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Nailing The Selfie



Once again the holiday season is back, which means picture season is HERE. I get asked all the time by my clients on how to take better selfies or to look their best in photos, so here's my best tricks just in time for your all of those parties and gatherings you're about to attend!



First, hair


  • I know this sounds crazy, but have you had a trim lately? Getting rid of those split ends will minimize frizz and make you feel more polished.

  • Speaking of polished, now is the time of year to try out a high-gloss finishing spray....or even one with a little glitz! Dimmer, softer lighting (say a beautiful table-scape or Christmas Tree) will make hair look flat or dull, a product like Sexy Hair Rose Elixir or Color Wow Pop & Lock will make your hair look lusterous.

  • Tone or treat...or tone and treat? Even if you're in-between color services, now would be a great time to pop in for a glossing service to make sure your color is ON POINT and provides a great opportunity for an Olaplex treatment.

  • Did you know there's such thing as clear glosses -- which are PERFECT for non-color clients?!? A clear gloss also adds long-lasting shine, seals down the cuticle for less frizz, and makes the hair more manageable and easier to style.

  • Learn, love, and live for dry shampoo! I promise there is a perfect one out there for you, and I swear day 2 or 3 hair is the BEST hair you'll have -- just be sure to coordinate your real shampoos with your events. Aquage's Dry Shampoo is great for that no-product feel and Seven's Cubica is a phenomenal option for greasier or flat hair.

  • For trendier folks, bejeweled, oversized hair accessories are in.....waaaaaaaay in. Look up "oversized pearl hair clips" or "oversized rhinestone bobby pins" on Amazon -- a $10 investment will make you look and feel SO FANCY!

  • Ask for a Color Wow Dream Coat blow out the next time you're in. This sealant creates the softest, shiniest, smoothest hair you've ever had, extends your wear time, and lasts for three shampoos --play your cards right, and that could get you from Thanksgiving, all the way to Christmas!


Gimme face!


  • You read it all the time, but water is key! Both coffee and alcohol are super dehydrating, and plumper skin photographs so much more beautifully. Just keep reminding yourself, for every cup of coffee or cocktail, follow it with an 8 oz glass of water.

  • Facial oils are the new serums which were the new moisturizers; trust me, you won't look/feel greasy or break out. I recently the HOLY GRAIL of facial oils, and I am HOOKED. It corrected my redness and rosacea, healed up my dry spots, minimized my lines, and is working on fading my old acne hyper-pigmentation...but you're gonna have to email me to get that recommendation!

  • Facial oils will also make a major difference in how smooth your foundation and concealer goes on. You'll get full coverage and now it won't settle into fine lines and/or look cakey. If you're worried about being too greasy (don't), add one drop of a facial oil to your foundation or concealer before you apply it...and behold the miracle!

  • Want luminous skin? Switch out your traditional blush to a cream formula. This blends better on skin and gives that lit-from-within effect that cameras love so much.

  • Back off of the contouring. Dimmer lighting and phone cameras like to pick up shadows as it is, I promise it'll already be enough.

  • Get your highlight on (with restraint). A touch too much powder highlighter can make you look cartoonish, or even give you a Michael Jackson nose....and you won't know until you see the photos! Again, switch to a cream-formula highlighter so that you look like you're right by candlelight, regardless of the lighting in the room. I have one that I LOVE LOVE LOVE!


Getting the shot


  • Dress the set! Translation: make whatever's in the background looks tidy and pretty. Trust me, this really matters.

  • Stage the picture so that the light source is in front of you. It might make it hard not to squint (likely not the case if you're indoors/not a sunny day), but having something bright behind you picks up a bunch of unflattering facial shadows and the camera will focus on the light source/not on you.

  • What's your good side -- do you know? We all have one, so take some practice selfies at home with a 3/4 angle facing the camera, and do that turning your head both directions. As soon as you see the photos in your camera roll, you'll immediately know which is your "good side."

  • Know your angles! I promise NO ONE looks good with the camera positioned straight on at eye level. The most flattering angle is somewhere between 30-45 degrees above your head and on your good side. Tilting your chin up a little to face the camera eliminate any and all of your "chins" concerns.

  • Taking a groupie? Give the camera/phone to the tallest person with the longest arms. You're welcome.

  • Don't stand in the center position of the groupie.

  • Make sure you're positioned in groupie so your good side is turned toward the camera. If it isn't, switch positions with someone!

  • DON'T LOOK AT THE SCREEN. Make eye contact with the the camera lens or that itty-bitty hole at the top of phone. That's the camera lens in selfie-mode, and if you're not looking there that's might be why your photos look a little "off."

  • Smile big, and then turn it down by about 25%. Also, try squinting your eyes just a teeny-tiny bit (like 10%). This will all feel weird, but it will give your face a softer, more relaxed, and in-the-moment (less staged) look in the photo.


WHEW -- I think I got them all! I'd love to know if there were any revelations on this list for you, but more importantly, do YOU have any tips you can share with ME? Leave a comment down below and tell me your best tricks...I've got parties on the horizon and I need some help, too!


Happy Holidays everyone, and I'll see you in 2020!


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