Arizona Senior Photographer: 7 Makeup Tips for Great Senior Portraits

Senior pictures will likely be keepsakes you and your family look back on for years to come. When it comes to your photos, the kind of makeup you wear will play a big part in how they will turn out. The photos will highlight you, after all! I highly recommend you keep a few things in mind with the makeup you wear for your photos.

If you’re worried about how much makeup is too much, what will or won’t photograph well on camera, or have a fear you might look clownish, keep reading! I’m not a makeup expert, but I’ve photographed hundreds of portraits to learn what works and doesn’t work in front of the camera. These tips should cover your questions, so you feel confident knowing you look your best!

7 Makeup Tips for Great Senior Photos

Tip No. 1 : Keep Your Skin Looking Natural

If you have amazing skin, you’re in luck. You should be good to go with just a touch of powder or blush. If you’re a regular foundation user, pull out a foundation that makes your skin look as natural as possible, i.e. nothing cakey or dewey or reflective or matte. It should be sheer enough to build and it applies really well. In general, try to find something somewhere in the middle where it looks like your natural skin texture. and tone.

Tip No. 2: Do Your Makeup In Front of Natural Light or Well Lit Mirror

Most of my photography work is done in natural lighting. In the same vein, I recommend doing your makeup in front of a naturally-lit window or a well-lit mirror, so you make sure the colors look exactly the way you expect when you get in front of the camera. Give yourself plenty of time to do your makeup, so you can enjoy the process.

Tip No. 3: Accentuate Your Features, Especially Your Eyes

If you have natural features on your face like freckles or beauty marks, I recommend keeping them as opposed to covering them up to showcase your natural beauty. In general, use your makeup to accentuate your features like a bronzer to accentuate your cheekbones or eyeliner to highlight your eyes, or a bright/bold color to show off your lips.

Eyes are the most important to accentuate, so make sure your brows are well-groomed. Find different ways to highlight your eyes, from thicker lashes (fake eyelashes) to defined eyeliner. (BTW, here are a few things you should keep in mind for how to prepare for your senior session.)

Check out the way that Grace used just a stroke of black liquid eyeliner in a slight cat eye along with mascara to draw attention to her aqua blue eyes. Barely, if any, eye shadow was used but this eye look is still brilliant and captivating.

Tip No. 4: Use a Heavier Hand With Cheeks and Lips

Many kinds of light tend to wash out color from your facial features. When it comes to blush, use a heavier hand than you normally would and apply a tad more color than usual. For your lips, you don’t have to go with a heavy, bright color. Just make sure they’re defined and the color is applied evenly.

Grace nailed her cheeks and lips here! She has beautifully fair skin and she was able to make her cheeks look just pinched pink and accented with a bold berry colored lip stain.

Tip No. 5: Keep Some Powder on Hand

One of the things I recommend you bring along on your shoot is some powder to make sure you’re looking fresh. However, if you forget I always have some oil blotting sheets on hand to help control the shine. We all know how hot it gets here in Phoenix, Arizona, so it might not be a bad idea to bring along a personal fan to make sure you’re not looking too shiny and sweaty.

Tip No. 6: Avoid Dewey of High Shimmer Face Makeup to Avoid Looking Sweaty

This tip comes with a caveat, If you’re doing studio photos then A.OK on the dewey, shimmery faces.

However, if you’re taking senior pictures outside in the heat, chances are you’ll start sweating. You won’t want shimmery makeup on top of your natural sweaty sheen. It’ll make for some super shiny-looking photos! I highly recommend you steer clear of shimmery foundations, blushes, highlighters, and powders to avoid the shine and shimmer.

Tip No. 7: Bring Some Basics to Your Photoshoot for Touch Ups

Aside from powder or blotting sheets and your lip color, there are a few other things I recommend you bring in your makeup touch-up kit. Click to see what you should include to bring along to your shoot: The Senior Portrait Packing Checklist

To book your senior portrait session today click here! I’m ready and waiting to capture you in all of your vibrant uniqueness.

Tempe, Arizona Senior Photographer | Shannon Ly Photography

To see more images of amazing seniors click right here!