I've been in the beauty industry for years. Here are 8 tips to make your makeup look as good in pictures as it does in real life. (2024)

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Get a good foundation match.

There's nothing worse than looking like your head and neck don't belong to the same body, which typically happens if you don't use a foundation that matches your jawline.

Foundation is meant to create cohesion between the face and neck so your ideal shade should be one that does that. When choosing your foundation, try to swatch one that matches your jawline rather than your hand.

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Blend foundation into your ears, hairline, and neck.

After finding the right base shade, it's super important to blend your foundation into the hard-to-reach, often forgotten areas like the ears, hairline, and neck.

By paying attention to these areas, you'll ensure your makeup doesn't look like a mask in pictures.

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Use a chunky foundation brush to make blending easier.

If you have a great foundation shade but your makeup still looks streaky in pictures, it could be because you're using the wrong tools to blend your base.

Using a chunkier, larger foundation brush with dense bristles could be a quick fix to cover more surface area with less effort and time. It's also important to use your brush in a stippling motion and not drag it when blending.

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Dust off your bake with a powder that matches your skin tone.

In my opinion, one of the worst makeup faux pas is baking your under-eye area with a translucent powder, thinking you're done, and walking out of the house (especially if you have a darker skin tone).

If you've ever had a picture taken with flash photography and seen a white cast under your eyes, the translucent powder alone is the culprit.

If you're using a loose translucent powder to bake your under eyes, brush it away with a pressed version that matches your skin tone to create a flawless finish.

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Avoid halo brows by cleaning up with concealer underneath the brows only.

Cleaning up your brows with concealer is key for fixing any mistakes you might have made with product.

But if you want this to look good, I recommend cleaning up the bottom of your brows with a concealer that's one shade lighter than your skin tone and then carving out the area on top with your foundation. Using foundation on top ensures your brows won't look highlighted, which can appear odd in photos.

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Use a hydrating setting mist or spray to make your makeup look like skin.

Increasing the longevity of your finished look often involves setting all cream makeup with powder products. However, this means it's easy for makeup to look cakey, especially through the unforgiving lens of a camera.

After you've finished your look, use a setting spray or mist to hydrate your makeup. A spray will allow any powder to sink into your skin and create a more "natural" look that'll last for hours.

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Do your makeup in good lighting and take a flash test.

Though this might seem like a no-brainer, I'm always surprised to learn that so many people do their makeup in poorly lit rooms.

If you can, I suggest getting supplemental lighting like a lamp or ring light for the area you do your makeup. Otherwise, taking a picture of your finished look with your back camera with flash is a good indicator of how you'll appear in flash photography and gives you a chance to touch up any mistakes before you go out.

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Take something to touch up with.

Sometimes the biggest threat to a perfect, Instagram-able photo is an oily T-zone — no one wants to look like a grease ball.

I recommend carrying around blotting paper or powder (like Fenty Beauty's Invisimatte) for an easy fix. Products like these can help with sheen control through the day or night, especially if you have oily skin.