MAKE IT CUTE

Fashion

Get picture-day perfect in 8 steps

The camera turns to you as you sit against the blue screen in the school cafeteria. It seems to zoom in on your baggy eyes or that pimple sitting on top of your nose. Oh, picture day. Don’t worry, babe, we’ve been there. No need to cake on the makeup—we’ve got beauty tips to make ya feel comfy in the skin you’re in while looking picture-perfect.

Step 1.

Start with a foundation that’s made to look great on camera. BB creams are wonderful for everyday, but the high SPF in most BB creams can cause it to reflect back in camera flash, making you looked washed-out and way too pale in pictures. Try applying a thin layer of Revlon’s PhotoReady Makeup with a stippling brush and build it up as needed.

Revlon PhotoReady Makeup, $14, drugstore.com

Step 2.

Use a highlighting concealer that can banish those under eye circles in a flash. We recommend an old favorite of ours: Maybelline’s Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. Pat and blend around your eyes, on the bridge of your nose and even on troublesome acne scars. This will make your face glow from within!

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer, $8, walgreens.com

Step 3.

Feeling sweaty and oily? Before you step in front of that camera, dust a little bit of powder onto shiny spots. Only a little bit though: A little goes a loooooong way. Try NYX’s High Definition Powder. It’s made for HD, and it’ll have you looking camera-ready in a flash.

NYX Cosmetics High Definition Photogenic Grinding Powder, $25, ulta.com

Step 4.

Let’s bring some life back into those cheeks! Apply a tiny bit of a mauve-y blush onto the apples of your cheeks and up to your temples with an angled blush brush. Create a subtle triangle with your blush (that is, more blush on the apples of your cheeks and less blush as your reach your temples). This triangle will make your face look slimmer without anyone noticing that you did it with makeup. How do you find the “apples of your cheeks”? Give your mirror a nice, big grin and you should see two cute “apples” on those cheeks. Check out Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed. The high price point is definitely worth it!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed, $25, sephora.com

Step 5.

Eyebrows are the picture frames to your eyes. Take a clear brow gel (like e.l.f.’s Wet Gloss Lash and Clear Brow Mascara) and groom through your brows to keep ‘em in place.

e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash and Clear Brow Mascara, $2, drugstore.com

Step 6.

We love color, but natural eyes are the way to go for pictures that will last a lifetime. Sweep on Urban Decay’s eyeshadow in Sin. This is a beautiful champagne color that is always in style.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin, $18, sephora.com

Step 7.

Take black or brown eyeliner and line your lashline. For a more dramatic look, smudge out the eyeliner a little bit to create a subtle smoky. We recommend Milani’s Liquif’eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in black because this stays put through sweat and tears! Even though it stays on, make sure to check in a mirror and use a Q-tip to clean out any smudges before sitting in front of the cameraman. Then, finish with a sweep of mascara.

Milani Liquif’Eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencil in Black, $7, cherryculture.com

Step 8.

Choose a “my-lips-but-better” sort of shade for your lips. We are love, love, loving Revlon’s new Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey. This lippie glides on easily like your favorite balm but delivers a punch of beautiful, kissable color. And, of course, it leaves a rosy stain behind even after you eat.