Makeup and Hair Tips for Actor Headshots

Keep Your Look as Close to Natural as Possible

One of the biggest mistakes aspiring actors make is they go so over the board to look good that they end up looking entirely different from what they look like in their day-to-day routine. You may end up getting calls for meetings and auditions based on your headshots, but once the casting personnel meet you in person and see how different you look in reality, they may feel deceived, which isn’t good for you.

This brings us to our first makeup and hair tip for actor headshots; keep your look as close to your day-to-day appearance as possible. For example, if you’ve got curly hair, don’t straighten them for the photoshoot. If you’ve got light-toned hair, don’t change the shade for the shoot because you can’t maintain it on a day-to-day basis. Your headshot look should be closest to how you carry yourself every day, just a bit more groomed and presentable.

Plan Your Look Ahead of the Shoot

Every actor clearly knows how they’ll do their hair and makeup for their headshot. However, it’s highly possible that the look you’ve got in mind for your actor headshot doesn’t turn out well or doesn’t look good in the pictures. In that case, you’ll have to redo your entire look. This won’t just waste time but also lead to anxiety and panic, which will show on your face.

One of the most important tips we would like to give here is to plan your look ahead of the shoot. Wear your hair and makeup as you plan for the shoot day, and have someone take your pictures at home so that you know how the pictures come out. You can tweak the look till you get the perfect one and then finalize it for the big day.

Apply Makeup Smartly

You shouldn’t apply too much makeup that’ll change your look. You just need to uplift your natural looks. However, it would help if you acted smartly when applying makeup for actor headshots.

For example, applying thick under-eyeliner will make you look older, so avoid that. Applying too much powder will make your face look cakey, so keep the powdering light. Don’t apply shimmery makeup, as it’ll look too bright in the pictures. As for eye makeup, keeping the colors neutral is your best bet.

Style Your Hair Well

Style your hair the way you would wear it to meetings. If you’ve got long hair, get a blow dry to make your hair look voluminous. A bun may look too harsh, and a pony may look messy. Use the right styling products to hold the hair in place if your hair is short. Don’t do anything with your hair that you wouldn’t do when meeting somebody.

The quality of actor headshots majorly depends on your photographer, as they can guide you better about what would look best on camera. Our photographers at Doug Burke Photography can help you get the perfect look for your actor headshots that’ll soon land you acting roles!