I have a pretty simple makeup routine myself, and with a newborn around the house, the routine gets simpler every day! However, your engagement session, Christmas card portraits or senior session is really not the time for a little moisturizer and mascara! Turns out the rules for photo-shoot makeup can be a little different than your everyday makeup, and since I'm not the best person to teach you about those differences, I tracked down a pro for ya!
Meet Miss Rhea McCarter of
Adore Makeup Boutique in North Austin:
Rhea and the rest of the girls at Adore offer all sorts of fun services like, customized makeup application for weddings, events & editorial shoots, makeup lessons, blow outs, lash extensions and eyebrow shaping, airbrush tanning...the list is long, and these girls are good at what they do! I met Rhea for the first time at a wedding that I photographed, and the bride just looked beautiful!
All that to say, Rhea knows what she's talking about! She'll get you all dolled up if you want to stop by her shop, but she also graciously agreed to share "the tip of the iceberg" with us, so that you can give your portrait session makeup a go yourself if you're up for it!
Here we go!
Younger, Happier, Prettier!
Who doesn't want to look younger, happier & prettier in your pictures?! Rhea says the best thing you can do for your makeup routine is to take care of your skin. You want hydration, and you want smoothness! These two factors will determine how the rest of your makeup sets on your skin. Without them, you could follow all the other tips and still end up with an uneven look.
For hydration, you want to look for natural skincare products with essential oils. If you can stop by Adore, Rhea carries two lines that she loves and recommends: The Balm & Source Vital.
But if you're more of a drugstore type of girl, Rhea says the Cetaphil brand is going to be your most natural option. Eye cream is also important, but if you're fresh out, the natural moisturizers can be applied under your eyes as well.
For smoothness, scrub scrub scrub!! I wrote that three times on purpose. Find a good exfoliant, (like The Balm's Kiwi Facial Scrub) and use it no more than three times a week. If you really want to invest in your youthful glow, purchase a Clarisonic. Apparently all that needs to be said about this device is that, "It's amazing."
Firm Foundation
Now that your face is a smooth, moist canvas for your makeup, you want to start with a water-based foundation, as opposed to an oil-based one. (I had no idea there were different bases, myself! Good thing I asked!)
Rhea suggests Bobbi Brown or any kind of BB Cream. In my ignorance, I had to ask what BB Cream actually is. Rhea says, "It's like tinted moisturizer and traditional foundation had a baby!" You get moisture and coverage! And since it's water-based, it lasts longer and is both sweat-proof and water-proof. I promise not to spray water in your face during your portrait session, but I have yet to find a client who doesn't end the session dabbing sweat from her forehead by the end of an outdoor shoot! You definitely want sweat-proofing!
Finish What You Started
Your foundation's partner is the powder you layer on top of it. For photos, Rhea suggests a
high grade mineral powder.
The high grade part is important. It refers to how fine the powder is. Your typical mineral powders, like BareMinerals, may do the job day-to-day, but in photos, they can give you an orange-y tint, and they won't hold off shine like you need them to. Your higher grade powders come from lines like glo minerals & Jane Iredale.
Adore carries glo, and you can find Jane Iredale in a few spas and doctor's offices around town.
Bonus powder tip: Instead of using blotting papers as you start to...ummm...shimmer in higher temps, Rhea suggests you reapply a light powder. Blotting papers can remove your carefully applied makeup. Who needs that?!
A Lovely Frame for Those Baby Blues
Shapely brows provide a pretty frame for the rest of your face! Even if you normally do your brow maintenance yourself (like me!), make an appointment with an aesthetician to have your brows shaped before your portrait session.
I know it's scary to let someone else have control over that part of your face - believe me, I've heard horror stories! But if you get some recommendations from friends with perfectly normal looking brows, you should be fine! If that's no help, Alex Hart at Adore is a safe bet!
While you're with your aesthetician, ask for tips on filling in your brows for your session. Most people don't do this as part of their normal makeup routine, but photos can show unevenness that isn't noticeable day-to-day. Rhea recommends using brow powder with an angled brush.
Show Off What You've Framed
You want liner, and you want mascara. The most important thing about liner is to get it close in to your lash line. Then Rhea says to apply a double coat of black mascara. (Always black for photos. It works harder than a black-brown to make your eyes stand out.)
Turns out Rhea is a drugstore kind of gal on this topic, too! For mascara, she prefers Loreal's Voluminous mascara. It thickens and lengthens without leaving clumps, and it's waterproof!
Secrets, Secrets Are..Well Sometimes They're Necessary
If you don't have at least a little darkness under your eyes, then you're either 16 or we can't be friends. Everybody has a little under-eye shadow they'd rather keep under wraps! To keep your secret, use a two toned concealer like this one from glo:
Use the darker shade under the entire eye, and then layer the lighter shade on top only where you have darkness.
Add a Little Pop
If you ever wanted your eye color to pop, it's when you're taking photos. Some of Rhea's suggestions are light gray for blue eyes, a pretty lilac for brown or turquoise for even darker brown. "You want a little Victoria's Secret in there, but not too much!" She wants us to keep it matte - avoid shimmer!
Get a Little Cheeky
"I feel like a lot of women in Austin don't wear blush, but it's actually important for pictures," says Rhea.
Blush can be intimidating because it can go very wrong! (At least to me, it is!) But according to Rhea, you don't need a heavy application, just the right makeup in the right places. So a light-handed approach to blush should be doable for most girls! If you're nervous, choose a shade that's closer to brown than bubblegum. Rhea recommends Bare from the glo minerals line. And stay away from shimmer, just like with your eye shadow.
No Need to Pout
Let your makeup do it for you! Rhea says to go simple with a neutral shade on your lips for photos. (Unless you're bold enough to go for an "all the way red" shade! Just avoid in-betweensies!)
Things to remember when choosing your photo shoot lip color: you don't want high gloss, but you don't have to go all the way matte either. Something creamy will give you that younger, happier, prettier moisturized look. Rhea tells me that Burt's Bees' gloss hits this happy medium.
Extra lip tip: Focusing the color in the "Betty Boop" area will keep your lips looking full.
So there ya have it, ladies! Keep this post bookmarked for when you're ready to head to your photo shoot! Or if even this simple tips have you cross-eyed, here's Rhea's number: 512-524-0208. And her website:
Even if you've got a handle on this makeup thing, trying a new look is always fun! Adore's Makeup Bar is designed for just that!
Drop by the shop, pick a look and let Rhea do the work for you! Take a few girlfriends and make a party of it complete with cocktails! Visit
Adore's website for all the details and contact information.
And thank you so much to Angela, who let me photograph her appointment with Rhea for this blog! Angela is the editor of
Bliss Bridal Magazine here in Austin. We owe her congratulations not only on the new issue, but also on the new baby, who will be making his debut soon!
Turned out gorgeous, Darling!
God Bless, Y'all!
Jenni
Jenni Roberts Photography
