Stop Regretting Your Holiday Photos: Makeup Tricks to Look Your Best on Camera

With the holiday season comes the need for countless photos documenting family time, parties and other occasions. Whether you have a shutterbug in your family or at your workplace, you may be nervous about unflattering photos. 

However, armed with these tips and tricks straight from professional makeup artists, you can put your fears aside.

Use Primer

Foundation primer is a must for photographic makeup because it smoothes out rough skin and fills in fine lines. In turn, your foundation will look smoother and more even on camera. For the best results, use a smoothing primer with a silky finish.

Shiseido Glow Enhancing Primer

Shiseido Glow Enhancing Primer enhances skin’s clarity with a silky smooth touch, leaving the skin supple and well-moisturized. Formulated with Shiseido's exclusive light technology, it optically transforms your skin into the ideal surface for diffusing light, creating a pure and clear finish. Suitable for various foundations.

Go Matte

Matte full-coverage foundation is the best kind for photographs because it does not reflect light. This factor eliminates the need to worry about overly white or reflective-looking skin in pictures.

Embryolisse Artist Secret Compact Foundation Cream SPF 20

Embryolisse Artist Secret Compact Foundation Cream SPF 20 is a surprising cream that turns into a powder when applied and sublimates your complexion with a natural, luminous and matte makeup effect. It is enriched with triple skincare ingredients of hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and SPF 20, in addition to light-reflecting pigments that blur fine lines and pores.

Use Shimmer Sparingly

Shimmery products such as lip gloss, eye shadow and highlighting powder can make you appear overly shiny and even sweaty in pictures. They can also make your face look larger than it is. Pick one area of your face to use shimmer, such as the lips, eyes or cheeks and stick with matte products for the rest of it.

LANCÔME Hypnôse Effortless 5 Eyeshadow Palette

  
LANCÔME Hypnôse Effortless 5 Eyeshadow Palette revolutionises the colour universe thanks to super-smart “Wet” technology that can apply both wet and dry for different intensity. It creates mesmerizing eyes with its subtle shimmer and saturated color.  

Contour Lightly

There is no better time to contour than for photographs. However, don't overdo it. Use a contour powder no more than two shades darker than your skin tone. Apply it along your jawline, temples, and on the sides of your nose. Once you are finished, dust off any excess product with a clean and fluffy brush.

Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder

Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder is a light bronzing powder with a unique combination of five shades warmed with subtly mixed golden particles for a delicate tan.
Endlessly adjustable, they ensure an incredibly natural result. The complexion is sunny, subtly iridescent, sheer and luminous.

Stick with a Neutral Theme

Holiday pictures are not the time to test out new makeup trends. Stick with a neutral and timeless theme such as a dark lip, smoky eye or cat eye. This doesn't mean that you need to sacrifice your individuality. If you have a signature look such as a bold lip, you can still flaunt it. Just be sure to keep the rest of your makeup to a minimum to balance it out.

Look your best in your upcoming holiday photos by following our techniques. As an added precaution, practice the look you want to achieve ahead of time and take a couple photos to see how it appears on camera. This way, you can be confident that you look your best when picture day rolls around.

Foundation Tips for Mature and Young Skin

Foundation is one of the most complex beauty products because of the wide variety of formulas, textures, and ways to apply it. However, there are easy ways to achieve that fresh, glowy finish no matter what your age is. Follow these 6 simple tips to do a perfect foundation: 

1. Prep Your Skin

The first rule to applying foundation is to make sure that your skin is well-hydrated. It helps foundation to glide on more smoothly. For mature skin, applying moisturizer beforehand will instantly plump up the skin and make fine lines less visible. Primer is a skippable step unless you have to minimize pores and correct redness, or if your makeup has to last through the day.

2. Choose the Right Foundation

Acne is a common skin problem, especially for younger people, but that doesn’t mean they cannot use foundation. Choose a product with labels such as "non-oily,” “hypoallergenic” and “noncomedogenic”, which does not irritate the skin and improves complexion at the same time. If you do not have acne problems, choose a foundation that caters for the needs of your skin, such as a hydrating or oil-controlling formula.

Nowadays, many foundations are formulated with anti-aging and face-lifting benefits, which are ideal for mature women. An important tip for choosing foundation is to pick according to seasons. In winter, you may need a cream foundation which is more moisturizing. In summer, skin tends to become oily and a light foundation or even a tinted moisturizer will do.

3. Find Your Shade

To find the perfect shade, test foundation on your jawline and check it in the daylight. If the color is correct, it should disappear without blending. You can ask a beauty adviser at a store to help you pick the perfect color. 

4. Apply It the Right Way

The best way to apply foundation is to blend thin layers into the skin. Take a dab of foundation and apply on the centre of the face, round the nose, mouth areas, chin and centre of the forehead, then blend it outward until it becomes thinner, which helps achieve a much more natural finish.

You may use fingers, a brush or a sponge to apply foundation, depending on the format of the foundation and coverage you want. For thinner foundations and a little coverage, use your fingers. For compact foundation, a sponge is preferred. To get an airbrushed look, use a brush or the Beautyblender Cosmetic Sponge, a cult favorite among the makeup pros.

5. Conceal after Foundation

Applying concealer after foundation can prevent using more concealer than you actually need. Choose a color that is one shade lighter than your skin, as too light will give a fake look. Use a small, pointy brush to cover the darkest part of under-eye circles, usually below the inner eye corners. Dab on a bit of concealer on other skin flaws or blemishes that aren’t covered by the foundation as well. 

6. Finish off with Loose Powder 

Use a translucent or light-reflecting loose powder which helps give a luminous touch and control shine. Pour some powder on the lid of the container and dip it with a powder blush. Tap the brush over the lid to remove any excess. Gently dust your face with the powder, starting from the forehead, down to the cheekbones, bridge of your nose, and the chin. 

Choosing the right foundation and applying it the right way are keys to getting that fresh, youthful glow. Do you have any secret tips in creating a flawless look? Let us know in the comments!