6 Tips For Better Makeup for Headshots

1- Pre-Shoot Moisturizer

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!  Hydrated skin looks great on the camera when getting headshots taken.  However, many men don’t know about this routine.  This is pretty common for women but men might not have their own lotions, so share ladies. Also, drink plenty of water so that your skin is good and hydrated and looks its best on camera

2-Finding Your Makeup Artist (MUA)

While there are LOTS of people out there that love to do makeup and apply makeup.  It takes a little more than that to be a makeup artist.  Ensure that your makeup artists know and understand what a natural look might be.  Be sure to ask them questions about the experience.  Remind them that you want a natural look.  Most makeup artists typically want to apply too much makeup to give you that natural look.  When getting your make-up ready you want someone that is used to the camera.  As this is different than in person, the camera can pull out flaws and such that an experienced makeup artist would catch.  Hygiene is important – so ensure they’re using clean/new products and application techniques!

Also, setting up a trial run for your choice in makeup artists is a good idea.  You might not be able to do the whole professional shoot, but if you get one chance, this is a great way to see what they can do for you.

For headshots and portraits in our studio, we recommend Anjel Webster. We can book her directly for you, when you book an Executive Session.

3-Skin Types And Foundations

Every skin type looks better with certain types of foundations. However, most people use liquid foundation as it goes on very flawlessly for most.  Some use powder, but be careful as you want your skin to be hydrated on photo day. Also, powder can very easily become caked and doesn't look good on our high-resolution cameras. BB creams are usually the way to go.

4-Eyebrows

While we all have them, we thought it was worth the mention in our tips for natural makeup for the headshots because eyebrows can be tricky.  Some of us were blessed in this department and others, more often, were not.  Get those brows looking their best with a little help. This could mean going to an aesthetician to get them tweezed and shaped or buying an eyebrow pencil to fill them in. If you have or get your eyebrows microbalded, make sure they are fully healed before your headshot or portrait session.

5-Get Those Lips On Point

Your lips should be left as natural as possible.  This means lip balm for men and lip gloss for the ladies.  However, there are some things that you shouldn’t do when preparing for natural makeup.  You should not use a lip liner or extend the pigment past the edge of your lips, this will show up and look horrible on camera.  Overlining your lips may work in your day to day – but let’s keep it simple for your headshots.

6-Last But Not Least Your Eyes

When looking for tips for natural makeup for headshots, we certainly cannot leave out the eyes.  Your eyes are super important for a good headshot. You want them to pop and sparkle but have that natural look all at the same time.  Try to go with your natural lashes, as fake lashes will look, well, fake.  Use nude tone eyeshadow and stay away from brilliant colors.  You can go crazy if that’s part of your personal branding – but a professional headshot should use makeup to enhance, but not overwhelm your own features.

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