The Best Mode to Light Your Face for Perfect Makeup

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

I once overheard Heidi Klum deny a moving picture to a lensman at Fashion Week because of bad lighting. "You come across this overhead calorie-free hither? Non good!" she chirped. Everyone knows that lighting can be the difference betwixt a adept photograph and a bad ane, but it can also be the deviation between good and bad makeup application.

Since moving apartments, I've had to take that my shiny, brand-new bathroom has bad dazzler lighting. The slightly yellow, warm generic GE bulbs are perfect for hiding nether-eye tiredness, and non ideal for showing merely how much under-eye concealer I actually need. To find out the best lighting for beauty, the Cut spoke to makeup artists Nick Barose (whose clients include Lupita Nyong'o and Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Vincent Oquendo (who works on Jessica Stam and Cara Delevingne), and Deanna Melluso (Olivia Wilde and Natasha Lyonne). Let there exist (good) light.

All makeup artists agree natural daylight is best. It'south evenly diffused and articulate, and so you can easily see when something isn't blended properly. If you lot have the option of doing your makeup about a window or skylight, take reward of it. Backstage at a Fashion Week, I one time saw a makeup artist wearing a lighting helmet contraption similar to what yous discover on a miner. But nearly makeup artists don't go to that extent for "good" light.

Natural white light is the next best thing. Oquendo and Barose both praise this ultrafancy white portable light past Glamcor. "It doesn't get too hot and I tin can adjust the height to minimize unwanted shadows," Oquendo says. Barose also directed me to an entire department on Walmart.com chosen "Daylight Bulbs." He explains that he prefers a wattage of nearly 60 to 65. "You don't want anything brighter because it'll be as well blown-out and bright, then y'all might finish up putting on besides much makeup," he says. Melluso recommends the GE Reveal bulb in 75 or 100 watts.

Avoid yellow, rose, and fluorescent lights. Melluso explains that "yellowish low-cal can make you lot look sallow, and then y'all finish up putting on besides much makeup. Rose-colored calorie-free warms up your pare, just it's non ideal for makeup as you can't really see what you are doing." And of fluorescent light, Oquendo merely says, "It is the worst. It pulls out all the imperfections."

Stand direct in forepart of your light. Don't stand directly underneath it. Barose clarifies, "Any lighting that's overhead is bad. It will cast a shadow and you'll end up putting too much on."

Follow these tips and never take the fear of walking out your door with splotchy cake-face over again.

The Best Way to Light Your Face for Makeup