As a photographer I’m sure you’re aware how to prep your gear and the set for a shoot. But that’s only half way there. Especially in Beauty Photography skin is the most important thing about the model and the Make-up.

There’s a few simple steps on how to get the perfect skin for Beauty, and I’m gonna tell you what they are right now!

#1: The night before. Depending on what skin type / texture your model has, doing an exfoliation and / or hydrating mask can do wonders. If the skin is on the dryer side, a gentle exfoliant will remove dead skin and make the skin look smoother overall. A hydrating mask gives you soft and glowy skin – which is also something we definitely want. Don’t forget giving the skin allll the moisture it needs, by adding a little more moisturizer than usual. Addition: Don’t use any harsh chemicals or new things you’ve never tried before. You don’t want your skin to be irritated, red or breaking out because of a new product the day of the shoot!

#2: Before the Make-up. Before applying the acutal Make-up you want to give the skin some extra moisture and glow. I like to use a rich moisturizer as the base, and if the skin needs a little more I’ll add some non-greasy oil on top – like Squalene or Rose Hip Seed Oil. When the model has really good skin and you’re going for a more nautral look you can even skip Foundation completely and just stick with the skincare base! Foundation and Concealer cloggs the pores, but if you want natural skin texture (which has visible pores) you want to keep the skin as “naked” as possible.

#3: Make-up products. In day-to-day Make-up we often use powders to set everything in place. For Beauty we only need to Make-up to look flawless for like 30 minutes, so there’s really no need for heavy powder application. I would suggest using more cream or liquid formulars. Some of my favorites basics are Becca’s Ignite liquid highlight, Backstage Hamburg’s Face Gloss, NYX contour sticks, and using whatever lipstick is on the lips as blush aswell!

Bonus: Besides the skin, lips are also very important. Don’t forget to use some form of moisturizer on those too – wheter it be lip balm or an actual moisturizer. Doing a little lip scrub does wonders too! You can DIY those super easily – just mix up a little sugar and honey in a small bowl, rub that over your lips and your set to go.

These are the most important steps to keep in mind when prepping skin for a Beauty shoot! If you want to learn how to make the skin look flawless in post processing check out my Masterclasses here!