Look Pale in Pictures?

I can't tell you how many pictures I have of myself where my face looks ghostly pale and 2 dimensional. My body could have been as dark and as bronzed as a Butterfinger bar, but for some reason, every time I'd get my picture taken, my face became devoid of all color. I started the Cullen vampire look years ago...minus the sparkling in the sunlight thing. If this seems to happen to you as well then read on for my simple fixes for this pale problem...

•  When you get your picture taken it's often taken with the flash on. This can be part of the reason that your face looks lighter than it really is, so if flash isn't necessary than try not to use it. However, if the natural lighting isn't very good then you will have to use flash.

• Face products such as moisturizers and foundations that have SPF in them are made to reflect the sun's rays, but they also reflect the light from the flash on a camera. If you are going to have your picture taken for a special occasion or if you're only wearing makeup for an evening out then do not wear products with an SPF. Of course, for daily wear, these protective products are recommended.

• Apply a translucent high definition finishing powder on top of your makeup. These high definition powders are made to even out the appearance of your skin on both film and camera. It will slightly mattify your skin without changing the color of your foundation. You can also wear it alone. While the difference is not that noticeable in person it does make a big difference in pictures.

• Contour your face with a matte bronzer to give your face more dimension. A matte bronzer will enhance your faces natural shape, which can be lost a little when the flash goes off. Don't use a bronzer with shimmer in it because it can make you appear shiny/oily and will enhance imperfections. Using a blush/angled powder brush, apply light layers of bronzer to the hollows of the cheeks, temples, along the jawline and across the top of the forehead. Then blend gently back into the hairline. Finish off with a little more blended down the neck.

Follow these tips and you'll notice a big change in the way you look in pictures!

Trina's Current Favorite: e.l.f. High Definition Powder ($6)

The Two Foundation Fix & Choosing the Right Shade

It's great to find the perfect foundation; that lovely little miracle in a bottle (or compact) that makes our flaws disappear and at the same time reveals our natural, radiant skin. What's not so great is when you wear that same foundation, in that same exact color, every single day all year long. Because, unless you live on the dark side of the moon, you're skin does not stay the same exact color all year long. During the summer months, even with lots of protection from the sun, most of us turn a shade or two darker, and then as we move into the winter we fade back to a lighter color. What I see so often is women who, despite the fact that it's minus 20 outside, will continue to wear the same foundation that they wore after spending an entire summer in Tahiti. They aren't fooling anybody. Or I see just the opposite. Girls whose faces look washed out while everything else looks sun-kissed and glowing. When you don't wear the proper shade of foundation...you're head looks like it's on someone else's body.

To solve this dilemma is simple. And it doesn't require you to buy every shade of foundation ranging from "Graceful Swan" to "Ebony Smoke". If you want to always be sure that your foundation will be spot on then all you'll need is two foundations. The first foundation will be one that is nearest your skin color when it is lightest. The second should match your skin color when it is at its darkest (which is usually only one to two shades darker). When your skin color is lightest you'll only need to use the light foundation shade. As your skin darkens just mix in a small amount of the darker foundation, adding more of the darker one as your skin gets darker. To mix the two foundations you can use either a mixing palette, the lid of the foundation container, a wax-coated paper plate or the back of your hand. Mix them with your fingers or a foundation brush and then apply. You can do this with any kind of foundation - liquid, cream, airbrush or powder. It may take a couple of tries before you figure out the right amounts to mix but once you do its really easy.

Next, how do you make sure you're face and body will blend together seamlessly? You've probably been told that to pick the correct color of foundation you need to swipe a swatch (<---say that 3 times fast!) of the color onto your jawline until you find the one that matches. The problem with this is that some people's facial coloring is naturally a little off from the color of their neck and chest, either from having a ruddy complexion or skin discoloration. If you want your foundation to look as natural on you as possible then swatch foundation colors on the lower area of your neck. It only makes sense to find a color that matches this area since your neck is the median between your face and your body, right? Also, the base of your neck will never be more than one shade up or down from your face - which, by the way, you SHOULD NOT go more than one shade up or down from your current skin color. Ever. You look funny...and not like funny ha-ha.

Tight-Lining

What is tight-lining? If you're imagining some new act in Cirque du Soleil you're way off. Although for some women it conjures up the same sense of anxiety as if they were about walk a tightrope themselves. Tight-lining is when you line the inner rim (also called the waterline) of your upper and/or lower lids. I'm not talking about the area right above your lashes but the narrow space between the base of your lashes and your eyeball. Wait...what? You can do that?! But why?
The answer, quite simply, is because tight-lining your eyes really does give you a much more polished look. By lining this little strip of...I don't even know what to call it...you instantly create the illusion of more voluminous lashes. You also eliminate that blank space, so to speak, between your eye makeup and your eyes. This makes your eyes pop! You can also tight-line instead of applying eyeliner because it's a quick and easy way to add definition to your eyes without fussing over getting a perfect line.

Below, I will show you how to tight-line & the difference it can make. Cue the frightening close ups of my eyeballs...

Before tight-lining...

Fill in the upper inner rim...

Then the lower inner rim...

After!

To tight-line your eyes gently push your upper lid back and carefully pull down on your lower lid then lightly run the pencil (or whatever you're using) along the waterline. You can also line just the bottom rim and then tightly squeeeeze your eyes shut so the color from the bottom rim transfers to the upper rim. You can line either the upper or both upper and lower rims with a myriad of products including eye pencils, kohls, cream and gel liners and even powders. Just check to see if the product in question is waterline safe. What's really fun is lining with colors other than black. Not only can you line with brown for a soft, natural look but you can use any color you can think of (except I'd avoid using pinks and reds unless you want to look sickly). Think outside the box! Blues, greens, and purples can be used to enhance your specific eye color or you can use white or light flesh tones to brighten and enlarge your eyes.