we ultimately need is a hair oil that we can truly rely on. @cosme revealed the La Sana Hair Essence (¥2,800 for 75ml) as the winner of it’s ‘Best Cosmetics Awards 2019’ and being a huge fan of this product myself, I can definitely understand why! Rich in minerals and nutrients, this hair oil will make your hair soft, frizz-free, and will add a natural shine to your hair. 

La Sana Hair Essence, ¥2,800

It’s important to keep hair out of your face during an online call, so pulling it up into a ponytail may be a good idea. Alternatively, if you have short hair, a cute little hairband to push it back can also be a good option. Time to unleash your inner Blair Waldorf! xoxo

*Throws sweatshirt into washing machine*

Nearly there! The final step is to make a decision on what to wear. The waist above is what’s going to be seen on camera, so it’s important to wear either a top or blouse that’s going to flatter you… unless the crazy person you’re speaking with randomly asks you to stand up and do a twirl, then you might want to wear some appropriate pants as well—we know you were embracing the pantless look!

Light Blue Cotton Blouse from Muji, ¥2,990

In terms of color, jewel tones are your best bet. Fluorescent and dark colors should be avoided as they tend to blur and have a negative impact on image quality. Red tends to bleed so again it’s best avoided. Colors that suit all skin tones and show up well on camera are blues and greens. 

Mint Blue Stand Neck Gold Point Blouse, from Natural Beauty Basic, ¥ 6,500

It’s probably not rocket science but make sure to steer clear of stripes, checks, and any large patterns as again they tend to blur and will become a distraction. Something simple yet chic, like the Light Blue Cotton Blouse (¥2,990) from Muji, or the Mint Blue Stand Neck Gold Point Blouse (¥ 6,500) from Natural Beauty Basic will help with attracting the right attention. 

Now you’re good to go! Lights, camera, action!