Headshot Makeup
If you are in the modeling and acting industry, you know it’s tough to break into. This is why impressive headshots are so sought after. So when you nail your headshot makeup and see that iconic photo of yourself taken by an expert photographer… Well, there’s just no better feeling.
Awesome headshots are also needed for business professionals, corporate executives, seniors, IG influencers, etc. But, not everyone knows the essentials for headshot makeup. We are here to help you with your makeup for your next Bartholomew Photography photo shoot. If you follow these headshot makeup tips, you will receive the headshot you’ve been hoping for. Also makeup is just one aspect of capturing a great professional photo if you are a woman. You can find many other great tips in this article.
“I believe all women are pretty without makeup - but with the right makeup can be pretty powerful.”
- Bobbi Brown
Prepping Skin For Makeup
Before we dive right into how to apply your makeup for the photo, let’s talk about how to prepare your skin to achieve the best canvas possible. Not only will makeup apply better to well-cared-for skin, but your soft and hydrated skin will photograph better!
Steps To Take Before Applying Headshot Makeup
Drink plenty of water! The importance of drinking plenty of water can not be stressed enough. Hydrated skin is brighter, plumper, and more supple. Your makeup is less likely to fill in fine lines and appear sunken when your face is full of delicious hydration!
Cleanse your face. Makeup loves to be applied to a clean face. So, it’s time to scrub up and clean your skin with your favorite cleanser and warm or cool water. It’s best to cleanse before you apply your headshot makeup and before you go to bed at night. A fresh face is the best face!
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Moisturizers help your skin absorb your headshot makeup for that flawless finish. If you are new to moisturizers, ask your dermatologist for their recommendation or your makeup artist.
Use a primer that suits your needs. Primer creates the base for the foundation. Think of it as kind of a smooth barrier between your skin and headshot makeup. It helps to smooth out thin lines and pores and any other imperfections on the surface of your skin. Not all primers will work with your skin type, so look for qualities in the primer that best suit your needs.
Headshot Foundation
Gone are the days of orange jaw lines and two-toned necks and faces. Thank goodness, right? So what do you need to look for in a foundation for your headshot makeup? For starters, it’s important to note that how you apply foundation for real-life situations is different than it is for camera lighting in a studio. So follow these simple rules when choosing and using your foundation for the perfect headshot makeup.
● Stay away from foundations that use dewy, glowy, or sheer descriptors. While these provide a boost of youthful energy to your look on an everyday basis, under camera lights, they can give an unfortunate “sweaty mess” look. Trust us when we say that choosing a matte finish is the best option for a headshot makeup foundation.
● The general consensus is that liquid-matte foundations are best. Liquid equals hydration, and you know much we love hydrated skin at Bartholomew Photography. Liquid foundations can help the face appear smooth, supple, and hydrated, whereas dry foundations can sometimes have a drying or cakey effect under the studio lights. But, if you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with applying liquid foundations, use what you are most comfortable with. If you can apply powder foundation like a pro, then go for it!
● Choose a foundation that is a great match for your skin color. To best avoid the 90’s issue of a darker face compared to neck and chest, match your foundation to your skin tone. If you want to appear a bit darker than you actually are, discuss this with the Bartholomew Photography team. It is much easier to do some small editing when it comes to skin tone as a whole than it is to have to work with mismatched features.
● Concealer is your best friend. If you have blemishes of any kind that will be showing during the shoot, cover them up with a great concealer. Blemishes have a knack for showing up on camera in a big way. So apply your favorite concealer liberally while working on your headshot makeup.
How To Apply Blush, Bronzer, and Powder
You may wear all three on a daily basis or have never used them at all. Here is our advice on three main beauty staples and how to and how not to apply them for your headshot makeup.
Blush
When it comes to blush, it can be your best friend if applied correctly. We recommend that you use a shade darker than what you would normally wear so that it shows up under the studio lighting. But, be careful. It can be easy to go a little overboard on the blush. Practice leading up to the photo shoot to perfect the look you are going for. Lightly sweep the blush on the apples of your cheeks to start with. It is much easier to build upon the color than removing it without having to redo your look entirely.
Bronzer
Bronzer… when you are wearing it out during the day, it can be your best friend. Who doesn’t love that sun-kissed look? Well, the cameras. The bronzer has the ability to change the color of your face under studio lights, which can have the opposite look you are going for. If you absolutely love your bronzer and feel that you know how to apply it expertly, just use it sparingly!
Powder
Powder helps to keep a matte finish during your photoshoot. On photoshoot day, keep powder with you to be able to maintain a consistent look. We recommend a translucent powder that can keep the shine down. Throughout the shoot, if you feel yourself getting a little oily, you can ask the photographer for a quick break and add some more powder. You will be glad that you kept the matte look throughout the shoot.
Headshot Eye Makeup
Let’s talk about the eyes! Before you get too excited, it’s best to keep things pretty tame when it comes to eye makeup. Headshot eye makeup is really there for accentuating your naturally beautiful eyes instead of completely glamming them up. Some dos and don’ts can make or break your headshot photoshoot.
Do not wear false eyelashes. As much as you may love the full look of falsies, the camera does not. They can often make your eyes look much heavier than they actually are and even give you a tired appearance. Nobody wants to hire a sleepy model! So, we recommend you opt for fresh mascara swept across your lashes instead.
Do choose matte neutral colors. Colorful shadows can be distracting in headshots. You want to look as close to your natural self as possible and just enhance your natural beauty instead of trying to change your looks entirely. Neutral colors are best, and you can play with adding more or less to your lids.
Don’t use an under-eye liner. Did you know that applying dark liner under the eye can actually age you? An under-eye liner can also make your eyes look smaller than they naturally are. Especially for your headshot makeup, try just using a liner on the upper lid. If you do like the look of a darker eye, try dabbing on some darker eye shadow with a brush at the lash line. It will still provide that darker lash look with a softer touch than a liner.
Do use black mascara. When it comes to headshot makeup, choose black mascara for your lashes. Black mascara shows up a lot better than browns during a photo shoot and is super flattering around the eyes. You can play around with lengthening or volumizing mascaras as long as you choose them in black! Also, it’s best to use a fresh tube to avoid clumping or dryness when getting ready for your photo shoot.
Perfected Lips
Bold lips may be super popular for statement styles, but for headshots, they are actually a no-no. You may need to rethink your lip game for your headshot, so here are some things to consider.
● Do not try to make your lips look larger than they are. Over lining your lips or applying gloss, lipstick, or lip stains past the natural lines and corners of your mouth almost always appears unnatural on camera.
● Go a shade darker than you normally would. If you take your lip color just a shade darker than you normally do, it will appear on film as it does in your day-to-day life. The studio lights tend to wash out a little bit of the color.
● Stick to more neutral shades. Headshots are the time or place to try out a bold red lip. Unfortunately, the darker colors are most often in need of photo editing than the neutral colors. So, stick to a tinted gloss, balm, or neutral shade of your favorite lipstick. Always remember to steer clear of anything shimmery or shiny regarding headshot makeup!
We know this is a lot of information to take in and thats why for the best results we recommend working with a professional makeup artist for your headshots. Click the link if you are considering hiring a headshot makeup artist to learn more about what to look for.
References
Headshot Makeup: Everything You Need To Know March 26, 2022 [1] retrieved on September 21, 2022 from www.cityheadshots.com
6 Natural Makeup Tips For Your Headshots May 11, 2018 [2] retrieved on September 20, 2022 from www.tonytaafe.com
9 Makeup Tips For a Professional Headshot Session April 20, 2022 [3] retrieved on September 21, 2022 from www.imaginated.com