
It is family photo season and today I am sharing how to apply makeup for photos. Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself and wondered why looked washed out, or like you are not wearing any makeup at all? In this blog post, I share my best makeup tips for family photos and a step-by-step makeup tutorial for looking camera ready, including the best foundation tips for photos. Whether it is a headshot or family photos, these tips and products will help you looking your best.
MAKEUP TUTORIAL FOR LOOKING GOOD IN PHOTOS
The first thing to keep in mind is that makeup for pictures is very different than your regular, everyday makeup. You can wear A LOT of makeup and have it look very natural in photos. On the other hand, if you wear your regular everyday makeup, it can look washed out and like you are not wearing any at all. There is definitely a balance to getting it right. You want to “amp” up your regular makeup and there are a few tricks to help you achieve this.
*PRO TIP: Set aside enough time to do this. There are extra steps involved and it will take longer than usual.

PERFECT YOUR BASE
For a flawless looking complexion, you want to make sure your perfect your base. This means prepping your skin for makeup. I recommend dermaplaning the day before. It is an easy process that can be done at home. Next, apply a good primer and let it soak in before doing anything else. I recommend applying primer and then moving on to your eye makeup. For photos, I use a full coverage base. My recommendation is to use a base that you know works well with your skin and apply it in thin layers with a damp beauty blender. I share my best tips for making makeup last here.
FOCUS ON THE EYES
This is where we will go the extra mile to make sure your eyes really pop. I share a complete tutorial for this look in my Instagram stories. Choose colors that complement your eye color. For my blue eyes, that would be gold and bronze tones. I also recommend amping up your liner and lashes and adding some flasies to really make your eyes pop. They look very natural in photos and really add oomph. It is easier to do than you think. Just give yourself enough time and don’t rush it. Here is a color chart to help you figure it out:

DON’T FORGET YOUR EYEBROWS
Also, let’s not forget the eyebrows. They are the picture frame to your face and need to be filled in in and defined to balance out the rest of your makeup. Again, this is the one occasion where you can be a bit more dramatic than usual, as it will look very natural in photos.

DEFINE YOUR FEATURES
After evening out your kintone with foundation, your face tends to look flat. Generally I am not a huge fan of contouring, but in photos, it becomes really important to take the extra time to contour, highlight and add blush to put some definition back into your face.
WEAR A LIPCOLOR WITH SOME POP

Wearing a nude lip color is a big no-no for photography. It can really wash you out in photos and make you look dead. That being said, if you don’t feel comfortable with a bright, bold lip, you can still wear a more neutral tone. Just make sure to stay away from anything muted. It needs to be a clear color that is darker than your normal lip color, if you ar are a neutral gal. I love these Maybelline Lip pencils for photos, as they last, are easy to apply and feel comfortable on the lips. There is one is every shade range. I filmed a whole tutorial for this look over on Instagram and you can watch it here:
PRODUCTS USED IN THE TUTORIAL

PRIMER |FOUNDATION | CONCEALER | EYE PRIMER | SHADOW PALETTE | SHADOW STICK | LIQUID LINER | EYEBROW PENCIL | LASHES | HIGHLIGHTER | BRONZER | BLUSH | LIPSTICK | LINER | SETTING POWDER | SETTING SPRAY
I hope this tutorial helped you and you will look your best in photos going forward.
XO,

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