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Are you wondering how to do your hair and makeup for headshots? If so, you've come to the right place.
Headshot makeup is significantly different than makeup for most other types of photography (modeling, fashion, etc.). It's also somewhat different than makeup done in real life. In this guide, we'll cover all you need to know about how to do headshot makeup yourself. Note: We will also discuss makeup for male-presenting people as well, but in general, most male-presenting people do not require makeup, especially if they are planning to have their photos retouched afterwards.
Headshot MakeupIn general, you should almost always aim for a "natural" look for your headshot makeup. Plan to look similar to the way you present in real life – if you wear heavy makeup day to day, you can plan on doing so in your headshot. If you wear very minimal makeup in real life, that's how you should aim to look in your photoshoot as well. The saying goes: "Look like you on your best day." That said, let's jump right in! Related: The Best Colors & Clothing to Wear in Headshots
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Hair
In general, the best hairstyle is the one you can repeat yourself every day. You want to look the same in your headshot as you do when you meet people in real life, so avoid doing your hair in a way you're not used to or comfortable with – chances are you'll be unhappy with your photos later on.
Here are some tips for hair in headshots:
Related: How to Prepare for a Headshot Session
Here are some tips for hair in headshots:
- Use hairspray or gel to hold your hair in place. As you move during the shoot, your hair will start to get messier and messier, so adding some product to hold it in place is a good idea.
- Use products that enhance shine (without making your hair look wet). Shine is fantastic for hair, so avoid mattifying products because they'll make your hair look dull and lifeless. Instead, opt for products that add more shine so the light reflects and gives your hair more life and volume. Biosilk spray is a great option. Avoid strong gels that can make your hair shine too much and look wet under studio lights.
- For longer hair, a gentle blowout can give your hair better volume for a shoot. Don't go for too much volume – just enough to add some life to your hair. Keep in mind, however, that depending on weather, a blowout can start looking flat quickly (especially if it's very humid or raining out). Opt for an indoor shoot on humid/rainy days and ask your photographer if you can arrive early to do some hair touchups before the shoot starts.
- Avoid pulling your hair into a bun or ponytail because sometimes it's hard to tell the length of your hair. In pictures, you might not see the ponytail behind your head and it will look like your hair is just really short.
- For facial hair, wear it the way you normally would. If you're an actor, you might consider two different looks – one with some facial hair and one clean-shaven. For clean-shaven shots, either use an electric razor or try to shave at least 6 hours before the shoot (or the night before) so your face doesn't look red in your photos.
- Don't forget to bring a brush or comb, and/or hairspray. Your hair is likely to fall out of place as you travel to the studio (or during the shoot itself) and some photographers might not carry combs or brushes in the studio. Hairspray might also be needed to combat wind if your shoot is being done outdoors.
- Bring hair pins and hair ties in case you need them during the shoot and the photographer doesn't have any.
Related: How to Prepare for a Headshot Session
Headshot Makeup – Final Tips to Prepare:
Here are a few final tips to keep in mind as you prepare for your headshot session:
If you want a makeup artist to do your makeup professionally, check out webpage for makeup, and book a headshot session with City Headshots here.
- Don't try to glam yourself up. As touched upon at the beginning of this article, the more you try to change your look from how you normally wear your makeup, the higher the chance that you'll be unhappy with your photos later on. In some cases (especially for actors), overdoing makeup can actually cause casting directors to get annoyed at you for looking significantly different in your headshots than you do in real life!
- Do not go out of your way to get tan (unless you like the Donald Trump look). It's better to ask for your photos to be "warmed up" during the retouching stage because it usually looks more natural than if you go to the beach or use spray tan to make your skin more orange than usual.
- Start thinking about your shoot at least 4-5 days beforehand. Set a reminder on your phone if you must because it can be easy to let life get in the way. You don't want to suddenly realize your headshot session is tomorrow morning and realize you've done nothing to prepare! You need time to buy any necessary clothes, schedule a facial, shape your brows, get a haircut, have your roots touched up, etc. (these things are not mandatory, but you want to have the option!).
- Avoid major grooming the day of (or the day before) your shoot. Waxing your lips or having your eyebrows threaded shortly before your session can lead to redness, and if a haircut comes out poorly, most photographers require a 24-48 hour reschedule notice to avoid forfeiting your deposit, so you should aim to do things with enough time leftover to reschedule if necessary.
- If you're going to be in the sun before the shoot, wear sunscreen. Pay extra attention to your sunscreen usage because you don't want to show up to the shoot with a burn or peeling skin!
- Drink extra water in the 3-4 days leading up to the shoot. As mentioned previously in this guide, skin looks way better when you drink extra water, so for the last 3-4 days before your shoot is scheduled, set a repeating reminder to drink at least 64 ounces of water per day!
- Do not try new products in the 3-4 days before your shoot. Whenever trying a new product, there is a chance of a skin breakout, so it's best to keep it simple and stick to what you know works.
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Compare your outfits to your makeup. Remember that some outfits might require different makeup than others, so when you're picking out what to wear, consider applying your makeup as a test so you can ensure your clothing matches your makeup too.
- Related: What to Wear for Your Headshot
- Remember to ask your photographer to see the shots during the shoot. Take a look at at least 1-2 shots every 5-10 minutes during your shoot so you can see how your makeup is reading on camera and make any necessary adjustments.
- Keep it simple! Remember – you're not a makeup artist so just keep your makeup plain and simple – don't stress out about it and start reading every guide, trying to do the perfect headshot makeup. Makeup should naturally enhance your features, not change them!
If you want a makeup artist to do your makeup professionally, check out webpage for makeup, and book a headshot session with City Headshots here.
3 Numbers All Actors Should Know
Knowing how to do your own makeup for headshots is important, but it's just one small part of growing your acting career.
If your goal is to act full-time, you should know these 3 numbers:
If your numbers aren't there yet, that's OK! It's certainly not easy to audition and book that much.
But those are actual, real numbers from busy, working actors who didn't just get lucky.
Those busy, working actors started at the beginning – for them, the biggest question swirling in their minds at the time was:
How do I get taken seriously by casting directors when I don't have good credits or footage? And how do I get credits/footage without being taken seriously by casting directors?
It's the classic actor's catch 22.
When we're struggling to get our careers off the ground, our minds can slip into "desperation mode" and start looking for quick-fix solutions. We'll ask ourselves questions like:
But questions like those mean you're focused on Tactics, instead of Strategy.
Think about it this way: Would you bake a cake by randomly sliding a pile of flour, eggs, and chocolate into the oven? Of course not! How you combine the ingredients, the temperature you cook it at, and for how long are all just as important.
Similarly, the long-term, well thought-out strategy you follow as you grow your acting career matters. A LOT.
That's why "strategic thinking" is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as an actor.
So today I'd like to give you a gift: 3 tools specifically designed to help you start thinking and operating strategically.
These tools have helped over 14,000 actors so far, many of whom have gone on to:
My free Actor's Toolkit will help you BLAST through the actor's catch 22 so you start getting WAY more auditions and bookings every month.
If your goal is to act full-time, you should know these 3 numbers:
- 40-60 Submissions – This is how often full-time, working actors submit themselves (whether they have an agent or not) each month.
- 10-20 Auditions – This is how many times full-time working actors audition (or at least record and submit self-tapes) each month.
- 3-5 Bookings – This is how often full-time working actors book real, paid acting jobs each and every month.
If your numbers aren't there yet, that's OK! It's certainly not easy to audition and book that much.
But those are actual, real numbers from busy, working actors who didn't just get lucky.
Those busy, working actors started at the beginning – for them, the biggest question swirling in their minds at the time was:
How do I get taken seriously by casting directors when I don't have good credits or footage? And how do I get credits/footage without being taken seriously by casting directors?
It's the classic actor's catch 22.
When we're struggling to get our careers off the ground, our minds can slip into "desperation mode" and start looking for quick-fix solutions. We'll ask ourselves questions like:
- "Should I take another acting class?"
- "Do I need better headshots or should I pay to shoot a reel?"
- "What's the fastest way to get an agent?"
But questions like those mean you're focused on Tactics, instead of Strategy.
Think about it this way: Would you bake a cake by randomly sliding a pile of flour, eggs, and chocolate into the oven? Of course not! How you combine the ingredients, the temperature you cook it at, and for how long are all just as important.
Similarly, the long-term, well thought-out strategy you follow as you grow your acting career matters. A LOT.
That's why "strategic thinking" is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as an actor.
So today I'd like to give you a gift: 3 tools specifically designed to help you start thinking and operating strategically.
These tools have helped over 14,000 actors so far, many of whom have gone on to:
- Book Broadway roles
- Land network television and Netflix shows
- Sign with agents and managers
- And much more – faster than you'd expect (you can see some success stories here).
My free Actor's Toolkit will help you BLAST through the actor's catch 22 so you start getting WAY more auditions and bookings every month.
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The Actor's Toolkit:
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Martin Bentsen (author of this guide) is an actor marketing coach who uses strategic thinking to help actors book more work. He’s helped over 14,000 actors with their careers and actor headshots since 2009 and his photography studio City Headshots is ranked #1 on Yelp. He’s spoken at NYU, The New England Theater Conference, The Actor’s Green Room, and other venues. Want to book more acting work by thinking strategically? Start with his free Actor’s Toolkit to create new opportunities right away, or visit his website at www.martinbentsen.com. |
Some Additional Q&A
How to Hire a Makeup Artist?
Most photographers work with makeup artists who have a lot of experience doing makeup for headshots, but if you plan on hiring someone else, just be sure they know how to do makeup for headshots. You can type things into Google like "headshot makeup near me" to find someone who understands how to do makeup for headshots.
Makeup artists at most counters in makeup stores tend to apply too much makeup and it doesn't look very good in headshots. If you opt to hire someone the photographer doesn't recommend, just keep in mind that that decision is on you, and if you're unhappy with the way the photos come out because of it, the photographer is unlikely to offer you a refund or reshoot.
Makeup artists at most counters in makeup stores tend to apply too much makeup and it doesn't look very good in headshots. If you opt to hire someone the photographer doesn't recommend, just keep in mind that that decision is on you, and if you're unhappy with the way the photos come out because of it, the photographer is unlikely to offer you a refund or reshoot.
Can You Wear Makeup in a Headshot?
Absolutely! That's the whole point of this guide. Not sure why this was such a common question we received!
Further Reading:
If you enjoyed this article (Headshot Makeup: How to Do Your Own), you might be interested in some of these:
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