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Last night's party totally rocked, but you're not loving the way your makeup looks in the photos. A great picture calls for photogenic makeup. Sculpted cheeks, softly defined eyes and flawlessly matte skin will keep you looking perfect for every click of the camera. If you have mahogany skin -- a reddish-brown complexion with green undertones -- you need velvety finishes in chocolate, rose or berry hues to flatter your naturally rich coloring. So get your makeup ready for its close-up, because life is too short to spend all your time untagging photos.
1.
Pick the perfect foundation for your skin type. Liquid foundations provide moderate coverage for normal to oily skin, while cream formulas stand up better to blotchy or dry skin. If you don’t need much coverage, a sheer tinted moisturizer subtly enhances your complexion. Test foundation shades on your inner forearm – preferably in natural light – to find your perfect match. A rich honey shade with a hint of yellow or orange is usually a good bet for mahogany skin.
2.
Select a yellow-toned concealer one shade lighter than your foundation to camouflage under-eye circles. Photos have a nasty way of exaggerating any shadows below the eyes – and unfortunately, under-eye darkness is a common beauty bummer for ladies with mahogany skin tones. If that’s the case for you, try layering a color corrector beneath concealer when you know you’ve got a photo op coming. Color correctors counteract undesirable tones in the skin. A peachy-pink corrector works best for under-eye circles.
3.
Choose loose powder that matches your foundation perfectly. Flash photography tends to exaggerate the appearance of oil on the skin, but a light layer of powder stops sheen in its tracks. Just forget about translucent powders – they look gray and chalky in pictures.
4.
Opt for a deep golden-brown bronzer with amber undertones. Swept along the cheekbones and below the jaw line, bronzer slims the face and gives cheeks a lift, creating that enviable “chiseled features” look in photographs.
5.
Give your face a healthy hit of color with a swirl of velvety powder blush over the apples of your cheeks. Raisin, deep rose and dark apricot hues look naturally radiant on mahogany skin. Flash photography can leave your face looking washed-out, so go ahead and apply a little extra blush.
6.
Define your eyes with black liquid eyeliner. Liquid formulas provide a smooth, glossy finish that looks perfectly sophisticated in photos. Choose a liner with a ballpoint pen shape and a soft, flexible tapered tip.
7.
Select velvety eye shadow to open up your eyes in photos. Shades of toffee, cocoa and eggplant flatter mahogany skin beautifully.
8.
Get yourself a creamy gold eyeliner pencil and dab it into the inner corners of your eyes, an old makeup artist secret for illuminating the eyes in photos.
9.
Finish your photo-ready makeup look with a high-shine lip gloss. Women with mahogany complexions often have naturally dark lips, so skip the sheer frosty finishes in favor of a creamier texture. Shades of blackberry, chocolate, maroon and raisin look gorgeous against mahogany skin.
If you’ve got a major event marked down on your calendar, try on your picture-perfect makeup a few days before. Snap a few photos of yourself in various lights – with both a cellphone camera and a regular camera, if possible – then check out the pics. Tweak the look as needed until you love what you see.
