This week, our Beauty 101 series is focusing on special occasion makeup. You had questions, and your fellow readers have once again come through with the answers.
On Reducing Shininess/Redness In Photographs:
From commenter SharonBallBearings:
To reduce redness, use a slightly yellow base concealer. If you use a silica based setting powder (MUF’s HD powder specifically), the tiniest bit is all you need. Too much and you will get severe ghostface in pictures.
Be careful with any foundation that has a SPF because it will photograph with a whitish cast and while you will look amazing in person, you will have ghostface in pictures. I love MUFE HD foundation.
If you’re going to be photographed a lot you really do need to wear heavier eye makeup than usual if you want your eyes to have the impact they do in person. Eyeliner + mascara is the bare minimum, although two shades of eyeshadow well applied will work wonders. I failed to follow that very basic rule at my own wedding because I was afraid of looking overdone and very much regretted it as soon as I got the pictures back.
Eyeliner on the lower lid, applied only halfway across (stop at the center of your iris) makes your eyes look huge and if you smudge it a little, it doesn’t look intentional.
For weddings, please please please hire a makeup artist. Especially if it’s outdoors in hot weather. All those beautiful bride photos in magazines? Pros. So incredibly worth the money. Really. Don’t cheap out on it.
I say this as the wife of a photographer who has had to bend over backwards to produce flattering photos (aka photoshop) brides with inexpert makeup. Many women are happy with their standard makeup in pictures outside the wedding context, but the wedding myth machine has amped up expectations big time to be “the beautiful bride” aka the prettiest pretty you’ve ever been in your whole darn life. The glow of a happy new marriage does not make your make-up perfect on camera. A good expert (the sort you pay and has done it before) can help you come closer to what you want in both in-person look and photos. Else, please be reasonable in your expectations.
Otherwise, for special occasions you will be photographed at, take a flash photo of yourself to check for shininess, poor color match, and blending problems. Take multiple angles and a few different lighting situations. Set your camera on a timer so you can step back and check texture/tone/color difference between face and shoulders and chest.
From commenter paperispatient:
To reduce shininess, I love Clean & Clear’s oil-absorbing sheets. My forehead, nose, and chin get really oily throughout the day, and they soak it up well without taking off the pressed powder I wear.
For skin that needs to be photographed, I use a long lasting liquid foundation as a concealer. Then I dust my mineral foundation all over, and then dab the minerals once again over blemishes I want to hide, under my eyes, et cetera. It creates a matte look so it’s photo-friendly, and lasts all night.
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