Makeup for photography: main rules for different lighting

Makeup in bright light

The light of the flash really highlights your makeup, highlighting any imperfections on your skin. Under the bright light of the camera, the shade of the face also changes: for those with blue eyes it becomes reddish, and for those with brown eyes it becomes yellowish or greenish.

To avoid this, it is best to use a concealer foundation and apply it very evenly, and under the eyes, be sure to use concealers that hide unwanted bruises or brown skin pigment. If your skin is prone to oily skin, after applying the cream you should additionally powder your face to avoid unnecessary shine. When creating makeup for photos, many makeup artists use a special powder with reflective particles (anti-shine), the finely dispersed structure of which absorbs all excess subcutaneous fat, while removing unnecessary shine.

Eyeliner can be made more intense, and mascara applied in a thicker layer than usual. Tip: Ask your model to look straight into the lens to reduce shadows on the face.

Makeup for club lighting

There are situations where photographs need to be taken under intricate lighting, such as in a club. Here, the intensity, direction and even color of the lighting are constantly changing, which enhances the contrasts: dark shadows seem even darker, light foundation looks almost white.

A thick layer of foundation and powder makes the face look tired and ages, so a light liquid tone is best for the club. You can place light accents on the face: highlight the lower eyelid with a pearl or silver pencil and apply a lilac tone to the upper eyelid.

A lighter shade of foundation applied around the eyes and on the bridge of the nose will give the face a radiant effect. Be careful: some foundations contain particles that glow under club lights, so it is better to test such products in advance. Also relevant is mineral fine powder, which has a slight shimmer and, in the club version of makeup, gives a uniform skin color in the photo.

Lips can be bright - this makeup will match the atmosphere. Cover them with a rich shade of lipstick and apply a transparent beige gloss on top or powder for a matte effect - the result will look great in the photo.

Makeup for photography by candlelight

Candlelight is considered the most romantic, and photographs taken in such an environment turn out very gentle and soft. But a candle flame gives off a warm light, which can be detrimental to the perception of makeup. Therefore, it must be done in cool colors. Pinkish and bluish shades will give the face freshness, while light and warm ones will simply dissolve in the light of candles.

Try a lilac-pink color scheme with dark gray accents. If you use a camouflage pencil, choose a slightly lighter tone than usual. Candles tend to illuminate the face from below, which casts unattractive shadows, so make sure they are level with your model's or client's face before shooting.

Makeup for a corporate party

Corporate parties are common, often held right at the workplace. Most offices use neon lights, which can negatively highlight even the lightest makeup.

Since the light from the lamps falls vertically from above, it makes the circles under the eyes especially noticeable; in this case, a camouflage pencil and powder with shiny particles will work ideally.

The camouflage pencil should be applied from the outer edge of the lower eyelid, gradually approaching the lash line.

Wedding makeup for photos

With wedding makeup, the entire emphasis of the bride's image is focused on the eyes - maximum brilliance and expressiveness. In this case, poisonously bright, dark dull shades should be avoided. The shadow frame should remain light, elegant, not overloaded with a large number of shades and complexity of designs.

If the celebration takes place in the afternoon or evening, more saturated colors are used, since artificial light obscures the colors. In summer, wedding makeup should also be brighter and more saturated, as the sun “swallows” the color. It is better to choose base shadows in light shades with a soft pearlescent sheen, with gold or silver color nuances. The choice of eyeshadow color depends on the color of your eyes and type of appearance. The main thing is that the makeup emphasizes modesty and innocence. Among shadows, preference is given to the most delicate shades.

To visually enlarge and deepen the eyes, apply a light tone to the upper eyelid under the eyebrow, and a darker one to the moving eyelid, shading it towards the outer corner of the eye. Close-set eyes can be visually moved apart by placing a white dot on the inner corner.

Pencil or eyeliner is applied over the shadows. Don't use black liquid eyeliner unless you want to make your eyes look smaller. Instead, apply dry shadows of gray or brown color with a thin brush along the lash line, extending it beyond the natural eye line.

The color of the shadows does not have to match the color of the eyes. To make your eyes more expressive, choose shadows in contrasting shades: for blue eyes - beige, peach and gold, for brown - green, lilac or blue, for green - pink, burgundy and purple. Soft eyeliner along the lower eyelid of the same color will highlight the eye color.

If you apply mascara, it must be waterproof, because the bride needs to be prepared for all kinds of accidents: rain and strong wind. It is recommended to paint only the upper eyelashes. The mascara can be black or, if the client has blond hair, brown.

To decorate the bride's lips, light, pastel shades are suitable, pink tones are very good, since the emphasis in wedding makeup is on the eyes. To make your lipstick go on smoother and shinier, scrub your lips with a scrub before applying it. This will help remove dead skin and deepen their color.

Lipstick is applied in several stages: after the first application, blot your lips with a napkin and then apply a second layer. Thanks to this, the color will last longer. It is not advisable to use long-lasting lipstick, as it dries and tightens the skin.

Lipstick is selected to match the natural color of the lips, taking into account the type of face, shade of the dress and hair of the bride. Scarlet or bright red lipstick is suitable for burning brunettes with dark or light skin. Blondes choose lighter and more delicate shades. Natural muted colors harmonize with light brown hair. To make your lips look fuller, apply a little gloss to the ridges of your lower lip and the center of your upper lip.

If necessary, you can apply a little blush to your face, matching the color scheme of your lipstick and eye shadow. Blush helps create the overall contour of the face and highlight the shape of the cheekbones. Dry blush is applied with a large brush, and oily blush is applied with a sponge, and it is recommended to apply them on the base and under powder. In order to give freshness to the face, the bride should give preference to blush in pink shades. However, when choosing a pink outfit for a celebration, avoid using this color in your makeup, replace it with peach, beige or gold. For long-lasting results, use cream blush. If you have oily skin, keep a compact blush on hand. Cream blushes shimmer more than powder blushes and, thanks to their texture, last much longer.

The article was first published in MAKEUP&YOU Professional magazine.