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| Photo by Amy Nguyen Photos |
A few weeks ago I alluded to doing a styled photoshoot for Amy Nguyen photos - a talented local photographer who took a chance on me and asked if my husband Jake and I wouldn't mind sitting for some photos so she could try out some new poses and pictures. I jumped at the chance because I love her work and Jake and I didn't have any recent professional photos together - and well, let's just say I am in freaking love with what she did.
Seriously, if you're in southern Minnesota and in need of beautiful photos, Amy is your girl. She is bursting full of talent and I'm convinced she's not capable of taking a bad picture. Go call her right now!!!
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| Photo by Amy Nguyen Photos |
I hadn't ever done my own makeup for a professional photoshoot before, so I was excited to get the chance... and when I saw the photos, I was shocked to find out it didn't look like a 12 year old using makeup for the first time did it. And because that's rather exciting, I thought I'd share what I used to achieve the look. Let me tell you - it's easy peasy.
- Primer: I started off by using a SPF-free moisturizer (this DDF moisturizer from a past Birchbox -- not pictured) so that no white-cast appeared on my face when photographed. Then to prime my face and erase the sign of visible pores, I used Benefit's Porefessional. I applied this to the areas of my face that have the most unsightly pores, mostly in my T-zone.
- Foundation & Powder: Using a damp beauty blender, I then applied my holy grail Covergirl 3-in-1 foundation (full review here) all over my face using dabbing motions. The damp beauty blender provides a very natural full-coverage with a dewy glow. To set the foundation, I used my NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder in Translucent, which is very finely-milled and provides a soft coverage without adding color or looking cakey. It's also super cheap (under $5!) which is awesome if you're on a budget.
- Eyes: I first began by priming my eyes with the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Nude Pink (full review here). It not only makes a good base that holds the shadow all day, but it erases any discoloration or veins that show through in my eye area. I defined my crease using NYX's True Taupe eyeshadow, and then used one of my favorite eyeshdows -Avon's Frothy Mocha, a cream eyeshadow, all over my lid. I created a cat-eye eyeliner look using the Milani Eye-Tech Extreme eyeliner pen in Blackest Black. I used a coat of Tarte's Lights Camera Lashes mascara, and then applied false lashes, and applied one more coat to bind my lashes to the falsies. (Because what's a photoshoot without falsies - am I right?!)
- Cheeks: To define my cheek bones and contour my face, I used one of my favorite bronzers - the Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer by Too Faced. I used this in the hollows of my cheeks, up around my hair line, and along my jaw line. To give me a glow from within, I used Covergirl TruBlend Minerals blush in Shimmering Sands. This is more of a pink highlighter than a blush on me, so I used it to highlight. I then applied the NYX Blush in Peach starting on the apples of my cheeks and blending up for a bit of color.
- Brows: The NYX eyeshadow in True Taupe worked double-duty, as I used it on my eyes, and then again to fill in my brows. This color is perfect for sculpting out the brows while still maintaining a natural look. To seal them, I applied the clear Maybelline Great Lash over top. This is such a simple step but it really pulls together the face to have defined brows.
And wa-lah! That's how you create the look. It's super simple but still holds up to the test of a camera!
Here's a couple bonus pictures just for fun. And Amy, if you're reading - Thank you SO SO much for these awesome photos!
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| Photo by Amy Nguyen Photos |
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| Photo by Amy Nguyen Photos |
