What NOT to Do in Photos

By Elizabeth Angell, Allure magazine

All the attention Taylor Armstrong of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has gotten lately has lead to an unexpected challenge: She can't pose for pictures while eating or drinking. At the Access Hollywood gift lounge for the Golden Globes this weekend, Allure's special correspondent Jeffrey Slonim ran into Armstrong right after a photographer had asked her to take a sip of Diet Pepsi-a request the admitted fan of injectables and plastic surgery politely declined.

"I just can't," she said. "On the show, whenever I eat anything people write in that my lips make them ill." I don't have to worry about disgruntled fans, but I do have a few rules that I try to stick to when I know there will be cameras around.

Ban black.
I wear black almost every day, but for pictures, I try to wear a color. It makes my skin look better, and I don't look quite as severe. Photographer Matthew Rolston recommends red whenever possible. "It's the secret of the Valentino dress-red pops right out of the frame."

Skip the highlighter.
I love to wear highlighter on my lids and cheeks for a special occasion, but in pictures, it just reflects the flash. "Leave the shiny stuff to the 16-year-old Gucci models," photographer Patrick McMullan says. "If you're going to be photographed, wear a matte foundation, which distributes the light better." (I stick with pressed powder and mascara. Lots of mascara.)

Don't square off.
There's a reason stars always pose so you get a side view: You look thinner than if you face the camera straight-on. "Never face the camera squarely," says Matthew Ralston. "Angle your body slgihtly and put one or both hands on your hips. Your shoulders and elbows will create a tirangle that makes your hips look smaller and shows off your waistline."

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Photo Credit: Getty Images