Why does my makeup look ok-ish in real life but awful in photographs? How do I get flawless makeup?

[JonahAndTheSale]

I am desperate to be airbrushed and flawless but doubt it's going to happen!

I use good quality makeup and I think it looks ok-ish when I do it. I use primer etc as makeup lady assured me this was the one thing that was missing from my routine it wasn't

Was on holiday recently and the amount of people taking selfies constantly got me thinking about how I look in photographs. I really struggle to find a decent picture of myself.

I look pale and have dark shadows under my eyes. In photographs it looks like I have no makeup on. Not in a 'natural beauty' type of way but a 'gosh she's pale' type of way!

I use a makeup brush to apply foundation.

Can anyone gives me some tips?

I've a wedding to go to very soon and I'd really love some nice pictures of dh and I!!!

You look gorgeous in yours Hollin!

It's nice to have a few good pics of yourself - a friends dh sadly passed away and they have all wished there were more pics of him, as he was usually behind the camera (before camera phones were ubiquitous). However there are certainly some people who get selfie- obsessed - but I expect they were the type of people who were self obsessed even before cameras; after all, it takes all sorts.

hmmm. How many pictures of ourselves do we actually need? Do we not own mirrors? When we go somewhere, do we look different?
No. So get out of the way of the scenery. It is prettier than we are.

if you are meeting your mates or family, and want a team snap, get someone else to take it. ALWAYS looks better than an arms length distorted snap with a crappy brick-phone camera.

if no-one in the photo is under 12, lose the fish pout too. You don't look sexy. You look a complete dick.

getting makeup right for everyday life is entirely different to getting it right for photos

all that contouring/highlighter business looks well dodgy in real life, but works on camera. a lot of the younger people at my work seems to wear very heavy makeup nowadays - looks great on their phones, looks rubbish under the strip-lighting of a nursing station.

I'll crack on with my selfies. I use them mainly for makeup stuff, angles for photos etc. Spent long enough hating my own face and body without someone saying taking photos of yourself is self obsessed
Of course I photograph friends and pets and scenery but yes, also selfies. Sometimes it's a new lipstick or makeup done by a talented artist or look at this behind the scenes outfit pic
If you're taking hundreds a day, yes perhaps there is an issue. But a few a week? Not really a problem

I think you want to impossible OP.

Flawless selfie = filters and heavy make up.
You'd look a fright IRL.

Agree with those saying the SPF can be an issue, there are some which don't cause flashback ( I think you need a chemical rather than physical sunblock IIRC) but it will often be an issue when you're taking photos especially on holiday. I'm really pale too and it seems to just make me look totally flat so although I do wear a CC cream with SPF day to day, for a special event where I know I'll be taking photos then I don't wear SPF.

Might also be worth investigating some subtle bronzers and better blush. I'm practically transparent but I've just bought the Too Faced Snow Bunny bronzer which is the first I've found which manages to give me a hint of a pulse without looking like I've been tangoed. Some subtle (I do mean subtle) contouring and highlighting can also help to give a bit more depth .

Specialsubject, I completely agree with you.
OP try a couple of drops of Niod Photography Fluid mixed in a non spf foundation. I'm in my 40s and my skin looked great in photos at a recent wedding after I used the Niod.

Spf causes flashback which can give you an odd look in photos.

I think we have also forgotten what natural beauty looks like. I love makeup so belong to a Facebook group about makeup. It is filled with overly filtered and overly made to faces.