So you’ve picked your photographer and you’ve scheduled your headshot. In the week or two ahead, you’ll pick out your wardrobe, map out the route to the shooting location, drink lots of water and get lots of sleep. Is there anything else you need to do? Yes! Prepare your skin!
“The best way to prep your skin for a shoot is to get help from a professional,” says internationally published hair and makeup artist, Karina Talaro. “If you can, make an appointment to get a moisturizing facial a week before your shoot.” If you can’t schedule an appointment — or prefer to do it yourself — then do these two important things:
1. Exfoliate.
“I recommend you exfoliate 2 or 3 times during week before your photoshoot,” says Karina. “Exfoliation exposes fresh, healthy skin by removing dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin.”
One of Karina’s favorite exfoliating cleansers is Origins GINZING Refreshing Scrub Cleanser, a 100% vegetarian formula made with Panax Ginseng and “caffeine from coffee beans.”
If the $23 price tag for a 5 oz. tube of GINZING is outside your budget, Karina suggests Neutrogena’s Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser, which you can find at most drug stores for around $8 or $9 for a 7-ounce tube.
2. Moisturize
“The next most important step is to moisturize daily,” adds Karina. “Moisturizing boosts hydration and it will ensure your skin glows on camera. If you aren’t already using a daily moisturizer, grab a hypoallergenic moisturizer with no fragrances to insure you don’t have an allergic reaction.”
Clinique’s Moisture-Surge formula, which can be found at retailers like Ulta, is one of Karina’s favorites because it “gives your skin instant rehydration and leaves it plump and dewy.” For the more economically-minded, she recommends Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Gel.
Once you try these two easy steps, Karina recommends making them part of your daily or weekly regimen. “Exfoliating and moisturizing for a week will certainly freshen your face for a better headshot but, as with everything worthwhile, a long term commitment will always make for better results.”
Common sense reminder: if you have allergies or other skin conditions that require a doctor’s care, check with them before trying any of these suggestions!
Have your own favorite skin care regimen? Drop us a comment and share it with us.
Karina Talaro is an internationally published hair and makeup stylist, an expert on health and beauty and accomplished schedule-juggling Mom of two beautiful daughters. In addition to working extensively with Michael Verity Photography, she designs bridal hair and makeup throughout the Pacific Northwest. You can see her work here.