7 Makeup Tricks That’ll Make You Look Better in Photos
Photo: Getty.
Between selfies, Instagrams, and yearbook pics, you may have noticed this common theme: what the camera picks up on is not always the same as what’s going on IRL. And while this statement is true in many ways, we’re referring specifically to makeup here, which can sometimes refuse to play along with the lens.
To clarify, we are not advocating that anyone attempt a whole new application of makeup just for photos. Here’s what we did want to investigate, though: the art of tweaking elements of your routine so that they read accurately on-camera.
“Your makeup in photos is dependent on lighting,” explains Beau Nelson, whose celeb clients include Odeya Rush and Kristen Stewart. “Soft, even light is the most flattering. Flash — or hard, direct lighting — can also be flattering, but will wash you out slightly.” It goes without saying that plotting ways to control your surrounding light sources is highly counterproductive, so instead, we found it far more useful to decode the professionals' tricks to befriending any lens, regardless of the lighting situation.
How to begin? It’s actually not all that different from your existing routine. Troy Surratt — who has made up Adele, the Olsen twins, and the Kardashian sisters — sums up his photo-ready makeup strategy as “adding a bit of definition to each point of your face,” from brows to lashes to lips. “When the flash pops, you’ll have a bit of added definition to each feature,” he says.
Below, Troy and Beau break down their picture-perfect tips in detail.
1. The sheerer the better. One of the biggest things photography tends to pick up on is the smoothness of your base makeup. To keep your foundation looking seamless from face to neck, simply dial everything back. “Use a sheer foundation formula only where needed,” says Troy, who recommends applying Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer with a Beautyblender. “Start in the center of the face where redness occurs the most. Blend over the tip of the nose, surrounding the nostrils, the tip of the chin, and any breakouts or areas of the cheeks that may be ruddy.” The best part of keeping your foundation minimal is that it will wear more comfortably on the face—all while ensuring you won’t have any visible lines of demarcation.
Related: 10 Cool Ways Your iPhone Can Transform Your Beauty Routine
2. Make “matte love” your new motto. “Generally, semi matte skin is the safest option for photography,” advises Beau. “It won’t be overly shiny, but it won’t look flat and unrealistic either.” This philosophy applies to the rest of your makeup as well: “I find mixing textures is the best way to create attention-catching eyes. Try layering a matte shade under a metallic one for a duochrome effect in photography.”
3. Silica who? Ever noticed that powders that look invisible in the mirror read as all-too-visible on camera? It’s all thanks to an ingredient called silica, which has a tendency to flash out and read white. “You want to avoid powders that are 100% silica,” says Troy. “Powders with high silica content are really enticing because they feel beautiful to the touch, but the thing is that they flash out white.” To eliminate excess shine, his go-to is a light dusting of Surratt Diaphane Loose Powder in Matte, which will set your makeup (and keep you shine-free) without blowing out in pictures.
4. Brighten and bronze. “A camera’s flash will create a burst of light that can wash out the complexion,” warns Troy. “If you’re using flash photography, you might want to use a brighter color. When the flash pops, it can diminish more subtle blush tones.” His go-to product for playing up cheeks is the Surratt Artistique Blush in shades of pink or tangerine. As for bronzer, it helps bring warmth back to your face — to counteract the potential washing-out effect of flash photography.
5. Pick a side. According to Beau, eye makeup looks best on film when you stick to one of two looks: super blended or super precise. “For a blended smoky eye, apply as normal, and then use a soft clean brush to diffuse edges,” he says. “Take your time to do this, as it makes all the difference. For a harder edge, apply liner and then try using a flat, stiff brush like the MAC #212 dipped in Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover to sharpen the tail. Remove any excess in one clean, quick motion. You can dust a very small amount of powder near the edge of the liner, just to make sure it’s set.”
6. Draw the line. Lip liner has the potential to look overly harsh in photos, but Troy’s best trick involves using a lip pencil that matches the natural tone of your mouth. “This allows you to fudge the shape of the lip a bit, enhance the outermost edge, and make lips look full and pouty,” he explains. “I’ll use a lip-tone pencil regardless of the color of the lip product, from barely-there nude lips to bold red. It’s more modern to use this single shade regardless of the lipstick color.” (Formula of choice when it comes to photography? Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick.)
7. Lighten up! How your brows look IRL is usually a good indication of how they’ll look in photos, so there’s no need to exaggerate them. “Using eyeshadow in a tone one shade lighter than your hair color is an ideal way to make brows stand out without looking too dark,” says Beau. “I also like to use a shadow with a very subtle sheen, so that brows don’t look too flat. Look for something in a satin finish as opposed to a matte and use the Smashbox Angle Brow Brush to apply.” The final, cool trick he taught us? Create an ombre effect by going one shade darker at the tail end of the brow, while keeping the first two thirds lighter. “It really helps define your brows without looking too obvious,” he says.
This story originally appeared on Teen Vogue.
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