5 Makeup Tricks That Make You Look Amazing in Photos
If there’s one thing your camera roll has no shortage of, it’s selfies. For every photo posted online, hundreds often need to be taken.
Whether it’s to document your outfit of the day or attend a zoom meeting with your team, there’s no shame in wanting to look your very best. Whether that best involves a makeup trick or five is irrelevant.
Besides, our tips are more along the lines of using some of the photo-friendliest foundations than killing an animal to look your best, so there’s nothing to be guilty or ashamed of. So without further ado, here are some tried-and-tested methods for amping up the glam on those home photo sessions.
5 Cheat Codes for Looking Your Best in Photos
Take picture-perfect to the next level by implementing the following tips and tricks for flawless makeup:
1. Skin Texture Reduction
Where the camera is concerned, less is sometimes more. Makeup translates differently in photos than in real life, so the key is to achieve smooth and flawless makeup that suits the former.
More often than not, this involves using brushes for distributing makeup. In particular, fan brushes distribute products evenly over the skin and prevent the spread of oil and bacteria better than fingertips.
What makes these brushes a selling point for the selfie makeup artist is their ability to spread things out and reduce the overall texture of the makeup. It used to be that photography makeup was applied thicker and heavier, but that has since changed due to today’s cameras.
Modern cameras are designed to amplify every bit of texture, so what you see on print is intensified several-fold. Stick to lightweight and delicate instead of full-on and heavy, and you shouldn’t have to worry about appearing like a clown in your photos. A glamorous clown, yes, but a clown nonetheless.
2. Highlighter and Brush Over Heavy Contour
Expert contouring can look amazing in person, but it may not be nearly as impressive in photos. The camera has a way of enhancing the appearance of density loss from hollowed-out cheeks, which can look weird on print. Opt for clever highlighting using peachy-toned blushes to look more natural and less haunting when taking snaps.
A blush palette set with a range of colors is your best bet for this particular process. It allows you to sculpt and enhance without creating a too-intense look that removes from the photo’s beauty. While some of your audiences or followers might be partial to that dark and unusual look, most would be interested in seeing something wearable and bright.
3. Rethink Your Skin Care
Skincare is key to flawless makeup application. However, it may need a bit of a twist to achieve a flawless photo finish. Instead of SPF coming last, apply it first, followed by translucent powder, setting spray, primer, foundation, and concealer.
If you think that sounds like the process done in reverse, that’s because it is. However, it’s also been proven to work.
When you set your makeup before applying, you make it look smoother and keep it on longer without necessarily baking the skin. Baking may make you look great in person, but it can dull the complexion and add heaviness to texture in photos.
4. Amp Up the Color
You’re advised to tone the texture down when taking photos, but the opposite route may be recommended for color. Flash photography easily washes out light blush and eyeshadow. If you take a closeup snap in front of a strong flash, more intense colors compensate for the brightness that may wash you out.
In that way, you maintain the drama you’re aiming for in your photos. Don’t hesitate to go for bold makeup when faced with bright lights.
5. Aim for Soft Lashes and Brows
The little details matter. Those tiny clumps of mascara and stenciled brows have nowhere to hide in closeup snaps. Aim for a more natural definition to achieve a great brow-and-lash combo and steer clear of heavy retouching.
The brown pen’s precision should help you nail this look better than other products. It’s designed to produce those tiny and natural strokes you love in your brows and lashes.
Some brushes allow you to paint your lower lashes without clumping up the mascara. Incorporate these items into your daily makeup routine to produce thick and clump-free lashes at all times.
The Eyes Are the Windows to the Soul
It pays to play up the eyes when piecing together a look for the camera. Of all the facial features, the eyes tend to capture a viewer’s attention the most. Sometimes, the eyes communicate everything the photo wants to say. Luckily, tons of makeup products make those orbs as expressive as ever. Even when you fail in the other elements, nailing the eyes might still allow you to deliver a winning photo.
