WCH Women by Claudia HungMake-up by Rhia Amio
I’ll be working with my friend triple threat Tina (that’s a lot of T’s!) tomorrow doing her make-up for a photoshoot. The photoshoot is for headshots for promotional use and for Tina’s website. In preparation for tomorrow’s shoot, we’ve been chatting back and forth on what the look should be. In that sense, make-up for headshots is very similar to bridal make-up – you want a natural and classic look, that still looks like you, but essentially your best-you. If a casting director decides to call you in, he/she will expect you to look as your headshot portrays you.
Here are some make-up tips to help get you picture perfect for that headshot (or even just as an easy everyday look!):
1. Groomed brows.
The power of a good brow should never be underestimated! A well-defined and well-kept brow frames the face, makes it look slimmer and also means you don’t have to wear as much eyeliner! Eyebrows that are too thin can make you look aged, while brows that are too thick can be distracting from your best features. Finding that happy medium? See this post for some brow-know-how.
2. Even out skin tone with foundation and concealer.
A photograph can tend to highlight and saturate any uneven tones in the skin (i.e. undereye circles, redness, etc.). For undereye circles, use a peach or a pink based concealer to lift the dark tone and then top it off with your skin tone matching concealer to blend it with the skin.
3. Set with powder and touch-up.
Set your foundation and concealer with powder to help keep it in place. Be prepared to powder the T-zone in case it gets shiny under hot studio lights.
4. Contour the cheekbones with a darker shaded powder and apply a peachy-pink blush for a healthy glow.
Use a contouring powder (or a shade of matte powder that’s 2-3 shades darker than your skin tone) and apply it just under the cheekbone to define the face. Blend well. Finish the cheeks off with some blush: a little blush adds contrast and helps to make sure you don’t look washed out in the finished photo. With blush, avoid shimmer textures and also blend well (blending…that’s key!).
5. Avoid heavy eyeliner and eyeshadow.
Heavy eye make-up can look dated, but ultimately it draws attention away from the overall picture and what should be the focus of the shot (you!). With heavy eye make-up, suddenly your photo can become ‘look at this nice make-up’ rather than ‘look at this pretty face’. To avoid being overpowered by eyeliner, keep any eyeliner thin and tight to the eye. You can even skip lining altogether, and instead simply push the eyeliner into the base of the lashes to define the lashline and make the lashes appear fuller. Use eyeshadow colours that closely match your skin tone and definitely avoid shimmery/frosty textures. Curl your eyelashes and apply two coats of mascara.
6. Keep the lips neutral and avoid colours that are too ‘unnatural’ looking.
A safe shade is always no more than 2 shades darker than your own colour. Apply your lip colour and add a hint of lip gloss to add dimension and a healthy shine to the lips.
Now, all you have to do is smile…because that’s always gorgeous! :)
