2020 has certainly tested all of us.
Looking back on the past 9 months it is hard to believe how much we as humans have gone through. Personally, I have learned a few new skills, some I never thought I could do! I am not talking skydiving or kayak shark fishing; I am referring to teaching grade school children, working from home WHILE teaching, and the bone chilling anxiety of video conferencing. Never before did I think of paint, lighting, and “background decor” the way I do now. Taking into consideration I had to come up with these “perfect” spaces for 4 people in one weekend! Windows became obstacles, the desks we have at home all have our backs to the windows! I need to have a couple shelves with interesting books? I need to transform the entire house! Light fixtures and their luminous flux became a new obsession.
And then came the first of many video calls. The dreaded appearance of my face staring back at me once the call began. Do I always look like this? Are my brows really that misshapen? Did I not sleep at all this week? Where are my cheekbones?! If I look at the camera, I am not looking at the screen, if I look at the screen am I looking them in the eye? How do I look them in the eye? What is that behind her, is that an intruder? No, just a large plant. Is that a plant?
Being a career woman, and being in the cosmetics industry, I knew I had to do something. And quickly.
A handful of adjustments to my home and a few technical tweaks to improve the internet capabilities; I put my focus on my face. Challenge accepted. Mistakes were made and new tricks learned; when I was asked to write the blog post for this month, I felt sharing my most helpful tips is a great way to “pay it forward”
- Invest in good skin care! Having a smooth canvas provides an easier and faster application of makeup.
- Lifesaving makeup hack alert!! Head over to the location of your call and open the call platform. Use your laptop or iPad as your mirror! It may take a minute to get used to; so worth it. Seeing the end result and being able to adjust / tweak prior to the video call going live is priceless. Pinky-swear
- Primer – skin smoothing, even absorption, and keeps your look in place. I have a whole new appreciation for the power of Anti-Aging Face Primer
- Corrector – Cameras, the one on my computer especially, have a way of picking up any redness in the skin turning a blemish into a distracting beacon of light for all to see. Beyond thankful our Color Corrector instantly neutralizes the most stubborn spots before applying concealer. I never thought this would be the product I couldn’t live without; but I am learning that “expect the unexpected” is the new norm.
- AmazingConcealer – having 2 shades handy, one that matches my skin tone and one for adding depth where necessary. Contouring was always a bit of a mystery to me; yet a few quick swipes followed up with a gentle blender and boom. Flawless skin and cheekbones!
Set with translucent powder, blush, curl lashes, and moisture rich lip color. I prefer gloss with a hint of color; if I noticed lipstick on my teeth while presenting live on a call….oh the horror!
Armed with these tips, and my beloved Unicorn Corkcicle at my side video conferences are a little less frightening.
Change is not easy; it is how you adapt to it.