Have you been on a video call recently and thought, wow, this camera highlights my blemishes or wow this camera makes my skin tone look sickly pale? You are not the only one.
Now, of course lighting has a lot to do with how we look on video. However, I found it is a lot easier and faster to put on makeup than control the sunshine coming through my windows. The other option we have is to invest in high tech lighting and arrange the lighting near our at home work desk, just right. Once we have the lighting setup just right, we look healthy on camera (not pale) but are limited to that one location. If you are anything like me nothing is more demotivating than taking every call in the exact same spot every day for every meeting.
So, until I gain the power to control sunlight and clouds, I use a 5 minute makeup routine that takes no skill. When I say no skill I assure you there is nothing to fear. In the past, when I tried to put makeup on for special events it took me hours. Not only did it take me hours but by the time I finished, sometimes I looked like I had bruises all over my face, and I had to wash it all off. So, I mean this when I say it, you need no skill for this 5 minute makeup routine, this makeup tutorial is perfect for beginners.
Personally, I always thought I looked ok without makeup on. I would only take the time to put makeup on for special occasions. Then I started working from home, and had to be on video calls for 2-7 hours a day. What a difference, on video my skin looked so pale, it looked like I was sick and all the color had been drained from my face.
This is when I created TheGirlNinja Easy 5 Minute Makeup Tutorial for Virtual Meetings and Meet Ups. Whether it’s done first thing in the morning or in between items on your to do list, this makeup routine is done in a matter of minutes. So stop questioning yourself and go into your virtual meetings with confidence using TheGirlNinja Easy 5 Minute Makeup Tutorial.
The makeup products I have chosen for the easy 5 minute makeup tutorial are key to keeping this routine down to less than 5 minutes. In particular, the 5 minute makeup tutorial uses smudge products for foundation and blush to keep the time needed to apply the makeup down to less than 5 minutes. Not only are the foundation and blush, smudge products as opposed to powder or liquid, but they also have very large application tips. The large application tips allow you to cover more space in one swipe than smaller application tips.
Another time saver included in the makeup products for the easy 5 minute makeup tutorial is a blush product that can also be used for lipstick. After applying a foundation, lipstick, and blush the easy 5 minute makeup routine ends with applying mascara. I particularly like wearing mascara, but mascara is not a need to make your skin look alive and healthy for virtual calls.
Mascara can be tricky to put on especially when applying it quickly, so if you are uncomfortable about using mascara leave it out of your routine. The biggest problem users experience when applying mascara is smudging on the skin around your lashes. If that is your main concern try having a damp Q-tip handy to gently wipe away the smudged mascara as you apply the mascara.
Another factor to take into consideration during your makeup routine are brands. If you try a brand and it results in a rash or acne breakout, switch brands. I will share the brands I use for my makeup routine, but know that you should use the makeup brand that works best for your skin. If you are not certain about what works best for you, plan to try a couple brands before making a final decision.
Easy 5 Minute Makeup Tutorial
The 3 Products you will need include the following
(The links provided below are to the products I use for my personal 5 minute makeup routine, be sure to select the brand and color best for your skin)
A Foundation Stick, Lip & Cheek Stick, and Mascara if you want mascara
Step 1) Foundation
a) Make wide smears of your foundation under both of your eyes as well as across your chin (starting about 2 inches out from one side of your chin and wiping to about 2 inches past the opposite side of your chin). Then make a thin smear down the tip of your nose and around the sides of each nostril going down to the area between your lip and nose. The last smears that you will make will be medium/wide and start between your eyebrows, and then arch over your eyebrows across your forehead and down the side of your face to your cheekbone. That last smear will look like a giant letter M when you are done.
b) Once all foundation lines are made use your fingers to evenly spread the smudged lines all over your face. Once all your foundation is evenly smeared on your face you are done with foundation and can move onto your lipstick and blush.
Step 2) Lipstick & Blush
a) With your lip and cheek stick first apply the tip to your lips evenly, and then create a wide line starting on your check bone under the middle of your eye, and drawing the smeared line up your cheekbone and just past the corner of your eye. Then create the same smear on the opposite cheekbone.
b) Once blush smears are made on both cheekbones use your fingers to evenly smudge the blush along your cheekbone.
Step 3) Mascara
a) Untwist the lid to your mascara and wipe any excess mascara onto the rim of the open mascara tube. Then gently run the mascara brush from the roots of your top lashes to the tips of your top lashes. You will have to repeat brushing your top lashes until you have made it from one side of your eyelid to the other side of your eyelid. Once you finish the top lashes for one eye, rewet your mascara brush if needed, then move over to your other eye and repeat brushing top lashes from roots to tips.
b) After your top lashes are done rewet your mascara brush if needed and drag a side of your mascara brush the tips of your bottom eyelashes. Move your mascara brush back and forth over your bottom eyelash tips until you like the amount of mascara on your bottom eyelashes. Once you have completed your bottom lashes for one eye, rotate your mascara brush so the opposite side of the brush is facing towards the eyelashes without mascara. Now you will repeat the back and forth movement with your mascara brush across the eyelash tips of your other eye.
What if you only have 30 seconds to a minute to apply your makeup?
You are not alone, between all the interruptions from family, work, housework, and other responsibilities it is very common to only have 30 seconds to a minute at a time to put on makeup. If 30 seconds is all you have, try only applying foundation to see how big of a difference that creates. Honestly, with the right foundation I feel twice as more confident on video calls than if I had not applied foundation.
Another makeup tip for beginners that we can use if we have limited time is to stagger the makeup routine. Before we all started to work from home due to the pandemic I would carry the foundation, blush, and mascara in my purse and apply each separately whenever I had 30 seconds. This staggered approach can also be used working from home.
The staggered makeup routine working from home goes something like this, in the morning before work you apply foundation. Then, in between meetings or waiting for colleagues to join meetings you apply blush, the blush application takes 30 seconds or less. If you want to apply mascara, just wait until you have a minute or two, applying mascara takes a little bit longer than blush.
That is it, you are done, and ready to join virtual calls with confidence. The more and more you use the easy 5 minute makeup tutorial the faster you will get at it. Let’s embrace our work from home life with confidence in all our virtual calls, meetings, and meet ups.
