5 tips for getting perfect makeup for your headshot portrait

Want tips from a professional makeup artist? This video is for you! In this video we talk about how to get great makeup for your headshot photo shoot.

Whether you’re a seasoned glam gal or you’re more of the natural type, there are some nuggets of wisdom in this video.

Once you have your headshot session booked, it’s time to start thinking about how to do your makeup and how to style your hair. Headshot portraits are the perfect time to reserve your spot in a Makeup Artist’s chair, to ensure you’ll have a great, natural looking makeup that looks polished and clean in your portraits.

I teamed up with Victoria McGrath and the Noni Salon in Leucadia, California to talk about the best ways to ensure you’ll have photo-ready makeup.

Here are some of the tips Victoria gives in this video plus links to some of the products that she has in her kit:

1. Photo-worthy makeup begins with great skin care. Prepare your skin with a hydrator, like this one from Perricone, plus an eye cream and primer to ensure that you have a perfect base to apply your foundation.

2. In headshots you want to look like the best version of yourself. So choose natural eye colors that are close to your skin tones. This is not the time to do a heavy smokey eye or dramatic cat eyes… the key is to look like YOU!

3. Apply foundation after eye makeup. This aids in the clean-up factor, in case you get eye makeup on your skin during the application. Use a fluffy brush like this one from MAC to buff the foundation into the skin, creating natural skin texture. Victoria used a mix of MAC Pro Longwear foundation and Perricone No Foundation Serum.

4. Apply highlighter completely around the lip – focusing around the bow and the bottom of the lip. Put lip liner mainly on the outsides of the lip, and apply gloss just in the middle. This will give you the appearance of a bigger, fuller lip.

5. At the very end, use a translucent powder all over your face to eliminate shiny skin and to keep oils to a minimum. Victoria used Dermablend on Nicolle.

If you live in San Diego, contact me to book your headshot photo shoot. And then book your appointment at the beautiful beach-side Noni Salon for a hair and makeup appointment.

And if you missed my previous blog — all about getting your hair just right for your photos — you can check that out here.

Oh, and to stay up-to-date on all of the latest makeup products and tips and tricks, follow Victoria on Instagram!