Makeovers at Xposure Studios

As a professional hair & makeup artist with years of experience, I know there is a distinct difference between everyday/night-out makeup and photographic makeup. I am going to share my tips and tricks in order for you to get the best out of your makeover for your photoshoot, whether it be a boudoir session or a family/maternity session.

Photographic makeup is different to normal, day to day makeup, it is heavier and more defined in order for it to show up well on camera. My makeup style has changed a lot since working here at Xposure Studios. I used to love the “Plouise” style and always aimed to do that style of makeup but now I love natural/soft glam that is suited to my clients face rather than a “one size fits all” style. I want your makeup to look timeless so you can enjoy your portraits for many years without thinking ‘why did I pick that lip colour or why did I choose a black smokey eye’.

Skin prep

Many customers book in advance so have weeks before their photoshoot, if you do this please do not change your skincare routine in anyway unless you have been advised to by a dermatologist. Doing this ensures your skin doesn’t change before your session. The night before your big event apply your favourite moisturiser generously. This will leave your skin looking plump and refreshed. On the day of your photoshoot, only apply moisturiser if your skin is dry to very dry. If your skin is a bit more oily only apply your SPF.

Example of natural style makeup.

Your makeover

On the day of your photoshoot, one of our team will greet you and offer you refreshments and hand you a form to complete which has some information on how you would like your makeup and hair. When I am ready to start your makeover, we will have a little consultation about what you imagine your hair and makeup to look like. I will advise you on what I think would work well with your skin tone/type, eye shape/colour and the type of photoshoot you are having. The type of session you are having changes the style of makeup dramatically. A boudoir makeover is a lot different to a family makeover, so please think about this when deciding how you would like your makeup to look.

We will also discuss how you would like your hair and what would work well for your hair type. I will dry style your hair, this can be a wave, curl it or straight and I can clip some back if you wish. I advise against having your hair up off your face as this can make you look bald when you are facing front on in camera!

Example of boudoir style makeup.

My Pro Tips

One tip I can give you is to figure out what you think looks good on you, if you have a go-to makeup style then tell me so I can replicate it (usually with a few tweaks so it shows up well on camera). If you are not one for wearing makeup I usually advise to keep it quite natural for your photoshoot as you still want to look and feel like yourself although the makeup may be slightly heavier.

Most people love the ‘dewy/glowy’ makeup look. This does not work well on camera so I never use too much highlighter to avoid you looking sweaty in your pictures. Trust me, I love glowy makeup too but it just does not work on camera!

I always say to my customers that you shouldn’t expect a makeup artist to be able to make you look like Kim Kardashian (or any other celebrity with highly edited pics!). When we have teen makeovers in the studio, they show me pictures of extremly edited and airbrushed images from social media, not realising that it is not real life or real skin for that matter! I can help bring out features of your face and cover blemishes to make you feel gorgeous but makeup can only do so much. However, we do ask if there is anything you would like airbrushing after you have chosen your images.

I hope these tips help you to prepare for your upcoming photoshoot with us. I look forward to making you all feel and look gorgeous.

Lauren x

@lwartistryx

If you would like to book a photoshoot, head to our website.

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