We’ve all been there.

You roll out of bed, rub the sleep from your eyes and climb into your smartest work leggings. With no meetings in your diary you might brush your teeth and/or hair but as far as personal grooming goes, that’s going to be it today…
Until your manager/friend/parent etc calls and says the magic words, “could we just jump into a Zoom meeting very quickly?”

We’ve all had to adapt to a different way of life in lockdown and learning how to do a swift face of make-up is certainly one of my skills. I’ve turned to certain products – mostly in stick form – that are easy to apply and I know will serve me well. Here are a few of my fast favourites. This isn’t a full face, just the products I use for speed.

These are mostly stick or cream-based products both for ease of use but also because there’s no kick-back or excess powder all over my clothes. And unless otherwise stated, all of these were purchased by me.

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Stick Foundation, £5.95, Beauty Bay

I think this is where my love of stick make-up started. I had used Wet N Wild years ago when it was basically for 13 year-olds. I gave this stick a shot because I was, as always, searching for a good colour match (a very difficult thing for my pale skin when shopping online) and didn’t want to fork out too much in case the shade didn’t work. But it did.

I mean, this isn’t going to be the ultimate best foundation in the whole world ever, but for £6 it’s really pretty good. I swipe across forehead, cheeks, chin and nose and then blend with a big brush. It also lasts for a while too. I might not choose this for a full eight hours at the office, but it’s now my go-to product for a day full of Zooms – I’ve just ordered my third.

Beauty Pie Wondercolour Longwear Cream Eyeshadow Stick in Pink Velvet, £22 (Member price, £4.10)

I’ve never had a Beauty Pie subscription so I can’t comment on if it’s good value or not – this was a birthday present from a friend. I love the colour, not too bright but it can be easily seen on video. Again just swipe over lids and buff out – I always wear with an eyeshadow primer but I do that with anything because of oily skin. I’ve also been using this three or four times a week and there’s still loads left so I would say great value for money. An effortless eye in very little time.

Makeup Revolution Eye Chrome in Dream, £6

Sometimes subtle isn’t going to cut it and I’ve really fancied a bit of glam on a deadline. I’ve developed a real love for cream eyeshadows in lockdown and this has become a favourite. I chose this colour because I have blue eyes and the bronzy-orangey colour is opposite on the colour wheel. I love this because by itself or with just a little extra you can create a really dramatic eye. The other thing is it’s nice and shimmery but not full of loose glitter. As a contact lens wearer I find glittery or shimmery eyeshadow will often work its way into my eyes so they’re very sore after just a couple of hours and that doesn’t happen with this shadow. I think that it’s a cream shadow instead of powder-based helps with that. At some point I’ll get around to giving the matt end a try!

ELF Monochromatic Multi-stick in Sparkling Rose, £4.50

Another present from a friend. This I use mainly as a blush because of course it’s easy to apply, but the shimmering effect adds a little more texture to my face over Zoom – catches the light etc. I’m not normally one for multi-use products but I love this on my lips too. Although the colour looks really dark in pictures it’s a nice, sheer shade in real life.

And finally…

La Roche-Posay Anti-Shine Sun Protection Invisible SPF50+ Face Mist, £14

Firstly, I think this product is eye-wateringly expensive for the size (75ml!) BUT it exactly fulfilled the brief of what I was looking for. A high-factor sunscreen that I could use after make-up. This is because I try to get outside for a walk at least once a day and that often means after I’ve applied make-up in a rush and without sunscreen. Sunscreen is one of the most effective ways to avoid aging so I’m passionate about it. You can barely feel this going on in the two seconds it takes to apply and you can’t see it on afterwards. I keep it by the door for a quick spray whenever I head out for my walk.