YOUR GUIDE TO FLAWLESS MAKEUP FOR YOUR SAN FRANCISCO, CA SENIOR PICTURES
PLEASANTON, CA SENIOR PORTRAITS
When it comes to senior portrait sessions makeup can be a crucial component in how your photos turn out. When done well, it has the ability to enhance your features to make them pop, but when done poorly it can create a whole host of issues with your photos and not accentuate your natural beauty. That sounds like a lot of pressure for a handful of products that come in such tiny packages doesn't it? I promise it doesn’t need to be stressful! In this blog post I have a wealth of information and product suggestions to make you look flawless for your San Francisco Bay Area senior portrait session! Even if you don’t normally wear makeup or like to, I guarantee this post will have some valuable information to help you prepare for your session.
OPTION 1: GO TO THE PROFESSIONALS
SAN RAMON, CA SENIOR PICTURES
If it's in the budget, I always suggest my clients work with a professional and reputable makeup professional (MUA). You can find them via social media, references from friends, salons, or bridal and prom boutiques, or even bridal websites like The Knot. Find a MUA whose style you like. If you prefer a light hand and feel less is more when it comes to makeup, find a professional whose work represents that style. Communicate with your MUA to ensure you get the look you want for your session. You can go to Pinterest and create an inspo board of looks you are drawn to or do a search on social media or the web and save the images to a folder on your phone to share with your MUA. The benefit of going to a MUA is that they know how to apply makeup for today's super sharp cameras and lenses, use quality products that will properly match your skin tone, and have use to help your makeup stay on during your senior portrait session. An MUA also knows how to enhance your natural features so your beauty really pops and can expertly blend your makeup
HOW TO APPLY YOUR OWN MAKEUP
MENLO PARK, CA SENIOR PICTURES
For clients who are not interested in having an MUA do their makeup or if it is not in the budget I have lots of tips and product suggestions for you 😉.
IT STARTS WITH YOUR SKIN CARE
Good makeup application begins with a good foundation: your skin. Having a consistent skin regimen can really help your skin glow. I won’t offer a lot of product tips here because everyone’s skin is different. I personally have a lot of allergies and skin sensitivities so I always err on the side of caution and use mild and gentle products that don’t have fragrance. Fragrance can be a huge irritant for skin. To get your skin extra smooth before your session use a mild exfoliator on your face a few days before your session to get rid of any dry or dead skin. If your skin is sensitive or prone to breakouts consult with a professional before doing this step. One big no-no is using any products you have never tried before, including an exfoliator, within a week or two of your session. As someone who had an allergic reaction to a mascara two days before Christmas that resulted in swollen, itchy eyes I now do a spot test before using a product all over my face to make sure we don’t repeat the great mascara reaction of 2003 lol!
THE MAGIC OF PRIMER
DANVILLE, CA SENIOR PORTRAITS
Now that you have skincare out of the way let’s start with the fun stuff: makeup products! Just a heads up that I will have photos of the products I discuss at the end of this post so you can screenshot them and take them with you to Ulta, Sephora, or the makeup counter. If you want your makeup to stay put during your session a primer is a tremendous help. Another benefit of a primer is that it adds a thin, smoothing layer on top of your skin. Make sure to let the primer sit on your face for a few minutes before you start applying your makeup. This will allow it soak in a bit and work effectively. My go-to primer, which is one of my secret weapons, is Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. I prefer this one to their Pore Minimizer. This primer, like the concealer I will be recommending, has a well-earned cult following because it really locks your makeup in place. I got it as a sample from a Sephora purchase years ago and it was life-changing because I was so frustrated with having my makeup sliding off my face halfway through the day.
THE FOUNDATION OF FLAWLESS MAKEUP APPLICATION
SUNNYVALE, CA SENIOR PORTRAITS
This may be a tip not everyone is going to love, but it is an important one: wear a foundation. I get it, lots of us don’t like the feeling of a foundation on our skin. However, when it comes to photos, foundation is vital. Most of us have uneven skin tones: darker circles under our eyes, reddish cheeks, and the skin around our nostrils and on the tip of our noses can be pink. So wearing a foundation, even a lighter weight foundation that you can build on, will go a long way in evening out your skin tone. Even application is easy to achieve with a damp Beauty Blender. Those little sponges work blending miracles, I swear! Apply your foundation in natural light and use a tone that matches the skin on your neck. I prefer to purchase my foundation at Ulta because an employee can help match it to my skin and the stores are often in open air shopping centers which means I can go to a window and use the natural light to make sure the foundation matches.
If you prefer a lighter weight foundation, which I do, I have found It! Cosmetics to have a great foundation. My favorite is Your Skin But Better Foundation. When I wear it I don't feel like my skin is suffocating, while eyeing out my overall skin tone.
WHY CONCEALER IS A MUST
WALNUT CREEK, CA SENIOR PICTURES
Concealer is a must have in successful makeup application! After foundation use a concealer to cover blemishes and under eye circles. Concealer works well in the inner corner of the eyes, under eyes and down to your upper cheeks, on the sides of your nostrils, tip of your nose, and on any blemishes or discolored spots if you want to cover those. I have mild rosacea so I typically use a light dab on my cheeks and on the dots of melasma the side of my face. My go to concealers are Tarth Shape Tape and a then little dab of Nars Soft Matte Concealer in the corner of my eyes. I use a damp Beauty Blender to blend it all in and give an overall smooth finish. The combination of these two not only conceal any discoloration and blemishes, but also brighten my face.
SAN JOSE, CA SENIOR PICTURES
When it comes to the rest of your makeup such as eyes, brows, and cheeks wear what you feel comfortable with. There are a plethora of tutorials on YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, and Pinterest. My one tip is to think about what you will think when you look back on your photos in 10 to 20 years. Will you regret a dramatic eye and wish you had gone more classic? I always suggest a classic makeup look for your senior portraits because it is timeless and looks good with every outfit. If you don’t wear makeup and prefer a minimalist look for your senior pictures I recommend using a natural lip color (lipstick or gloss) with a hint of color to warm up your face and to wear two coats of mascara. Curling your eyelashes and wearing mascara, especially if you have lighter eyelashes, will make your eyes pop. The two coats of mascara will add some fullness to your lashes. I also like to keep an old mascara wand on hand to separate any clumps. I give it a good scrub with some soap to remove the old mascara before using it.
A simple eye shadow technique to enhance your eyes is to use a natural and light shade all over your eyelid and under your brown bone, a darker shadow on the outer edge of your eyelid and halfway into the crease, and a medium shade in the middle of the eyelid. I personally like to stick with a pallet of browns because it is neutral, but there are so many good ones out there that you can play around with in a variety of price points.
IMPORTANT STEPS TO KEEPING YOUR MAKEUP FRESH & INTACT
LAFAYETTE, CA SENIOR PORTRAITS
Once your makeup is complete there are two important steps to ensure your makeup lasts throughout your session, especially if it is warm outside. Step one: use a translucent setting powder before you apply your mascara to set your makeup and eliminate any shine. Make sure to bring this powder with you during your session in case you need any touchups. Step two: after you apply the setting powder and mascara use a setting spray to lock your makeup in place. Think of this as like a hairspray for your face, only way less sticky! My go to setting powder is Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and for spray my go-to is the industry favorite, All Nighter by Urban Decay. I love how my makeup won’t budge all day when I use these two products in addition to the primer.
SOME FINAL AND HELPFUL TIPS
DUBLIN, CA SENIOR PICTURES
Here are a final few tips that I hope you find useful:
For your senior portrait session avoid any products that have glitter, shine, or shimmer, including highlighter. Shimmer is highly reflective and can create “hot spots” in your images when the lights hits at just the right angle. Hot spots are where the light filtering into the camera (from anything reflective) can result in white spots or blown out highlights. Shimmer can also look like shiny spots on your skin. Shine and hot spots are difficult to edit out. Therefore any makeup with a matte or satin finish is best for your portrait session.
Do a trial run with your makeup one week before your session. This way you can make sure you love it, that you feel comfortable with any new makeup application prior to your portrait session, you have time to tweak anything or perfect your application, and you don't have an allergic reaction to any of the products. Trying out a new makeup technique the day of your session can be stressful and I want this moment to be as stress-free as possible for you. I don’t know about you, but if I am trying something new with my makeup and I am need to get out the door, I often mess it up (like blinking when trying to put on mascara, SO annoying lol!) and then get really frustrated and stressed. In my *cough cough* older age I have learned to just try things out ahead of time.
When putting on your makeup, especially foundation and concealer use a magnifying mirror in natural light to make sure everything is blended and there are no blotches or missed spots. The magnifying mirror in front of a well lit window will pick out any, and I mean any, missed spots. I also do this after I apply my eye makeup to make sure no eyeshadow has fallen onto my cheeks or under eye area after application.
If you get your brows waxed have it done several days before your session so the redness has had time to dissipate. If you don’t wax your eyebrows, make sure to pluck any little hairs you don’t want in your photos. I promise you the camera and lenses will pick them up.
The week before your session make chapstick your best friend, especially if your session is in the fall or winter when the air is extra dry. Apply chapstick several times throughout the day (hint, hint that’s one of the reasons I added one to your welcome gift 😉). If you have any dry skin on your lips the day before your session you can brush them gently with your toothbrush and exfoliate any dry skin.
Thank you for sticking with me on this extra long blog post! I hope you were able to glean a few useful new tips to add to your makeup repertoire or feel a little more prepared for your senior portrait session. If you are looking for some tips on how to have a successful senior portrait session click HERE or if you want to see what a session with Pixel Pages Photography looks like click HERE and HERE.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA SENIOR PHOTOS
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