This week we have the incredible Christi Reynolds guest posting with advice on how to prep your skin for a photo session. In this detailed breakdown on how to care for your skin you’ll learn how to care for your skin a week in advance of your scheduled shoot.
Your makeup will only look as great as the skin underneath it does! While your professional makeup artist will definitely have some tricks up her sleeve to fake it til you make it, there are certainly some ways to prep your skin for optimum results before your photo shoot!
1-The week before your shoot:
- Drink plenty of water. This will hydrate your skin and keep dryness at bay, as well as help fine lines appear more plumped and smooth.
- Take your vitamins! – A multivitamin with your breakfast each day is super important for great skin health.
- Make sure to take one with skin-loving essentials such as zinc, folic acid and vitamin C
- Skip getting a facial – This week you want to treat your skin with kid gloves, and undergoing any chemical treatments or using too active of a skincare regimen may stimulate the skin to break out or even cause an allergic reaction. Instead…
- Use a gentle skin cleanser – Skip the heavily scented, super scrubby or foaming cleansers that are full of harsh chemicals. Exfoliating scrubs a can scratch the skinʼs surface and exacerbate oiliness, and chemical foaming agents like sodium laureth sulfate can strip the skin of essential natural moisture and create flakiness. The drier the skins surface, the more prone your skin will be to break out from dry skin getting trapped in your pores. Gentle creamy cleansers (Cera Ve, Cetaphil, or Purity by Philosophy- all available at Ulta) melt away makeup, protecting the skins vital fatty lipid layer, and prevent the skin from being overstimulated to produce oil. For light, gentle exfoliation, invest in a Clarisonic facial brush and use it with with the sensitive brush head 2-3 times a week, once a day.
- Get in the habit of using a great eye cream, a facial moisturizer and a lip balm
- Keep your routine simple this week; cleanse, hydrate, use eye cream and moisturize those lips! Keeping your skin in ship shape ahead of time will only benefit the way it looks on camera! My favorites are Cera Ve Moisturizer, Clinique All About Eyes gel eye cream, and Kiehlʼs Lip Balm #1
3-4 Days before your shoot:
- Get a brow wax – (or have them threaded) A clean, groomed brow will give your artist the best potential to create a gorgeous eye makeup application for you. Just donʼt do it the day of or before your shoot. Makeup will NOT stick to freshly waxed skin, and you donʼt want to create any chance for breakout or texture that will need additional coverage.
- Get a spray tan – A faux glow always looks great on camera. Just be sure to opt for a professional that can hand airbrush a soft, subtle natural tint of color for you that wonʼt look too dark or streaky. There are lots of professionals out there that now how to do it just right – do your research!
The night before your shoot:
- Skip that last glass of champagne – Alcohol wreaks havoc on the skin, even in small doses. It depletes the skin of vital nutrients and and can leave it dehydrated and dull. Drink your water instead!
- Get plenty of sleep! – 8 hours is a must! Pop in some earplugs, and put on a sleeping mask if you must! But getting a great nightʼs sleep will ensure that you feel energized for your shoot, and that your skin will glow!
The Day of your Shoot:
- Arrive with a clean face! – Remove all traces of your makeup from the night before, and be sure to moisturize and use your eye cream and lip balm. Chances are your artist will also remove any traces of your skin care when she preps your skin for makeup, but if you arrive with a clean, workable canvas, she will thank you for the timesaver… And so will your photographer!
- Trust your artist – Her kit will be full of everything she needs to create your perfect, photographable look. Leave it to your professional to give you the look you desire-after all, with that gorgeous skin of yours, it will be a piece of cake!
If you want to see Christi’s beautiful work you can check out our bride Summer and her beautiful Sutter Club Wedding or even Christi’s own San Francisco City Hall wedding and of course . And of course, she did her own makeup!
