When you are doing makeup for black and white photography, think in terms of shades of white, grey and black – it takes a little time to get used to working in a medium that doesn’t require “color co-ordination”! I find that if I squint my eyes almost shut, that it allows you to perceive tonal values better and colors are not as distracting, so you will get a better idea of the intensity of your “colors” (rather than their specific hue) and see if your contouring is appropriate for the look you are going for.
Use your darker colors for contouring – shadowing effects are created by strategic placement of lights, so your shading and highlighting will be applied accordingly.
B + W photography does not tolerate obvious effects, so blending is your best asset here
* You will still have to do your usual corrective work (under eye bags, blemishes, etc) – corrective work is about creating a harmonious balance between the models skin (or your own if you are modelling and doing makeup on yourself) and subtle contouring – so blend, blend, blend!!!
* If stronger effects are required for a more dramatic look, then it is really important that no hard lines or harsh edges are visible. Your aim is to alter or improve the appearance of you / your model.
* You may have to add intensity to eye makeup to balance the contouring and highlighting.
* Remember, that reds will photograph as dark, so works effectively as a contour, but if you / your model is used to wearing red lippie, you may have to lighten the shade for a softer lip color.
* Try to keep in mind that streaky or blotchy patches in foundation application will be very noticible, so make sure you apply foundation smoothly and evenly. Unless you / your model are blessed with perfect skin, then a heavier base (more like a two-way cake or pancake) is suitable.
As with all makeup, it is about creating illusions, working with each face as a new canvas and utilising the medium of black and white to its fullest by making the most of its variety of values!
I always like to see a polaroid once the shot is set up, that way you can gauge how the lighting is working with your makeup, and see if you need to make any alterations to get the best shot. Lighting varies so much, depending on the photographers vision of the end result, and black and white is a great way to experiment with lighting and makeup techniques – just remember that the harsher the lighting, the less forgiving the medium is on any flaws / mistakes – uneven lines, streaky foundation, careless blending, and inappropriate product selection.

It takes a bit of practice to perfect the black and white makeup, but it is such a beautiful medium to work in because it really emphasises the subtlties of light and shade!!

Makeup for photography deals specifically with effect, as the camera picks up details that the eye may miss. A corrective makeup can only correct so much, the rest is up to the photographer to scrutinize any flaws and watch for the right moment to capture a flattering expression. The photographer has the ability to correct and create a look using angle and lighting. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of the shoot, and the makeup artist needs to understand the lighting in order to apply the correct makeup for the conditions (or you need to understand if you are doing your own makeup). Harsh light is very contrasty and dramatic, but will show up flaws more. Direct light tends to be dramatic, but can make skin look uneven, and care must be taken with shadows (which could be contributing to your problem with dark circles). A softer light may help hide flaws, or if the photographer bounces the light off a reflector board, umbrella or diffuser, as will changing the angle of your face.

Blending is one of the most important techniques of a good makeup, as the camera will pick up obvious lines (such as badly blended eyeshadow or contouring). My makeup students know my “blend, blend, blend” chant well
Balance is equally important. Train your eye to judge balance, especially when doing more advanced and corrective makeup, look for uneven application i.e.. one cheek higher / larger than the other; eyebrows shaped evenly, and lips are the same size and shape on both sides.

* Where do you apply your photographic makeup? Home, studio, location – consider the lighting. Does the quality of light where you apply your make-up for the shoot give you an accurate idea of the lighting used in the photos. The secret is to know the lighting, and allow for differences between the light you apply your makeup and the photoshoot light. Check the makeup under the studio lights prior to shooting, and make any adjustments necessary. A polaroid will also give you a better idea of the lighting, especially if diffusers or lighting effects are effecting the end result.

Makeup tips for fair skin:
* Really fair skin tends to have very fine, invisible pores, can be translucent, and a tendency to be dry; with a little extra help and some spot conceal (hide dark circles, blemishes and other imperfections), blended with brush, you will have a flawless finish. Building the foundation up in layers will give the appearance of a softer, more natural looking makeup.
A good base is all about the skin – aim to improve the color and texture of your skin rather than applying a thick base for a flat allover effect. Fair skins can be washed out with too much light. Apply a not-too-pink cream blush to the apples of your cheeks, to add color.

If you are working with color film, stay away from hues with too much blue in them, as this will bring out under eye circles.

Makeup tips for deep-set eyes:
* A couple of good tricks to makeup deep-set eyes: use a narrow line of eye shadow in a light shade on the eyelid above the lashes. Apply a mid shadow just below your eyebrow, and utilise your natural contour for more of a sheer makeup look. If you want to build on this, for a more dramatic look, apply darker makeup on the area above the crease and gradiate with the color under the brow. Blending away any stripes of makeup or harsh lines. Apply mascara only to the base of your top + bottom lashes if your eyes are extremely deep-set.

Fair eyebrows are a bonus of fair skin, as you can often work the shape without having to tweeze excessively. Darken blonde brows with an angled brush stroking in a darker ash tone blonde or taupe.
Enlarge deep-set eyes by shaping and raising the space between the eyes and brows. Lift the brows subtly with a highlighter or pencil shading a little above the bone – blend well. Perfectly balanced brows requires precision tweezing, so use concealer or base to help your brow shaping. Draw the brow shape you want in with a powder or brow pencil, then block out (with the concealer) the hairs that need tweezing. Draw in one brow at a time, so you can see the difference, and to make sure you are happy with the shape / result. Tweeze from side to side, taking a few hairs from each side to maintain precision and balance, rather than doing one brow then trying to match the other brow…

Other makeup links that may help with covering your dark circles are:
Covering overly dark circles
Dark Circles
The best shots are a combination of: working your best angle (one trick for minimizing shadows is to stretch your face out from your neck a little and look up at the camera); posing for a shot (to emphasize your bone structure, to tilt your head slightly); projecting your image; and knowing how to tap into projecting your beauty from within!! The right makeup and fashion styling finish the image, creating the total picture! You are then in the hands of the photographer, whose job is to bring out the inner and capture the outer beauty.

If this is a regular makeover for you, then my best advice here is to be organized!!
*Keep your brushes clean, easily accessible and ready to go.
*If you cannot have your makeup laid out, then store the main products you use for your “daily makeup” in a way that you can quickly and easily reach everything you need.
*Keep your skin in tip top condition (that way you will use less base / concealer), and keep your brows well maintained so that daily grooming is quick and easy.
*Another practical time saving tip is to have your lashes tinted regularly – that way if you don’t actually get time to whip on some mascara, your lashes will always look fab!

Keep your work look simple. It is easier to do a “natural finish” daily (5-10) minute makeup. It may take a little practice to get up to speed initially (esp if you are new to wearing a full face of makeup), and once you feel confident with the natural look, or have a little more time up your sleeve you could work on a heavier look – going from barely there to brilliantly polished! (then, work on getting this down to about 10 mins).

Barely-there Natural makeover
The key to this look is combining practicality with a beautiful natural finish that is flawless, svelte, and all the while looking professional and contemporary, (to suit your work in such an image oriented industry). Think streetwise, cosmopolitan, understated.
Daytime business makeup that is subtly sophisticated looks best when you select natural tones, as these will be the most suitable for easy wear and quick application.

* The Basics: light foundation + minimal concealer (translucent powder – optional)
* blush is fresh and youthful looking
* neutral eyeshadow, with the option for subtle shading of contour / outer corner; mascara (1-2 coats on the top, very light dab into the base of bottom lashes)
* [kohl pencil (optional) smudged on the top lid only]
* lipliner and lipstick / lipgloss finish the look, balancing and harmonizing the makeover.

The Details:
1. Base: you will need to have a shade of foundation that suits your skintone for the best (and quickest) application. Only apply base where you need it – to even out skintone, around eyes, to cover pigmentation, and for a clear, youthful complexion. Liquid (to suit your skin type) or cream to powder finish (like Vincent Longo’s water canvas or Chanel’s Creme Poudre) are quick and easy to apply, with a light feel and a natural finish. Applying foundation first may give you enough coverage and save time by minimize the amount of concealer you need to use.
If you need to apply concealer only where needed – i.e.. under eyes, in the inner corner of eyes, any blemishes.

2. Blush next – the major faux pas for this look is unnatural blusher (meaning color and / or application). Choose a natural shade – creams are quick and easy to apply and blend away to nothing; or if you like a little more color, just apply more. Stila convertible color, or Bloom sheer color creamsheer color cream have a gorgeous range of easy to use creamy blushers. For a healthy, radiant look, blend a dab of creamy color onto the apples of your cheeks (with your fingertips), and blend away to nothing toward your ear. With creams it is easy to blend away any harsh lines that make cheek color look unnatural – you just want to add a hint of natural glow to your cheeks.

3. Eyes: Look for a compact with 2 – 3 shades, colors that suit your complexion / coloring.
1. To start with, do the 1 step application – a neutral shadow all over your mobile lid blended into your contour.
2. As you get faster, do the 2 step application – build onto your neutral shadow with a deeper color into your contour, or onto the outer 1/3 of your mobile lid.
3. Then when you are a pro @ speedy makeup application, you can do the 3 step application – build on the 2 step and add a touch of a highlighter color just under your brow (or to take your makeup from day to play) to accent your eyes.

o If you choose natural colors, you can’t go wrong – choose warm toned browns for golden complexions, and cooler tones for pinker complexions. Once you have your routine up to scratch time-wise, you can venture into more of the “fashion” tones.

Brush brows into position, and fill in any gaps with a brow pencil a shade lighter than your brow color, brush again to soften the pencil (looks more natural than a solid brow line)
One coat of mascara on top lashes (for more definition add a 2nd coat on outer 1/2 of lashes), and if you need mascara on bottom lashes, keep to a minimum – work into the base of lashes for a natural look.

4. If opting for translucent powder, dust on before applying lips, and only in oily areas (i.e. T-zone: nose, forehead, chin). For a dewy, natural finish no powder is required (and esp with the cream to powder finish foundations), unless you have an oily skin, then just do a light powder, and have blotting paper or pressed powder (in a compact) for touch-up’s as needed.

5. Lips: the rule of thumb here for a balanced look is not to overdo both eyes and lips – go for bold eyes OR bold lips, and tone the other down, as going for strong eyes and lips will give you a very made up look (and takes more time!). Fresh shimmery colors are great for summer with a hint of gloss, and richer caramels or plums are great for the perfect pout in winter! For longer wearing lipstick, apply a pencil that is close to your lipstick color first (all over, or else you get the dreaded VLL [Visible Lip Liner] once your lipstick starts wearing off…), then brush on lipstick / gloss. LipArt lipstick action has tips on lip care and other lipstick tricks!

A look like this can take you 5-10 mins (depending on your level of experience / expertise This makeup look is timeless, and can be easily transformed from day to evening!

The most important thing is not to become a makeup / fashion victim, but utilise the latest and greatest products to add to your personal style. If you are a slave to fashion, you tend not to have this individual style, as your look is dictated to, rather than complementing the way you look by incorporating new colors and techniques.

Have fun with fashion – take elements that appeal to you and make your own statement with them. Shaping your eyebrows is an easy way to instantly have the look of the moment, play with having coral tinged cheeks and nude lips, go rock star chic with your eyes and keep your look fresh by regularly changing your hair style – like going from bed hair to beach hair – get the surfy chick look happening and work your makeup from there.

You might think that makeup has no rules these days, when you look thru the more “out there” fashion mags, so “translating” the latest looks to suit your style can be challenging… So, find one element that really appeals to you from scrutinizing mags, and work that into your makeup style, evolving it as the season progresses. Use your personal interpretations of fashion makeup to develop your style further, and you will be out there without being a style slave.
Fashion Makeup used in context to your lifestyle is a fun way to express your inner model.

Choose what works best for you, and simply, do not do anything that doesn’t suit you – it is all a learning process

A lot of looks that are designed for camera and catwalk, don’t always translate well to a “street” look – fine for going out on the town, but if you are wanting something more “everyday” you need to go for a look that is more flattering – bring out your gorgeous dark eyes, and always go for loads of black mascara for those fab lashes of yours!

There is an endless array of looks that can be worn – fashion is no longer about just one look that everyone has to try and wear, it is more about developing your personal style and bringing out your best features!

Makeup links for Brown eyes:

Party Makeup for Brown Eyes
Makeup Tips for Brown Eyes
Colored Mascara for Brown Eyes