I love when clients get professional makeup done for their wedding or boudoir portraits.  Not only do you have a flawless look, but it gives the subject added confidence as well.  Now of course there is the caveat of having to hire a pro.  Someone who understands how to have makeup be subtle enough to look realistic but also be strong enough that it shows up on camera.  Personally, my favorite makeup artists are from Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios.  Brett knows how to tailor makeup for many mediums and is also one of the few artists that knows how to do authentic period hair and makeup. 

Here are a couple tips when getting your makeup done (this is from a photographer’s point of view!)

No sparkles.  Glittery eyeshadow may look cool in real life, but on camera it is tough to photograph.  And the finer the glitter/sparkle/sheen, the flatter the surface looks.  Sparkles reflect light differently than skin or fabric, so it will create a non cohesive look in images. 

Go easy on the lashes.  False lashes are amazing, but only when done right.  If your lashes are almost touching your eyebrows, they just look goofy.  I’ve also seen false lashes applied where you can see the line of glue on the real lash line.  So find and artist that really knows what they’re doing.

Makeup is for the face, but don’t forget the neck, or ears, or shoulders, or cleavage.  I’ve had to edit images where the subject’s head is in more of the pink tones, but her neck and decolletage is more yellow because the makeup artist didn’t blend into the neck.  Or even worse, you can see a visible line where the makeup stops.  Pay attention to this tip especially for boudoir photography. 

If you’re going to go all out, do it!  I love feathers on eyebrows, textures on faces, and bold splashes of color.  Do it, embrace it, have fun with it! 

Be realistic.  No amount of makeup is going to make your nose thinner or pores disappear.  Having the right artist do your makeup can minimize your flaws, but caking on makeup to try and alter your features will just look abnormal.  Choose the correct makeup application to help with your hangups, but also remember that any images you see in ads are heavily photoshopped…so don’t put too much pressure on your makeup artist to make you look like Julianne Moore.