Makeup: Looking Good On Camera [Tips n' tricks!]

By Vera Tov

Vera is a certified makeup artist based in New York. A graduate of a protégées Make Up Designory school (MUD). Vera has all of the necessary skills and tools to create an unique and fresh look for any occasion. Vera’s ability to realize the client's vision, re-create a look from a photograph or film, or develop a unique look, camouflaging imperfections while enhancing the natural beauty is truly unsurpassed.

In Vera's words: 

My makeup had been confiscated on more than one occasion in High School. How could the teachers not understand the fact that a mirror compact was an extension of my arm, and eyeliner – a wand, without which I felt powerless. Silly, of course, I know. Well, I was a teenager then, and now…I feel the same exact way now!

Win a FREE MAKEOVER! 

Welcome Vera by commenting on our Facebook post 

and be included in a drawing to get your makeup

 done—for an event, for fun...for free! 

Looking Good on Camera

Here are some of the tips to help you look your best in photos! 

First of all, and this is from personal experience, regardless of how the photographer tells you to pose, make sure you take photos in your most flattering pose. Practice in front of the mirror to find whether you look best facing forward, with your face slightly to the side, with chin raised…you get the idea. It’s also a good idea to have someone take multiple snap shots, because it’s sometimes difficult to judge how you’re going to come out on camera based on your reflection in the mirror. Also, as your mother has told you – Don’t slouch!

Say “Cheese!"— NONSENSE! You don’t need to bare your teeth if you don’t feel it makes you look your best. It’s up to you. If you prefer the mysterious Mona Lisa half-smile, then that’s how you should be photographed.

 Keep your hair away from your eyes. It is not a flattering look on anyone. Enough said.

And now – the makeup!

• Because bright lights and flash can make you look washed out, go for shades slightly darker and more saturated than you normally would. That means foundation that’s just a bit darker (make sure it’s blended well into your neck), brighter blush, and lip color.

• Foundation is such a broad topic that I will have to dedicate a separate post to choosing the correct match, coverage, finish, as well as proper application techniques.

• Shiny t-zone is not pretty. Make sure to keep your face matte with a light application of powder. But if you feel that your face is getting oily or sweaty, take a plain tissue (not the soft, lotion kind), and hold it to your forehead, nose, and chin. Don’t press, because you want the tissue to absorb the moisture, not the makeup)

• You want your eyes to look well defined in photos, so make sure to wear black eyeliner and an extra coat of mascara. And false lashes are a plus. But if you’ve never used them, don’t try to apply them for the first time before being photographed.
  
  
• Don’t use your eyeliner on the waterline, or the inner rim of your eyes, because it will make them look smaller.
  
  
• Stay away from shimmer as much as possible. When used incorrectly, shimmery makeup will age you. The only place you can use shimmer is just a touch of it in the inner corners of your eyes.
  
  
  
  

Example of a shiny t-zone. It’s even more visible on camera than in person.

I have to admit that Natalie looks perfect in any makeup and in any pose. However, few tips that we can take from this photo are that her face is neither shiny nor shimmery. Her makeup is quite natural, and yet her features appear defined. Finally, her cheeks are rosy enough to look healthy but not overpowering.