We all know that Sunday mornings are meant for re-watching the weekend documented by social media, scrolling through Instagram, watching those Snapstories, or waiting for those muploads to reveal themselves on Facebook. So I thought I would pass along some photo-ready makeup tips so that you can look good in your #selfie, #tbt, #ss, #wcw, or whatever it may be.
Foundation
When your face looks oily or greasy in those high quality frat-basement muploads, more often than not it’s from the SPF in your foundation. SPF creates a reflective shine in photos that is generally unflattering. Now don’t get me wrong, I am all for SPF in your everyday makeup. It’s so important for keeping skin healthy and youthful! But when you’re going out at night, swap out your foundation so you can look airbrushed and perfect in all your photos. Look for foundations that have a very low SPF, or none at all. I generally stick to 10 SPF or below. My personal go-to’s are Make Up Forever HD Mate Velvet or Revlon ColorStay Photo Ready Foundation.
Olivia Wilde’s skin in this photo looks natural and flawless, but without shine or oil!
Add Color!
Both outdoor lighting and flash can zap the color out of your face and make you look washed out. The best tip I can give for mupload-ready makeup is to go a little heavier on your blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. To put a number on it, I’d apply about 30% more than you would normally. Using a little more of these products helps define your face and makes sure that the flash won’t wipe out all the definition you have so painstakingly applied! However, you want to look just as gorgeous in reality as you do in those muploads, so don’t be too heavy handed!
Model your photo makeup after Kate Mara’s: her eyeliner and mascara (and fake lashes) add more definition around her eyes, and her heavier blush gives the extra, perfect color for her face.
Blend It
If you’re going to apply more product to your cheeks and eyes, you absolutely must blend, blend, blend! Photos have the ability to draw out fine lines and reveal the lines between your blush and foundation, for example. Make sure you go over all of your makeup right before you go out and blend it together seamlessly. This will ensure a more natural looking makeup, one that looks good through the camera lens and in person! I recommend a big fluffy brush (such as Sephora #55) or a Beauty Blender. Sweep over your face in circles with light pressure.
Kim Kardashian is the queen of blended makeup. Her highlighting, contouring, and blush look effortless in every photo, with no harsh lines in sight!
Skip the Shimmer
Just like SPF, shimmery products do not reflect well in photos. I am definitely not advising getting rid of all your glam, just choose eyeshadow base colors that are more matte, and keep the shimmer as subtle highlights. Crème shadows are also a great option because they have a light-reflective quality, but don’t approach full-on sparkle. Plus, they are super long lasting!
Minka Kelly balances a glowing look, but without all that shimmer. She uses matte shadows but keeps her skin looking dewy with no unflattering shine!
I hope these tips give you everything you need for achieving perfect mupload makeup!