Australia is opening up shops, workplaces, and other public spaces in varying degrees once again. However, officials in Victoria have opted to prolong their state of emergency and to continue with lockdowns due to a spike in cases. For months now, the pandemic has forced many people to work from home in order to abide by social distancing measures, and as a result, people have found somewhat of a support group online as a slew of articles have emerged on practicing self-care these days.

One prominent tip that arises time and time again for professionals working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic is to get dressed as you normally would for work. Although it may seem like a waste of time and energy, making the effort to dress up and perhaps wash and fix up your face could actually improve both your focus and mindset. This tricks you into getting in the mood for work and meetings, and actually helps draw the line between office hours and home life.

While you don’t have to pull out all the stops, here are some easy makeup looks to get you ready for online meetings:

"No makeup” makeup

If you’re just after an I woke up like this, “no makeup” makeup look, the idea is to look after your skin, first and foremost. Stick to your standard skincare routine, but don’t forgo the fact that you still need to wear sunscreen indoors. Blue light emitted from your computer screens may still be harmful to your skin. Dermatologist Michele Farber warns that this could cause wrinkles, collagen damage, and changes in laxity and pigment. Once you’ve taken the necessary precautions to care for and safeguard your skin, you can continue to even out your complexion for a natural look with some CC cream, tinted moisturiser, and concealer. This is as fresh-faced as it gets.

A bold lip

As we wrote previously on winter trends, statement lips are in. Makeup artist Bec Hiriaki has walked readers through achieving this look which immediately gives off the impression that you made an effort with your appearance. With some slight brow definition to frame your face, contoured eyelids from the same palette, a touch of eyeliner and mascara to make your eyes stand out, you can top off the look with your favourite strong shade of lipstick. If you’re in a hurry, however, you can easily just swipe on a bold colour to look effortlessly chic and put together. If you have your reservations, you don’t need to worry about the look being too dramatic – it’s just like an accessory to complement your appearance. To avoid dry and cracked lips, make sure you incorporate exfoliating this area into your skincare routine as well.

A radiant, elevated look

You might have already had your go-to makeup routine for the office, and the good news is that this can still hold true with some minor adjustments. If you’re partial to black eyeliner, celebrity makeup artist Carl Ray says it’s advisable to swap this out for a lighter colour like brown or grey to avoid looking too dark on camera. You’ll want to implement this same method for the rest of your routine. Apply just enough bronzer to contour your cheeks, some cheek tint for colour, a single layer of mascara, and fill in your brows. You can retire some of your highlighter and other sparkly products for now, as these can give off an overly shiny residue on camera. Instead, finish it all off with some translucent powder to complete your radiant and elevated look.

Doing your makeup for online meetings isn’t just about looking good. As you incorporate this into your daily routine, you might even realise that it makes you feel good as well – which is even more important as online meetings seem interminable.