Makeup that ages the face

instantly take the years off 

Chelsea

There are just 6 simple things you can do to ensure your make-up isn't actually aging your face or appearance in photos. A lot of my clients opt to do their own make-up for their portrait sessions, follow these tips to get maximum impact from your beauty products. 

1) Shimmer shadows. Chelsea to the left has on a gold tone shadow that only extends to the crease. This highlights her eye without overwhelming her face. Full shadow application in high shimmer or pearl colors only make you appear older if the shadow isn't properly applied with a good base and falls into the fine lines around the eyes. 

2) Loose Powder. I'm not sure why anyone would use colored loose powder anymore. Not the kind you push into the pores of the face with a fancy Japanese brush but you remember... the kind that you would just dust over your thick chalky foundation? This really adds the years to the face. To set your concealer or foundation try a very light dusting of translucent "photo finishing" powder to ensure that your make-up stays on through your portrait session. Better yet is to get a "dewy" NOT matte finishing spray to lock in your application and still have a fresh youthful glow. I recommend a tinted moisturizer only in summer months and a setting spray again in "dewy". This will prevent overly clogged pores and summer breakouts. Make sure whatever you're using has at least an SPF of 10 or higher! 

3) Frosted Lipstick. No. Just please don't. Please. In fact if you show up for a portrait session with frosted lipstick on I will actually hand you a tissue and ask you to please wipe it off. I'm doing this because I care, and I like you. 

4) "Scouse Brow". This is a term used by the British to describe overly darkened brows. To properly darken your brows select a shadow or pencil (matte of course) that is one shade LIGHTER than your NATURAL hair color. For Chelsea in the photo above I used just a shadow... Urban Decay's "Buck" found in the original Naked Palette to fill in her natural brow line and extend it down to meet the reverse cat eye. This frames her face and accentuates the eye without aging her appearance. 

5) Cool toned lipsticks. These are lipsticks with color bases in the blue family. They look good on no one. If you don't know how to tell the difference, ask someone at a make-up counter to assist you. They may be able to recommend other brands even if you're unable to throw down $18-$36 for a lipstick. A good lipstick however is worth the investment, if only you FEEL prettier - you'll look younger too. 

6) Messiness. Make sure you're in order when you've got a full face of make-up on. Practice a few times prior to your session with your application and experiment with products or colors that you typically wouldn't. You want to look like yourself for your portrait, only better. Giving yourself a proper once over correcting little smudges that occur over the day also ensure you're looking your best. 

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