Okay! You’re all booked for your photoshoot. What next? If you’re looking to treat yourself or it’s a
particularly important session, consider getting your make up done professionally. Often times, it’s not
in budget, don’t have time or any other reason professional make up is not realistic for you at this time,
you’ll need to do it yourself.

Why does your make up look different in photos?

1. Lighting: Studio lighting and indoor lighting in general can be harsher and brighter than natural
   daylight, this often washes out your skin. So you might need to adjust your makeup to bring out
   certain features.
2. Skincare: If your skin isn’t moisturized, it can pull moisture from your makeup, like cream blush.
   This will give you more of a dry, cakey appearance. You should prep your skin with a moisturizer
   before applying makeup.
3. Foundation: You should use a foundation that matches your jawline to create a cohesive look
   between your face and neck. Tinted moisturizers are often not enough for photos as they might
   not give you the smooth, even finish you want in photos.
4. SPF ingredients: Some ingredients in your concealer or foundation, like zinc oxide and titanium
   oxide, can cause a white cast under your eyes in photos. This is because these ingredients
   deflect sunlight to protect you from sun damage.

Tips for doing your make up yourself for a photoshoot:

1. Apply make up in Natural light: applying your make up in a room full of natural light will give
   you a better overall view of your face and the coloring and blending. A room with no natural
   light and only overhead light will cast different shadows and make it harder to check to make
   sure everything is even and blended properly.
2. Apply Moisturizer: This is always the first step. Moisturizer will help keep your makeup from
   looking dry and cakey. Give it a few minutes to absorb before applying primer.
3. Use a primer: Using a primer will help give your make up a better base to work on. Primer will
   even out your skin tone and cover pores. It will give your make up a better, smooth finish and
   will also extend the life of your make up.
4. Use full foundation: Tinted moisturizer is generally not enough to give you a smooth even look
   in a photo. If you can avoid something with a built in SPF that’s best as those tend to give a less
   natural finish under photo lighting. Be sure to blend your lines so you do not have harsh lines at
   your jawline or hairline.
5. Contour and highlight: If you feel up for it, using contour and highlight can really help your face
   not have a washed-out appearance and show the definition in your face. Many people do not
   do this on a regular basis so it can be a big overwhelming. If you are one who does not, I
   recommend practicing prior to the photoshoot day. Here is an article about applying contour:
   https://www.byrdie.com/how-to-contour-5208308
6. Eye Make up: Be sure to use eye make up that compliments your eye color. Using three colors
   (a neutral, a darker shade, and a highlighter) will make your eyes appear brighter and larger in
   pictures. Apply a neutral shadow over the lid will even things out, darker shadow in the crease
   and outer corner will make your eyes pop, and highlighter at the inner corner and on the brow
   bone will brighten up the darker areas of the eye.
7. Avoid make up with shimmer: Shimmer will reflect light back to the camera and not give you
   the look you are wanting. Go for matte finish make up (including eye shadow, foundation,
   highlight etc)
8. Skip nude lip color: You do not have to have a bold lip color, if you prefer natural looks. Make
   sure you pick something close to your natural lip color but a shade or two darker so it will stand
   out but stay natural.

I also always suggest watching a YouTube video or two if you are not a big make up person or consider
getting your make up professionally done if you are uncomfortable doing it or it is causing you stress.
You want to be excited about your photo session, not stressed!