Above the Keyboard Dressing

Many of us will be spending a lot more time at home over the coming weeks, limiting contact with our friends, family and work colleagues to interactions using online technology and video calls. Our cameo area and communication zone will become even more important. Here are some tips on how to look your best while being viewed on screen.

How to be seen on screen

Keep it tidy! Make sure your hair is well groomed and styled and will stay put, off your face - any movements you have to make to sort out some unruly strays will appear exaggerated on screen and be distracting for your viewers. It will also frame your face and is a great way to express your personality.

Make up - shake up! We can sometimes look a little flat on screen even if we are wearing foundation, blusher and our lipstick. Try deepening your blusher by pinching your blusher brush and applying it a little darker directly under your cheekbones to give your face a little more structure.

WOW your lips! Wearing one of your best lipstickcolours will make all the difference to how visible you are on screen. Your skin will look fresher, even if you've not been outside for days and you feel like you have radiator face!

Take it under the chin! The area immediately below your face has a huge impact on how you are perceived by others. Make sure your scarves and jewellery are not only in your colours and best metals but are of great quality, reflect your personality and say what you want to other people.

Patternistas! Patterns can look a little busy on screen, so block colours can often work better. Definitely avoid small geometrics, such as dogtooth and checks, since these tend to pixilate on screen - no one will be listening to you if your best jacket is making your viewers look away to protect their eyes.

Techy tips for more visibility: Position your camera so that your face is in as much natural daylight as possible with your eyes in the top 1/3 of the screen. Look directly into the lens, not down (you'll have fewer chins, no one needs to see up your nostrils or feel like they are being looked down upon). Check your background - is it presenting you in a way you would like to be perceived? This is really key for work meetings - your colleagues don't need to see your bedroom, what's cooking, your bathroom (or worse). Smile as you talk, more than you would normally - it comes across as warm and engaging.

It's likely we'll be seeing our colleagues, friends and family for a more weeks via zoom and google hangouts, but by following these tips, we'll all look a little more camera ready as we get used to seeing everyone on screen for hopefully, not too long. 

Thank you to House of Colour for these online tips.