How to Look Fantastic on Zoom: Your Face, Clothes, Home, and Tech

With lockdown, we're suddenly all on Zoom 24/7. It's great that we can remain connected even when we're working from home, but not so great that we have to see ourselves on screen every time we speak to someone. 

Worse still, everyone else seems to look fantastic! How on earth are they managing to look so with-it, so well put together, and so professional when tracksuit pants seem to be the order of the day? It's time to catch up and beat those posers at their own game! Time to look fantastic. 

But I have no idea how to do that. So, I asked some experts. 

Clothing

I spoke to Angela Barnard, a personal stylist, for her advice on what to wear to look sensational on Zoom. 

Gents, here are Angela's top tips:

An injection of color is fine, but avoid anything too loud, and focus on clean lines. If you don’t need to wear a shirt and tie, a fine knit jumper looks more professional than a t-shirt.

And ladies, take heed of these expert tips:

Small details work well on screen. If your top is a neutral tone, add a pop of color with a necklace so you don’t blend into the background. A simple blouse with an interesting collar or a puff sleeve works best, rather than a garish print or lots of frills." 

Skincare and Makeup, Even for Men

Female I may be, but makeup is really not my area.

I turned to Katie King, film and TV makeup designer, who shared some industry secrets to looking naturally fabulous:

This is a great time to really concentrate on taking care of your skin. Always remove makeup before bed, but if you have time, remove it in the evening and treat your skin to a mask or deep moisturizing treatment. And of course, drink loads of water; your skin will thank you for it. 

Great, I'm already a step ahead! I don't need to remove my makeup, because I don't wear anyway. This advice is working for me. 

Admitting this may be the moment to start using some makeup, I asked Katie for more detail on what we should be doing to prep our faces for Zoom calls. In short, both men and women can do themselves a favor by grabbing a tinted moisturizer or complexion correcting cream, some concealer, and translucent powder.

For further glitz, we're looking at bronzer, cream blush, mascara, and a soft kohl pencil:

Video calls can make your face look flat, so it is important to add color and definition to your features. Take a break from foundation, and try just using a tinted moisturizer or CC cream. Great for both men and women, they help even out skin tone. Then, you can just go in with a little concealer where needed.

This much I can probably handle. If I wanted to get further involved in face artistry?

I would recommend using a bronzer around the edges of your face, your cheeks, and a little on the bridge of your nose (think where the sun would hit). This will give your face dimension and stop you from looking washed out on screen. 

Color is important to help brighten your face on camera. A cream blush is a great way to give your cheeks a little flush but can also be used on the lips and eyelids. Using one color on multiple areas of your face can really brighten your appearance and bring a look together. Cream products are quick to apply, and easy to top up during the day.

Try curling your lashes and adding a decent amount of mascara. This is a quick and easy way to open and define your eyes.

Ok. That sounds (just about) doable. Anything we should be avoiding? 

Don’t be afraid of a little shine; this can stop your face from looking flat. Use a small amount of translucent powder rather than setting your whole face, and only apply it where needed: T-zone, under your eyes, any areas you don’t want to draw attention to. 

Steer away from dark eyes or lips, as this can make your features look smaller on screen. Go easy with kohl pencils. Use the smallest amount possible and then smudge out; you don’t want a hard line.

In terms of how and when to apply makeup, Katie has some easy to follow recommendations: 

Do your makeup in natural light in front of a window, but then do final checks on your screen before the call. Keep your powder and cream blush next to you. Check your appearance on screen before a call, and add a little more where needed." 

My favorite bit of advice of all is something we could all do with remembering every day:

Remember, confidence is key. If you feel fabulous, you will look fabulous!

Pimp Your Technical Setup 

The first part is to check the internet connection in the room you're planning to use for video calls. There's no point in creating a professional and elegant corner of your house, only to find that the signal is too weak to make video calls from there. If you have a Mac, you can check how your room is going to look by opening the Photo Booth app, which will show you pretty much what will be in your Zoom or Skype window. 

If you have no hope of creating a smart environment in your home, opt for a virtual background instead. See the system requirements you'll need, or you can use a green screen. I tested it with a wall that happened to be painted green, and that worked fine too. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zq-b51A3dA

Dave Pond has some excellent advice on how to create the ideal setup for your Zoom calls. 

Choose the right room (think good acoustics, away from kids and pets — I have to say, this is advice I’ve found impossible to follow), improve the lighting, and raise your laptop up from the table. 

Smarten Your WFH Environment 

It goes without saying you need to choose somewhere other than your bed or the bathroom! If your home isn't quite the look you'd like to present to your coworkers, take some guidance from interior designers. 

Apartment Therapy has a great blog post on improving the look of your home in only 10 minutes — advice you can apply even faster to just one little corner of your home. Declutter, add plants, move furniture farther apart, and you'll have a little haven to work from before you know it. 

So, there you have it; you're ready for a video call! How are you finding it making video calls? Are you prepping yourself or taking a more rough-and-ready approach?