Perhaps you’ve been treated to professional makeup by Juanita at one of our photo or video shoots, and are inspired to develop your own makeup skills, or maybe you’re planning for a professional shoot and prefer to do your own makeup. If so, this is for you: Juanita’s top tips for mastering makeup in studio. Here she is in our studio with beautiful young dancer and model Logan De Villiers, before applying makeup for her portfolio shoot . . . with our beloved golden retriever Storm popping in to check on them both 🙂
The way we like to work is to start off with a relatively natural look, which Juanita can then intensify during the shoot when we change backdrops and lighting for different moods and effects. She is typically also on hand for touch-ups throughout. I hope that you enjoy her tips and learn something to help you with your next shoot. Over to you Juanita:
“In all my years of working with makeup, I am still in awe when witnessing the transformation after applying makeup and especially seeing what it does for a client – what a privilege. Often the misconception is that makeup makes you more beautiful, but my belief is, it emphasizes and enhances what is there already, and when accompanied by inner beauty, you can only have a masterpiece.
There is so much information and endless product lines available, that it can make purchasing makeup feel daunting, apart from how it makes your purse ‘squeal’. To help, I have summarized a few basic, foolproof tips that you can easily apply yourself.
Many of us have a few products that we are happy with and which agree with our skin. So before heading out to buy more, try these tips using the items you already have in your cosmetic bag and see the difference. Remember that in studio you need to double or even triple the makeup that you would apply for everyday wear, as the lights will “wash away” your everyday work of art. So don’t be nervous to intensify. Here goes:
1. When applying your foundation, I suggest blending onto your eyelids as well as beneath your eyes, even using your ring finger to do so, and notice how this brightens your face with a flawless finish.
2. Lightly powder your face, including around your eyes, to help set your foundation and create a beautiful clear “canvas” to work on. This step also avoids any unnecessary shine in your photos or videos.
3. Use your brow pencil to lightly, and very lightly, stroke along your brows to add dimension and proportion to your face.
4. Apply a light eye shadow to your eyelid and contour a darker colour into the crease. Add a light shimmer shadow to the brow bone.
5. Define you eyes with black eyeliner along your upper lash line and finish with black mascara. Work mascara from the base of the lash to the end doing a ‘wiggle’ with the brush to separate lashes and avoid clumps.
6. Lightly apply blush to the apples of your cheeks, sweeping out towards your hairline and focussing on a natural, blushed look.
7. Use your favorite lip liner to line and fill your lips – literally. Add your gloss over that for some shine to flatter your look. Eyes and lips should not be the same intensity otherwise your look will appear harsh. Either intensify your eyes and soften your lips or vice versa.
8. Also bear in mind that light/shimmery colours bring features to the front, making them appear bigger, and dark/matte colours make them appear smaller or create depth.
If you’re going to do your own makeup for your shoot, practice a few times at home beforehand and try out your look with the outfits that you plan to wear, to ensure that your makeup complements these and that you really make the most of this on the day.”
That’s it for now from Juanita . . . all the best from us both for fabulous, fun shoots!
