Enhancing School Portraits with a Quick Makeup Fix

A simple makeup fix can be the difference between a stunning school portrait and a plain looking photo that you take. For older children, especially seniors, makeup can be used to enhance the overall look of the school portrait. Here's how you can apply and fix makeup to make the school portraits you produce even more special for your students. Whether you just provide students with these makeup tips, or help them to apply the makeup depends on the type of shoot you are doing.

What You'll Need

• Eyeliner
• Lipstick
• Light eye shadow
• Matte powder
• Cotton balls

A lot of the students you are photographing may not apply makeup themselves before coming to school. Makeup for a photo will need to be done slightly different than their everyday makeup. The bright lights used in portrait photography will wash out a lot of the color. To prepare for this, use a matte foundation in conjunction with a good type of concealing product to cover any blemishes. While most women want a slightly dewy look, this will show up in the photo as oily, and is not attractive. Apply the eyeliner a little darker than you normally would so it will show up in the photo. It's a good idea to avoid black eyeliner all together. It's also best to not apply eyeliner underneath the student's eye on the lower lid. This will make their eyes look smaller in the final photo.

Step 2: What to Pack

To prepare for your shoot, you will want to take some makeup with you to touch up before you begin. Pack some powder, some cotton balls, various lip colors, mascara and eyeliner if you are using a pencil. Pack everything in an easily accessible container that you can find things quickly in to make the shoot go more smoothly.

Step 3: Quick Touch Ups

Before you sit the student down to snap your photo, take a minute to check her face. If any eyeliner has smudged, use the cotton balls to correct this. You may need to apply a little more eye liner or powder. Remember, the matte look will work best for the photos. If necessary, add a quick coat of mascara to make her eyes pop. Avoid frosted lip color and heavy gloss, as the lighting won't pick this up well.

Step 4: Clean Up

Most often, your students will not want to walk around all day with their picture makeup on. It can be heavy and will smear and smudge easily. They may not want to remove all of it. You can use a cotton ball to blot the excess powder or foundation they are wearing if needed. They can also remove some of the shadow if they wish. Some people prefer to take their face wash with them to completely wash everything away, and just reapply the makeup as they would normally wear it for the rest of the day.