3601 S. Congress Ave Bldg. A Suite 100 · Austin, TX 78704 · (512) 474-8484 · (512) 416-8483 fax
3601 S. Congress Ave Bldg. A Suite 100 · Austin, TX 78704
· (512) 474-8484 · (512) 416-8483 fax
Makeup and Hair Tips
Makeup - Most of our clients prefer to have a professional makeup artist present to do their makeup prior to their session. Generally, makeup for photography is different than what you might normally wear (many think it looks heavy when looking in the mirror, but normal in their images). This is because the primary goal of make-up for photography (photo styling) is ensuring adequate local contrast to make sure that facial features hold up under the lights and will survive contrast adjustments in post-production.
If you choose to have your makeup artist present for your session you may schedule someone of your choice or have us schedule one for you. Most clients have us schedule a makeup artist who is familiar with our typical clients, normal lighting conditions, contrast levels in image processing, and other similar factors.
If you choose to do your own makeup that is fine, but here are a few guidelines you may want to consider:
1.) Foundation- Use foundation to even out your natural skin tones. Try to use a shade slightly lighter (about half a shade) than your skin tone in order to maintain contrast without having to make eyes, lips, and cheeks too dark. Blend out past the jaw line to avoid demarcation (the obvious line where makeup ends and “fresh face” begins). Cover with a light coat of powder to set the foundation and give your skin a matte finish. You may need to use your powder for touch-ups during your shoot if you have oily or combination skin types, so bring it with you to your session.
2.) Lipstick- Use tones that will reproduce dark enough for black-and-white finishes so your lips don’t “blend in” with the rest of your skin. Try to stay away from pinks and bright reds, as they convert to a very light shade of grey and blend into most skin tones. Use brown tones or deep reds to ensure lip/skin contrast. For darker skin tones, you may need to wear a lighter shade of lip color or one that is substantially darker than your skin.
3.) Avoid lip gloss- The lights in the studio will reflect off of lip gloss and produce large white rectangles with no detail on your lips.
4.) Eyes- The most important thing to remember when doing your eye makeup is to blend. Make sure there are no “stripes” in your eye shadow application. When applying eyeliner, make sure it is as close to your lash line as possible and that it is not too harsh (or heavy). When done correctly, eyeliner helps ensure contrast and really helps to bring out the eyes in the finished product.
5.) Blush- Blend very well. Try to match the tone of the blush to your lip color. (Mauves with mauves, browns with browns, etc.)
Skin - Skin should be moisturized as usual, but not overly done. “Dewy” skin tones and sweat are extremely hard to retouch. We have never had a client say that their skin looked too dry or ashy in their pictures, so limit the amount of lotion you apply to your skin.
Tanning - Please do not attempt to get too tan for your photos. This is a judgment call, but the darker your skin gets, the darker your makeup has to be. If you’d like to discuss this in person, we’d be glad to give you our opinion. Very tan skin with light lip and eye makeup can look very nice in a color finish, but you will probably not be able to convert the image into one of our more popular monochrome finishes (black and white, sepia, etc.).
Hair - Please note, our makeup artists provide only light hair assistance, that is, they are not hair stylists. You are responsible for arriving with your hair the way you want it for your shoot. Please avoid cutting or dyeing your hair a new color right before your shoot. Allow a couple of weeks for your hair to settle from a new cut or for the color to calm down. If you have bangs, please make sure they do not cover your eyes or eyelashes. Asymmetrical hairstyles may look fine in person, but it is less appealing in photographs when your eye is partially or entirely covered with hair. Please spend some time in the mirror before your shoot deciding on how you want to wear it in a way that stays out of your eyes.
