It’s hard to get away with any makeup faux pas in this day and age for anyone : celebrities, Instagram stars…and our lowly selves.
With social media picking up on all those makeup ‘no-no’s’ : bad application, *that* overdone white setting powder, unblended contour, wonky lipliner…..the list goes on and on, I think lighting has become a vital part of applying makeup and taking *those* selfies. How many times have you applied your makeup in your mirror at home, nodded in delight/vanity as you skip out of the door and then caught yourself. In. Actual. Daylight. OMG….’but it looked so good when you were at home?!’ WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE.
‘Daylight Bulbs‘ is a term that you not may be unfamiliar with, but I am going to explain to you why it should be your next beauty purchase, and for less than the price of a mascara!
As a professional makeup artist, I often take my own ring light with me along to shoots so I can control the type of lighting that I am working in : this honestly makes SUCH a difference as in a lot of studios and locations you can have very limited and/or terrible lighting and once you get in front of the camera there are many mistakes you need to jump on-set to correct. I’m seeing this more and more backstage and at fashion weeks now, with many top makeup artists bringing along a suitcase just for lighting : Good lighting is the new contour!
“Daylight bulbs will show up all of your imperfection; in terms of applying makeup, this is exactly what you need. Get your foundation right in this light and it is guaranteed to look absolutely flawless everywhere else.” Kathryn Middleton,Lighting Direct
BEAUTY LIGHTING TOP TIPS:
1.) Go cool.
Typical home lighting/bulbs will have a slightly more yellow, warmish hue, which *is* more appealing in most rooms as it gives a more calming and soft focus effect. However, this is not great for makeup application as it will give a more flattering finish on your skin : you need to apply in a more cooler, blue-toned light that will show up….eek… all your flaws and imperfections. Scary as this is, it’s just the best way to apply good makeup.
2.) Light Direction.
Aside form the actual TYPE of bulb you should be using, the location of it is also vital for a good makeup application. Ideally you don’t want it directly above or directly below (“I see a little silhouette of a man..” you get me) so lighting that gently hits both side of your face is ideal.
3.) Lumens.
The other factor to consider is the lumens : ideally, a bulb of around 1200lm will give you the brightness you need in order to see the detail when applying your makeup. Much less than that and you’ll be back behind that soft-focus camera lens again, thinking all is flawless, when really it isn’t.
Lighting Direct are at the forefront of providing great, easy and affordable makeup lighting and here are a few random and fun facts from their recent makeup survey. Are any of these you? I think I do all of the below…
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71% check their makeup in another room or mirror to ensure that they’ve achieved a perfect result. 12% get someone else to check it for them – be that a partner, offspring or colleague.
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Younger makeup wearers are more likely to take a selfie to ensure that their makeup was as they intended; however, this trend was not evident in makeup wearers over the age of 45.
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Bedrooms are the most popular rooms in the home in which to apply makeup (45%), closely followed by bathrooms at 42%.
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Foundation ‘fails’ were the most common of all beauty disasters – either being too orange, applying too much or not blending the product sufficiently – and all due to being applied in rooms with poor lighting.
For a selection of makeup friendly lighting and bulbs, visit www.lighting-direct.co.uk