Makeup for photography is very different than everyday makeup and we strongly encourage you to seek the help of a professional makeup artist for your personal photoshoot to protect your investment in photography. Here are just some of the reasons…

• A pro has a really big makeup bag and knows exactly what products to use and for your photoshoot and what products to leave in the bag
• A pro knows how to best match your skin tone and select colors to highlight your cheeks, lips and eyes
• A pro is an expert in contouring and applying makeup for the best effect
• A pro will create a foundation that will last throughout your photoshoot and then some

Makeup issues are the most common problems for seniors not looking their best for their pictures and we see the consequences of not hiring a professional too often. Some of the most common problems we see are

• Shiny Skin
  Both natural and artificial lighting used in photography makes shiny skin look even shinier. Some girls get shiny during their shoot because their makeup didn’t hold up under the heat and humidity. Some girls arrive to their shoot shiny because their makeup either failed to get their natural shine under control or actually made them shinier. Many makeup products contain sunscreen, talc, or minerals designed to reflect light and will actually enhance your shine. These products use seductive words like radiant, illuminating, shimmering and girls are naturally like “yeah, I want some of that for my senior pics”. Buyer beware: (in general) shimmerring, glistening, glittery, illuminating = shiny = bad. A professional will know what products to use and how to use them to avoid shine and provide a matte foundation that will last throughout your photoshoot.
• Too Much Eye Liner
  Girls often use eye liner to accentuate their eyes, but some go overboard and achieve the opposite effect. Too much eye liner can make your eyes look smaller. The black lids block some light from reflecting into and illuminating your eyes and can make your eyes look darker. Finally too much eye liner, especially on your lower eye lids can make you look sleepy. Eye liner is a classic case of less is more.  A professional will know what kind, how much and where to apply eye liner to draw attention to your eyes without overdoing it.
• Lost Lips
  Having lip color that is too close to your skin color will make your lips look smaller in photos than they are real life. Some girls simply have pale lips that need the right color to stand out. Some girls have natural lip color that naturally stands out, but they use lip gloss that causes them to blend with their skin color. Sometimes tanning can make your lip color and skin color too close in tone and lips get lost in photos. A professional will analyze your situation and select lip colors that will work best for you.
• Make-up Counter Blues
  Makeup counters in department stores have some good people working in them and you may just be lucky enough to find someone at a makeup counter who knows her photography makeup, but in most cases these adventures end up in disaster. Poorly matched foundation, light foundation that doesn’t even skin tones, weak foundation that doesn’t last, shiny makeup… You name it, we’ve seen it. Crap Shoot would seem like a great metaphor to use to describe going to the make counter before your photoshoot. That is if you had several photoshoots planned and you only needed one of them to be good for your senior pictures to be a success. Russian Roulette might be a better metaphore, but in that game of chance you only have one in six odds of things going horribly wrong. You get the point. Going to a makeup counter is a really, really, really risky idea. Really!

If you insist on doing your own makeup, then here are some of the basic do’s and don’ts to avoid common makeup problems we see at photoshoots.

Photography Makeup Do’s

• Start with a clean face
• Use a good primer before your foundation to help smoothe your skin, make your foundation look better and last longer, and help to prevent shine.
• Use a concealer to cover skin discolorations and dark circles under your eyes
• Use a foundation with a matte finish and set your foundation with a matte powder to avoid a shiny appearance. Keep some powder with you throughout your photoshoot to keep that shine under control.
• Use matte or satin nautral shades on your eyes to make them stand out
• Use waterproof mascara (sweatproof mascara) if there is any chance you may sweat or do plan to get wet during your photoshoot. Since most girls have their senior pictures done during the summer months, chances are good you need waterprooof mascara.
• Use natural lip colors to enhance your existing lip tone. If your lips naturally stand out from your skin, you might want to stick with your current shade or a shade darker. If your natural lip color is very close to your skin color, then you might want to go a couple shades darker to make them stand out.

Photography Makeup Don’ts

• Mineral Makeup or any other makeup that makes you shine, glimmer, shimmer, illuminate, glisten, etc… Use products that produce matte finish that won’t make you shine under the lights or in the sun.
• Don’t overuse bronzer and definitely don’t use bronzer as a foundation – unless of course you are going for the head transplant look.
• Too much eyeliner will make your eyes look dark, small and can make you look sleepy. Ironically, it is the girls who want to highlight their eyes who make this mistake. Trust us – Less is More! Also, black eyeliner may be too harsh for girls with light hair and fair skin. Better to go with a color that is more brown and, again, go light when applying.
• Unnatural or trendy colors on your cheeks, eyes, and lips are more likely to make your pictures look dated and more likely to clash with some of your outfit choices.
• Lip Gloss falls into the Superbad category as it often makes your lips too shiny and often doesn’t do enough to make them a color that helps them to stand out from your skin.

Most of our seniors do their own hair and keep to styles they usually wear. Your usual style will best represent you at this point in your life and will usually work best in whatever variety of outfits, locations we plan for your photo shoot. Other suggestions…

• Avoid changing your hair style or getting a hair cut just before your photo shoot. Give yourself a week for your hair to grow in and get used to styling it.
• Bring a variety of hair accessories (e.g. pony holders, clips, hair bands, bows) to your photo shoot that you can use in case you need to keep your hair under control in the wind.
• Don’t forget a brush and or comb to keep your hair looking good throughout your shoot. You would be surprised how many seniors forget this.

• Hair & Makeup Recommendations 
  Common makeup failures, do's and don'ts, recommended professionals.
• Getting Your Look Down 
  Don't let your photo shoot be the first time you try non-smiling pictures.
• What to Wear for your Senior Pictures 
  Our 5 Big Rules for seniors and general recommendations for a variety of senior concepts
• Top Mistakes 
  Learn the top preventable mistakes senior make preparing for their photo shoots and how to avoid them. 
• Senior Photo Shoot Checklist 
  Never leave behind important items for your photo shoot 
• What if it Rains?
  How we handle weather-related issues so you have a great experience