Lifestyle

Selfie to the Max – How to Take a Perfect Selfie

This post may contain affiliate links. Any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you!

Try out these tips and tricks and snap a perfect selfie every time!

It’s scary sometimes how much of our lives happen online. Applying for a job, finishing your education, running a business, dating, meeting new friends, staying in touch with your family…

Wherever you are and whatever you do, the chances are you have a profile on at least one social media platform.

That means that your employer/mentor/customer/date/friend/family member will be seeing a lot of you online. Sometimes even more than they see you in person.

And many of them will see you for the first time – and get their first impressions of you – on some of your profiles. And that means – you better look great on your photos!

You don’t have to be a master of photography to snap a selfie that presents you in a good light. A selfie you can proudly add to your profile. The one where you look beautiful, interesting, full of life and worthy of getting to know.

So, next time you want to turn the camera in your direction, go quickly through this list of all the things you need to snap something worth sharing.

Makeup for a Perfect Selfie

As with anything else, it is important at your photos for you to be you. That said, the camera will highlight every little irregularity or makeup mistake.

Whichever style you go for, there are some basic steps that can help you look amazing on your selfie. Here’s a couple of tips to get you started:

  • Matte makeup generally looks much better on selfies; anything shimmering can make your skin look oily. Plus, the light that shiny makeup reflects can make your facial features seem disproportionate.
  • Don’t skip steps even if you usually use only BB cream. Primer can do a lot to cover imperfections, smooth out uneven texture and make your foundation appear more natural. If you have acne or dark circles, use a concealer, and if your skin is shiny, apply translucent powder for a matte finish. Just make sure to blend everything well because every subtle makeup line left on your face will look a thousand times worse on a selfie.
  • Use a bronzer to define your bone structure. Applied on the sides of your nose, it can make your nose seem thinner. And if you apply it right under your jawline, it can wonderfully sharpen the bone line. Highlight your cheekbones by applying your bronzer under the area where you apply a blush.
  • The camera can wash out colors a bit. If you want to make your eyes, lips or eyebrows really “pop” in your selfie, use bold colors, darker than the ones you usually use.
  • Eyebrows make all the difference. If everything else is perfect, but your eyebrows are not up to standard, your look will seem incomplete. So, frame your eyes by giving your eyebrows a nice arch and filling them in.
  • Fact – fake eyelashes look AMAZING on photos! If you hate applying fake eyelashes every time, eyelash extensions might be a perfect semi-permanent solution for you. And, if you are not into that, check out these tricks with mascara for gorgeous, thick and long eyelashes.

Wear Colors That Suit You

The clothes you’re wearing is very important, and not only for fashion selfies. It can make all the difference even if there’s only an inch of it peeking out at the bottom of your selfie.

Most photographers agree that your best shot would be white, black or muted one-color wardrobe. You should avoid patterns and too bright colors. Also, wearing matching top and bottoms (both light colors, both dark, both neutral or earth tones) tend to look better in photos.

But most important is to wear what looks good on you. Some colors just go well with your complexion and some don’t.

Some colors can make you look extremely pale and emphasize dark circles or irregularities on your face. Avoid them at any cost and opt instead for colors that suits you well. The ones that perfectly frame your skin tone, emphasize your eyes and enhance your hair color.

Background

What is happening behind you could set the tone of the selfie. And I bet your messy bedroom is not all you have to show.

A picture says a thousand words. Show your friends what you’ve been up to lately with a background that features your favorite place, a concert with your favorite band on a stage behind you or catch that moment when you finally conquered the top of the mountain.

Everything is allowed as long as it looks interesting. You can be in the middle of a snow blizzard, on the beach with huge blue waves behind you, on a swing in a park or just laughing with a friend.

These interesting backgrounds say a lot about your personality and what you like to do in your free time. If you want your face to be the focus of the selfie, even, one-color background is a great choice that will make your face the focus of attention.

Lightning

Getting the light right can make all the difference between a gorgeous, bright selfie and the one that is full of shadows (unwanted ones), too dark or just blunt.

Natural light looks best in photos. If you’re taking your selfie inside, stand right in front of the window. Face the window and let the light fall on your face.

Angles

Now that you have everything prepared, it’s time to snap that selfie. And choosing the pose is probably the most important step.

The right angle can make your eyes look dreamy, your lips plump, your cheekbones high and sharp and your hair like it’s bouncing around you, full of life and with a sense of movement.

Generally, chin down, head turned slightly to the side and holding your camera just a bit above your head seems to be the favorite pose of models, celebrities, Instagramers and pretty much everyone else. But you never know – your face might look much better from some other angle.

So, take a couple of trial shots. Don’t worry about your expression or anything else, just take as many photos as you can from many different angles.

Then choose the one that really makes your best features stand out and stick to it. Now you can pose just like that and snap a selfie you can proudly share with everyone.

Facial Expressions

I am not encouraging anyone to do a duck face, in fact – please, don’t. But you should have fun and not be afraid to pose like a model. It might surprise you how your face and message it conveys change with each new expression.

Try a huge grin or pout. Make a surprised face, look seductively into the camera or look into the distance and appear thoughtful. Even a closed mouth smile that shows a dimple in your cheek can make you look friendly and cute.

The sad truth is, most of the expressions you try out won’t work for you and all those selfies will probably end up in the recycle bin. But the ones that do work will look absolutely stunning. Besides, this is not a make-you-or-break-you moment – you always have another shot.

Just like with the background, try to capture the moment when you are doing something that makes you laugh or squeal like a child. Your enthusiasm, excitement, laughter (or even the sparkle in your eye when you see someone you like) will be genuine.

And that will make you look more attractive on your selfie.

Selfie-Editing Apps

Even if you did everything right, there might be something on your selfie you’d like to improve. Cover that blemish, for example, or add a filter that can give your selfie a gentler, more vibrant or even retro effect.

So why leave your photo as it is, when there are so many apps, free or paid, that can make it look much better?

You can edit your selfie directly on Instagram or Snapchat, or choose an app more to your liking. If you don’t already have such an app and don’t know where to start, try out some of these: Perfect365, PhotoWonderYouCam Perfect, Visage Lab PRO, Facetune2, Camera+, Selfie Editor, Bestie, or take it to the next level with PIP Camera for picture-in-picture effect.

These apps can help you retouch your selfie to get exactly what you want. They can even out your complexion, hide imperfections, whiten your teeth, remove red eye, add makeup, blur the background so that you are the center of attention, or you can run your photo through a filter that can completely change the impression the photo leaves.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This form collects your name, email and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please check our Privacy Policy to see how we manage your submitted data.