Rosie HW's Makeup Artist Shares a 5-Step Look That's Zoom Meeting–Approved
Welcome to Five or Fewer, a new Who What Wear series that brings you the best A-list beauty looks in five (or fewer!) easy-to-follow steps. To break down each hair or makeup look, we invite the industry's top beauty talent—such as Margot Robbie's hairstylist— to demonstrate an easy how-to on themselves or our US beauty editors, Erin Jahns and Courtney Higgs. Next up, celebrity makeup artist Nikki Wolff demonstrates a simple, five-step makeup tutorial that looks great for Zoom or FaceTime video conferencing. She originally gave the step-by-step via an Instagram takeover, but luckily we saved all the footage and took detailed notes in case you missed it. Keep scrolling for the gorgeous play-by-play and to shop the exact products Wolff uses to create the look.
Step 1: Use a Creamy, Long-Wearing Eye Shadow Stick
Wolff explains that since she started the tutorial with her foundation already applied, the first step is reaching for a creamy eye shadow stick (or even a kohl pencil—whatever you have on hand) that promises long, budge-proof wear. (Because no one wants migrating eye makeup mid-meeting, right?)
After applying your favourite foundation as you normally would, Wolff says to take your shadow stick (she likes the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Heather Steel—a deep grey-purple), and "sketch" it all along the outer part of the eye and into the lash line. Then, blend it out with a brush like Fenty Beauty's Precision Blending Eyeshadow Brush 230 (£20).
"Blend using soft, small strokes to achieve that subtle smokiness in the outer corners of the eyes," she instructs.
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Step 2: Add Eyeliner to Define Your Lashline
The next step? Creating extra definition around your lashline using eyeliner. Wolff prefers a liquid formula like the Dior Diorshow on Stage Liquid Eyeliner, but a normal eye pencil is totally fine too if you find liquid liners intimidating or tricky. (Remember: The point is for this look to feel fast and easy!)
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Step 3: Mascara for Voluminous Lashes
"I want lots of lashes for this look, so I'm going to use Dior's Pump 'n' Volume HD Mascara," says Wolff. "I'm really just going to layer it, trying to angle my inner lashes inward, my lashes in the middle straight up, and the lashes in my outer corner outward."
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Step 4: Apply Blush—More Than You Normally Would
"One thing you may have noticed if you've been doing any Zoom or FaceTime meetings is that you need a little bit more blush or bronzer than you might normally apply since the camera can easily wash you out," confirms Wolff.
"I'm going to take this beautiful shade from Tom Ford called Inhibition and just give a little bit more colour to my skin," Wolff says as she applies the powder formula with a brush and works it all along her cheekbones—from the apple to just below her temple.
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Step 5: Layer On a Nude Lip Gloss
Last but not least, lip gloss! Wolff recommends sticking to a flattering nude shade and loves this striking new hue from Dior.
Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.