Go make-up free on Zoom and still hide your blemishes

If you’re prone to acne, you’ll know that wearing make-up can make you look and feel great but piling on concealer often makes your spots worse. Foundation and concealer can clog your pores, increase bacteria on your skin and lead to yet more spots. So, is there a way around it?

In normal life, it’s a tricky conundrum, especially at this time of year, when it’s common to start breaking out. But, with so many of us working from home, it does come with a certain advantage.

You can sit at your laptop with spot cream on your face all day and no one will ever know. That is until it comes to your daily Zoom call. Instead of coating your face in make-up before every meeting, there are some simple tricks that will hide your blemishes during video calls, so you can let your breakout settle down, without feeling self-conscious.

• Change your lighting angle

When using a laptop, if you face a light source (such as a window or lamp) the light usually reflects off your skin on-screen, making it appear brighter and blurring out your blemishes. If the light is behind you, you will normally find your blemishes are more visible, as the light is going directly into the camera.

When you’re using a phone, it’s normally the other way around, so it’s better to have the light behind you to minimise your spots. The reasons behind this are complex, but normally it’s because most phone cameras are much higher quality than laptop cameras.

• Move further away from your camera

This might seem like an obvious one, but some extra distance between you and your camera might be all you need to minimize your blemishes. Try pushing your laptop to the far end of your desk and moving your chair back a little or holding your phone at arm’s length.

• Change your posture

A simple postural change can hide a whole multitude of facial blemishes, without the need to reach for your foundation. If one side of your face is more affected than the other, try sitting with your face tilted slightly to one side. You can also use a casual hand placed under your chin to hide a breakout or use your hair to cover it. Just be careful to use this technique sensibly – you don’t want your boss emailing you after a Zoom asking why you had your hand over your nose for the whole meeting!

• Use a laptop, not a phone

As I mentioned before, laptop cameras are generally much worse quality than those on your phone, meaning it won’t show your skin in such high definition. This simple trick can make a massive difference, especially when you face the light.

• Use artificial lighting

Although we all know natural light is usually the most flattering, there are several advantages to ditching the daylight when you’re not wearing make-up. Firstly, it allows you more control over where you place your lighting, and you can easily experiment with where your skin looks best. It also means you can reduce the lighting in your room. For example, half close your curtains, then use a lamp to find the right balance between light and shadow to blur any imperfections you want to hide.

The trick with finding the right lighting on zoom is trial and error, so you can find what works best for you, as everyone’s devices and set-ups are different. These tips should be a good place to start and help you find a way to video chat with confidence, while letting your skin breathe at the same time.