Here’s are some tips and tricks to consider when thinking about hair and makeup for your professional photos!

Should You Book Professional Hair + Makeup?

I always try to provide my clients with a couple local hair and makeup artists should they decide to get their hair or makeup done for their shoot, but it certainly isn’t mandatory. I think that it can add to the overall experience of getting professional photos done and make the whole day more memorable. And of course, you’re going to end up with a high quality, lasting look. Some photographers might say they recommend professional makeup 100% of the time. But I don’t necessarily think it’s the right choice for all of my clients, especially those that don’t usually wear much makeup to begin with. I think one of the most important purposes of photos (especially seniors), is documenting YOU at whatever stage of life you’re in. If you don’t look or feel like yourself, the photos aren’t really doing their job. Here are my thoughts on whether or not you should book the MUA:

You SHOULD book the pro if

• You really want to go all out with your senior photoshoot experience
• You love how you look with a full beat
• You want to make sure your makeup is super long lasting

You SHOULD NOT book the pro if

• You’ve never gotten professional makeup done and you don’t wear much makeup to begin with
• You’re super particular about your makeup and you only ever do it yourself

If you’re leaning towards no professional makeup, you could always book for hair and still get the fun experience of being pampered for your shoot!

Get Your Glam On

Hair Tips

For hair, you can’t go wrong with a blowout or a loose curl. If you wanted, you could start your shoot with it down and then put it up in a ponytail at the end to switch it up. If it’s gonna be windy, you might think about doing a pretty updo to keep it out of your face.

Makeup Tips

For makeup, I always recommend keeping it light. Don’t go too dark with the eye makeup or too heavy with the falsies or eyeliner. If you’re not big on makeup, at the very least, put on some light mascara and lip balm (dry lips are a no). For lip color, try to pick something that matches your natural lip color or a little darker. I find that going with a lighter lipstick doesn’t photograph well. Also, I love a glowy look, but sometimes super duper glowy skin doesn’t look great on camera. If you’re doing glowy makeup, use some powder to mattify your t-zone and under your eyes. All that being said, be you! Do your makeup in a way that makes you feel beautiful.

Tanning

Okay this may be controversial – skip the spray tan. Unless you have a very trusted spray tan artist that you’ve gone to before and you already have experience with taking care of it to keep it looking good, right before a photoshoot might not be the time to learn. Spray tans can end up looking patchy and unnatural. If you tan outdoors, keep in mind what outfits you’re wearing and wear the appropriate bikini top while you’re tanning. And perhaps another controversial point – just be you and don’t go out of your way to look super different for your photos.

Nails

If you’re not getting your nails done for your photoshoot, I would recommend either having bare nails or a clear top coat. Cracked and chipped nail polish can makeup your photos look messy.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you’re not doing professional hair and makeup, make sure you practice or make a plan for your hair and makeup before the day of your shoot. Probably not the time to try something new without having practiced it before.