Believe it or not, modern-day make-up was actually invented for the camera. Max Factor – real name Maksymilian Faktorowicz (you couldn’t make it up…) created his famous Pan-Cake foundation with the advent of Technicolor. The new colour film was unforgiving stuff, turning actors' complexions a garish red or blue, and the heavy theatrical greasepaint used until then simply wouldn't cut it. So Factor and his son Frank developed a water-applied cake foundation that gave a smooth, natural, matte finish on screen, later refined into the Pan-Stik formula many of us still know today.
Actresses liked the stuff so much they started taking it home from the studios for their own use, and Factor realised his camera make-up looked rather lovely off camera too. He took it to the retail counters, and the beauty industry was more or less born. (The man even coined the word "make-up" as we use it.)
Cosmetics have come a long way since then, with formulas better suited for everyday use rather than a camera lens. It’s very easy to think that what makes you look good in the mirror will be equally flattering under studio lights and a camera. But even the most seasoned make-up wearers (like yours truly) can end up looking drab and washed out when they see the final pictures. If you're paying good money for professional photographs, you really want to know what you're doing when it comes to getting dolled up. (Or enlist the services of someone who does.)
It all starts with the skin
Long before you even pick up a brush, the work should begin with your complexion. Make-up artist Natasha Stone argues that skin, not products, is the real trick to being camera-ready. "Always cleanse your skin first,” she advises. “I would then go in with a serum to hydrate, then a moisturiser on top." That last step does double duty: "That moisturiser is going to act as your grip for your makeup."
And good news for those watching the pennies. "It's so easy to get good skincare nowadays, especially with Korean beauty. It's really cheap and affordable," Natasha says, "which means the better your skin, the less coverage you're actually going to need." For the night before, she rates an affordable classic: "Something that's really underrated is Weleda Skin Food (£9.50). You use it before bed and you wake up really glowy."
Every expert repeated one rule: the day before is not the time for drastic treatments. "Don't experiment with anything you haven't tried, because that could be a disaster," warns make-up artist Lauren Jacobs. "Hydration is key, so go for sheet masks and face masks, but things that you've tried and tested." That goes for the brows too: "Don't get your eyebrows waxed the day before, because sometimes makeup just can't adhere to it."
What kind of base is best?
When it comes to your complexion, there's no single right answer. Photographer Julie Kim sees it partly as a question of age. "If you're younger, you can get away with more matte," she says. "I do a lot of 40-plus women and I think a little bit of shine looks nice. As long as it's in the right places and not all over."
Lauren splits the difference helpfully for anyone going it alone. “Matte is the safest option if you're doing it yourself. And then you can cheat the glow by adding a little highlighter in those high points on the face, like the cheekbones, and under the brow bone."
And leave anything with SPF in the cupboard. As make-up artist Karen Wagner says, “it's best to stay away from SPF because it reflects back at the camera, and in a lit studio you don't need the sun protection anyway.”
Doll up without overdoing it
I personally always find eye make-up tricky where photographs are concerned: my beloved statement liner looks non-existent under a camera lens. But I’m not a fan of the smokey eye either (as it can easily veer into Alice Cooper territory). Karen has a top tip for opening up the eye without getting that harsh witchy line: "When you line the lower lash, it gives a smoky effect, but it makes your eyes smaller. Line the upper lash line instead and then a soft line on top on the actual lid. It'll just open it all up."
As a forty-something I find rich brown liners are a bit more flattering than the jet black pencils I used to scribble on in my teens. A personal favourite of mine is Hildun Beauty’s award-winning Silk To Set Kajal Liner in Pecan (£16). Lauren rates Victoria Beckham's Satin Kajal Liners (£33) in Bronze and Cinnamon. “They work on most eye colours and skin tones.”
Lips need a similar light touch. Karen steers away from a full gloss in favour of definition: "Line your lips with a natural colour, almost your natural lip colour," she says. "Then you can add a little bit of shine, but maybe to the centre of the lips, rather than the full lip, because then I think it just makes everything look a bit bigger."
Julie, meanwhile, flags a problem peculiar to a shoot: "Lips tend to dry out - you're talking a lot and under hot lights. I tell people to keep a balm or your liner to hand and top up between frames.”
Look like yourself, on a really good day
For all their small differences, every expert landed on the same philosophy, almost word for word. "I want people to feel the best version of themselves," says Lauren, "not look in the mirror and go, oh my god, that's not me." She's wary of going dramatic for a work headshot: "Stick to being yourself. There'd be nothing worse than looking one way in a professional headshot and then you turn up to an interview and you're not portraying that."
Julie, who shoots head shots all day, agrees. "Staying true to yourself and just looking the best you can naturally is the best way to go." She's noticed how much of a good photograph is really about confidence: "You need a great expression, you need to bring it from inside, this sort of glowiness, to your face." Hiring a professional makeup artist can help you get there: "You know you're being looked after, and that brings a different confidence to the camera, because you know you look good."
When it comes to finding the right make-up artist, Lauren recommends doing your research. "We all have our own style. Look at their socials first - if you never wear make-up, don't book the artist whose feed is full of ‘full glam ’looks.”
Hiring a professional is an investment, and as Lauren admits, the spectrum is vast: "You'll get one who'll charge 30 quid. I don't think you'll get the best value out of that. But equally, someone's not going to want to spend £500 if they're not a celebrity." Her bottom line is that it's about skill, not
just buying the right products: "You could have all the best stuff, but if you don't know how to apply it, you're not going to get the benefit."
Julie, watching people do their own faces year after year, puts it most plainly: “Professional shoots where I've had make-up artists always go better.”
Max Factor built a cosmetic empire on one simple truth: the camera asks for something different. When you’re deciding on your make-up for your next set of photographs, it certainly pays to take the hint.
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