It's so easy to look at a magazine spread of an actress and believe that she's perfect looking. The reality though, (which Shine staffer Joanna Douglas has shown) is far from flawless. But it's not just photoshop that's to blame.
We asked -- OK, kind of harassed -- celeb hairstylists, makeup artists and fashion stylists to give us the secrets they use on photo shoots to make celebrities and models look so darn flawless. They've spilled the beans (see it all here), which is awesome, because a lot of these tricks are things that we can totally steal for our everyday lives.
Until they invent Photoshop on the go (oh wait, is that just plastic surgery?), we may not look completely perfect, but these 13 photo shoot secrets will get us pretty dang close:
No. 1: How models fake their eight hoursNew York City based makeup artist Quinn Murphy says, "Often times when a model or celebrity arrives on set for a photo shoot, she has come directly from a flight and another time zone." Translation: she looks dead tired, with bloodshot, red, glazed over eyes.
The fix: "I reach for my trusted Rohto eye drops, $7.50, made in Japan (I like the one with the emerald green cap). Though they do burn a little, they work miracles, within seconds your eyes are whiter and clearer than if you had gotten eight hours of sleep. This trick also works well after a long night of partying." Hmm, that's just what we were thinking ...
No. 2: The hair -- it's fake!
Byron Williams (of the Byron and Tracey Salon in Los Angeles) confessed: "literally in 80 percent of photo shoots the hair is enhanced with extensions." He said it was one of the biggest secrets of the biz. So don't get jealous of those models with crazy long and full heads of hair -- odds are good it's not all real.
If you want to go for that look you could try clip in extensions, but Williams says you can still get a similar style just by doing a good blow out.
No. 3: How to get mascara-ad lashes
Miami based makeup artist Marissa Nemes admits, "it is sometimes difficult to get every single lash with a regular mascara wand." Her solution: "A little trick I learned along the way is to dip a mini fan brush into the mascara to really get in there. This way, I am able to precisely paint every single lash with mascara."
Basically, you just swipe a fan brush along the mascara wand to get the product on there, then brush it on your lashes, both under and on top for some major drama.
No. 4: Tailoring on the fly
It always looks like clothes in magazines were made specifically for the model or actress; they fit so well (check out this gallery to see what clothes will fit you perfectly). But stylist Stephanie Prommer says, "When you see a great photo of a celebrity on the cover of a magazine, you'd be surprised to know that in many cases, if they turned around there would be an array of clips and pins across their back making their clothing look more fitted."
Since magazines will get sample sizes of clothes, they may not always fit the girl meant to wear them. Prommer revealed some other tricks of the trade: "Double-sided tape is a necessity on a fashion shoot, and is used for everything from keeping plunging necklines from exposing too much to hemming pants on a moment's notice. I always keep a few pieces of Hollywood Fashion Tape in my handbag as well, in case I need to fix a gaping buttonhole or keep my bra strap from showing."
We say, if you have the time, get it tailored. But if you're running out the door and realize your jeans are way too long for your shoes -- tape works like a charm.
No. 5: Models weren't born with soft lips
Another side effect of constant travel and late nights: dry, chapped lips. So when a model shows up on the set with a pair of these, Nemes has a solution:
"If a model's lips are dry, chapped or flaky, I take some raw sugar, mix it with a bit of Jo Malone Vitamin E Gel, $40, massage it on the lips for a minute and wipe it off with a damp cloth." This is definitely one trick we can all try at home (and really you can use any brand of Vitamin E for the same effect).
No. 6: Get a model-perfect windblown look
Models often have crazy, tousled hair, but one thing they don't have: flyaways. New York based hairstylist Charles Baker Strahan shares his secret to get rid of them, without getting a helmet-head look:
"Spray some aerosol hairspray on a kabuki brush. Be sure to spray the brush, NOT the hair directly ... you want to lightly dust the hair around your part with the brush. This will smooth away any flyaways on the part and works like magic."
See 7 more crazy secrets from photo shoots, including how to make Target clothes look like couture and ways to look 10 pounds lighter.
- If you think these secrets are great, wait until you check out the ones we stole from the red carpet -- yikes!
- You don't have to pile on the makeup to look sexy. See what look more than 50 guys think is your hottest here.
- Whether you're walking the red carpet, staring in a fragrance ad or just, uh, hanging in your friend's living room -- these tricks to stand out in a crowd are a must.
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