Here are some tips for creating a romantic, sexy boudoir look! These tips are featured on Photographer Susie Linquist's Boudoir Blog!
HAIR
The day/night before your shoot:
- Wash and condition your hair. Towel dry.
- Spray a volumizer at the roots. With a wide-tooth comb, comb the product through the ends of your hair. [Try: Matrix Amplify Root Lifter, Rusk Thick]
- Divide your hair in sections, and blow-dry with a round brush, always lifting at the roots. If you have trouble using a round brush, use a paddle brush. [Try: Paul Mitchell 413 Sculpting Brush]
The day of your shoot:
- For more volume at the roots, lightly mist with dry shampoo. Leave in for a minute, and then work it in with fingertips or brush. [Try: Batiste Original Dry Shampoo, TreSemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo]
- Take random sections of hair and wrap around a curling iron. Small sections for tighter curls; larger sections for bigger waves. OR Set your hair in rollers. Always roll them away from your face.
- Lightly spray pieces with hairspray. [Try: Matrix Vavoom Freezing Spray, Sebastian Shaper or Shaper Plus]
- Gently loosen and tousle your hair, so waves stay intact. If your ends look dry, use a small amount of serum on your hands when tousling. Only apply serum to ends of hair, never to the roots. [Try: Garnier Fructis Style Brilliantine Shine, Biosilk Silk Therapy]
- Lightly hairspray again all over to hold the waves.
If you have super short hair, skip the curling iron and use a pomade to create a sexy, “bed head” look. [Try: TIGI Bed Head stick] Bed Head is also great for controlling flyaways.
MAKEUP
At least 3 days before your shoot:
Make sure your eyebrows are tweezed or waxed so they are ready to go. Treat any face and body acne with topical medicine (that works for your skin type). Even if you don’t have visible acne, continue treating areas that you know are acne-prone to prevent a breakout.
PS: Don’t forget about your finger and toe nails! Treat yourself to a mani/pedi or trim and paint them yourself!
The day of your shoot:
EYES:
I like to create a sexy, sultry eye for boudoir shoots! Here’s how:
- On the brow bone (under your eyebrow) and inside corners, apply a shimmery ivory shadow to highlight these areas. [Try: Ulta Eye Shadow in Naked, Pearl or Silk]
- Over the entire lid, sweep a shimmery neutral shade. [Try: Ulta Eye Shadow in Truffle, Organza or Tiara]
- In the crease and outer corners, I love to use a dark, purple-y taupe! [Try: Ulta Eye Shadow in Mesmerize, or MAC Eye Shadow in Patina or Twinks] Use this on the lower lashline too!
- Line the outer half of the upper lashine with black pencil eyeliner. To smooth and set the liner, use a slanted eyeliner/shadow brush with dark brown or black eye shadow over the liner.
- Curl eyelashes. Apply 2 coats of black mascara to top and bottom lashes.
FACE:
To create a fresh complexion, we are going to skip powder in our makeup application. Here’s what to do:
- If your face feels dry, apply a light moisturizer. [Try: CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion, Oil of Olay Moisturizing Lotion for Sensitive Skin]
- If you tend to have oily skin, use an oil-control primer. [Try: Philosophy Never Let Them See You Shine, Philosophy The Present Clear Makeup*, or Smashbox Photo Finish Light] *The Present is great if you have large pores, scarring, wrinkles or uneven skin tone.
- Using your fingers or concealer brush, cover any blemishes and under eye darkness with concealer. Blend well. [Try: Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette, Essence Cover Stick]
- Using your fingers, makeup sponge, or foundation brush, lightly apply foundation only where necessary to create a smooth, flawless face. Blend well. [Try: Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse] OR If you have oily skin, try an oil-control foundation or makeup. [Try: MAC Studio Tech, MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation]
- If you want to use bronzer, apply from your ear down the hollows of cheeks (to contour). Apply across forehead, temples and lightly across cheeks and chin to add color. You can also apply it with a large fluffy brush to collarbone and décolletage! [Try: Rimmel Natural Bronzer]
- Use a cream blush on the apples of your cheeks and blend upward and outward to hairline. OR apply a light dusting of powder blush. Use a natural, rosy peach shade. [Try: MAC Powder Blush in Mocha]
BROWS + LASHES:
- Using a pencil liner, fill in eyebrows using short, feathery strokes.
- Apply false lashes. I like to use the ones labeled “wispies”! They look full and flirty! If you have a hard time applying lashes, cut them in half and apply just to the outer half of your lashline. [Try: Ardell Wispies in Black]
LIPS:
- For long-wearing natural lip color, line and fill them with a lipliner. I like to use a nude, peachy pink for boudoir shoots. [Try: e.l.f. Feather Proof Moisturizing Lip Liner in Spice]
- Apply a clear or tinted gloss all over. [Try: Ulta Super Shiny Lip Gloss in Whisper, Smith’s Rosebud Salve]
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comments section below and I will happily answer them all!
