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6/25/12

Makeup For Passport Photo & Tips

I got a new Passport photo taken recently, and thought I'd show it to you all, although I might regret it =) Now I'm not claiming that I'm a 'pro' at good passport photos. I'll never be, and I've made peace with that. But I have learnt from past mistakes, and this time it turned out a lot better than all of my previous photos.
I look at an old Passport Photo and this is what I think:
  • Hair too limp & flat (I went to the studio with just-washed-partly-wet hair), so face looks too big, nose & cheekbones too sharp.
  • Expression looks too mean & nostrils flaring too much.
  • Lips too glossy.
  • Eyes too dark. You shouldn't have overdone the black kohl.
  • Big silver hoop earrings? Really?!
  • White shirt with white background? Sigh.
  • You look too MADE-UP! It's a struggling studio that you'll find out had shut down in 2012, not a cocktail party!
Now let's talk about my new photo. First things first, the make-up! It's supposed to look subtle, and we tried our best.
Face:
Don't use anything with SPF, as it could make your face look too shiny. If you have good skin, a tinted moisturizer is enough. I used:
Eyes:
Stick to matte eyeshadows in neutral shades- brown, taupe & maybe grey. Skip eyeliner if you have light eyes, like mine. If your eyes are darker, you can get away with a brown liquid/gel liner, but only if applied very close to your lash line. I used:
  • Inglot matte eyeshadow #342 (Swatch here), a taupe-brown eyeshadow all over lids upto my crease, and blended it like I showed here. I also applied a little on my lower lash line.
  • Brown Eyeshadow to line upper lash line. I used Urban Decay Busted from Naked 2 Palette. But it didn't show much.
  • Colorbar Blackout I-Glide Eye Pencil to tightline (on the inner top lashline). Use a gel liner or something that won't smudge on your lower lash line when you blink. 
  • Curl Lashes with an eyelash curler. I used a QVS. one.
  • Black mascara on top & bottom lashes. I used a Shiseido Mascara. Skip the bottom if you already have dark lashes.
***Most Important: Eyebrows! Brush some brown medium brown eyeshadow on them & highlight the brow bone. I made mine darker than usual, but they still look light in the photo. I used Too Faced Brow Envy Kit

Cheeks:
Pick something brownish-rose shade that is close to your natural flush, nothing too pink & peachy. I used Lakmé Cheek Artist Kiss Of A Rose

Bronzer:
It's not necessary, but if you are pale, it will prevent your face from looking flat under the studio lights. 

Lips:
Make sure to exfoliate & moisturize them if they are chapped.
  • Pick a mlbb (my lips but better) lippie or a lip balm. I chose my favorite MAC Patisserie, but I just dabbed it lightly & blotted it a bit, so it looks like a lip balm. Nothing too shiny & no lip glosses.
Hair:
I was tempted to leave it loose, but since my top has a collar, hair up looked better. If you're capable of making a classy bun, even better. If left loose, it should be kept away from your face. Photographer urged me to tuck my long bangs behind my ears, but I made sure to cover the pointy tips.

Clothing:
Work/Office wear is best- something with sleeves. I'd personally stick to plain, and stay away from prints & stripes for a passport photo. This time, I didn't want to wear black, coz I'd worn it before. It was either a maroon top with a regular cowl neckline, or this blue top. I picked the blue top, because it has a collar. Any color apart from white will do.
Jewelry:
Something discreet, nothing too flashy. No big hoop earrings! I went with a pair of Forever 21 studs (shown here). I guess you can skip earrings if wear your hair down.

Facial Expression:
"Grinning is not allowed." Mr.CZ read out from his computer while we were getting ready. Fair enough. In some countries, even smiling is not allowed, but a smile that doesn't expose teeth may still be acceptable. It's stressed that you should look pleasant & not angry (gunda/gangster type) or depressed, but you shouldn't look too happy either. This is tricky, coz I'm not too happy with my expression here, and my expressions in my previous passport photos are even worse. I guess it depends on the photographer's timing, your mood, & luck. So.... Good Luck! =)

 Hilarious Don'ts:
  • I read somewhere: "Don't wear hats & sunglasses." Makes you wonder if some people really think that's acceptable.
  • BBC website says: "Anyone who wears glasses must wear them at the end of their nose so they do not cover their eyes." What? How???  LOL....LOL....

As women, it's in our nature to scrutinize & find fault with everything. What's wrong with this photo?

  • My left brow is lighter than the right one. I thought I filled them in evenly.
  • I should have adjusted my ponytail, so it didn't splay so much that it looks like I have the hairstyle that's between a boy cut & a bob.
  • Err...the left side of my face looks higher! Seriously, that photographer wasn't standing opposite me, he was more towards my right when he clicked =[
  • Looks like I've got the "Crazy Eyes"- let's blame the photographer again, coz Mr.CZ's eyes look crazier LOL (Sorry, my love ;))

Hope you picked up some useful tips for your next passport photo session.


What does your bad passport photo look like? Oh please describe it to me! =D


♥ Cynthia Z *.*

53 comments:

  1. woah you sure look beautfiul in your photo .i'd never dream of looking like that in my passport/id photo in my life lol. thanks for the tips ^^

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    1. Ohh..I'm sure you'd look great with a little bit of effort :). Thanks!

      ♥xx♥

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    1. Aww..happy u think so Bhumi, coz I have mixed feelings about it hehe

      ♥xx♥

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  3. haha! good tips! although an important one is: both ur ears should be visible. I know a friend whose pic was rejected coz she left her hair open..rules say both ears must be visible

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    1. Yes, I was told that too! But then one of mine where my ears were fully covered wasn't rejected last time.

      ♥xx♥

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  4. Almost all my passport pics looks pathetic ;) Only for the past couple of times it looks decent :) Everytime I get my passport pic get clicked, i wait like im waiting for my exam results :D

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  5. Not bad! Better than most CZ! LOL! The No smiling reminds me of Russell Peters' bit.. "You know how they should look for terrorists? Make everyone smile! and the ones who don't, QUESTION THEM!" LOL!
    Here's the link if you haven't seen it. ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jukxz2YekMs

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    1. Hahaha..thanks for the link. I've not seen that before! LOL he's too funny!

      ♥xx♥

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  6. haha funny and an useful post! The final result is very pretty!

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  7. passport pics are the second worst...right next to ID card pics. Thanks for the tips, i hope they'll result in me having a semi-decent photo next time round! my worst one? that was quite a few years ago; my sister said i have a striking resemblance to daffy duck in it -__-

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  8. You look fantastic in your photo!!!
    I hate my passport photo -.-

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    1. Thanks...hope yr next one will be better

      ♥xx♥

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  9. That is hands down the best passport photo I've ever seen!! And your skin looks absolutely, glowingly flawless :D
    A customs officer literally chuckled and said, "Well that's a funny photo of you..." about my current passport photo. I knew mine was bad but WOW talk about awkward.

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    1. Hi Christine, this should make you feel better :)..I have rather plump cheeks..So when i took my passport pic the last time, the photographer took the liberty to photoshop my cheeks and made them flat. He also tried to make my face fair. Since my parents really needed to update my passport, the pic stuck. Now every time i travel from Bombay, the potbellied security guards outside of the airport argue for atleast 5 mins at the gate, stating the girl in the pic is not me :| And give me tips on how i should 'lose' weight on my face :S

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    2. OUCH! I don't know which is worse, getting beauty tips from them or being considered a potential security risk :p
      I've never had such trouble but the cause of my bad passport photo is the same as yours - my photo was photoshopped without permission! I look like I had super pale skin too, and creepy eyes with really bad eye makeup.
      It literally reminds me of an evil rat :( But my sister looks like Megamind (the forehead!) and my dad looks like he is wearing makeup, so I guess I got off easy :p

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    3. laughing.out.loud! Crazy photographers :P ur dad's faux makeup look takes the cake! My best guy friend's lips looked like angelina jolie's in his passport pics :P

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    4. @Christine- U really think so?!! I feel good about it now :D

      Hahahaha @yr dad's photo & 'evil rat' LOL...LOL.... XD

      ♥xx♥

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    5. @kuwaitgurl- Angelina Jolie's lips? hahahaha....too funny LOL

      ♥xx♥

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  10. Funny but informative CZ ! And the list of 'faults' cracked me up..hahaha

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    1. Hahaha...Glad u found it informative Mitra :)

      ♥xx♥

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  11. this is a gorgeous passport snap, how could you find such faults :D and, the BBC thingy for the specs people (ROTFL) coz I wear specs!!!
    even my latest visa snap was the best of all and in fact all my passport snaps are horrible and talk about big hoop earrings, I made the same mistake and it was the worst snap.......I still have the prints!!!

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    1. ROTFL...yes, that's the funniest! :D then you should wear yr specs like that hahaha...oh, and pls show me when u do :D

      ♥xx♥

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  12. Thank you so much for this post :D You look gorgeous! The best passport pic ever :) I need to get my photos done this week too, and i'm going crazy!My face looks HUGE and flat in photographs..and i couldn't figure out what makeup to wear :/ BTW..I have a for you and other readers: I'm an MAC NC40- combo-oily skin - so what kind of powder and blush would u guys suggest i use above the maybelline foundation? I'm a beginner, and I can't really afford MAC or any brand above that like Benefit:( The brands accessible to me are revlon,bourjois,maybelline,rimmel,the body shop,Boots no 7. Thanks :)

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    1. Aww..really?! Thanks, although it could look better imo.

      Powder- I think loose is better n looks more natural. I think TBS has a darker shade in this powder I'm using.

      Blush- Boots No.7 has a stick blush that I used to love. It's called Blush Tint Cream Blush Stick. I think the shade was Clove

      ♥xx♥

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  13. This is a wonderful post..very informative. Thanks Cynthia :)

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  14. For getting an Indian passport updated, they take your pic at the Passport office using a computer camera - no amount of make-up seems to fix how awful those pics make us look :(

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    1. or maybe that's only in Bangalore?

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    2. the Bangalore office is crazy .,.. I so agree !!!

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    3. @See Bee- Really? It wasn't like that in Delhi. I got the photo ready myself. That's weird.

      ♥xx♥

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  15. gr8 article... one of the best I read in days on any blog.. n u lokk Perfect in the pic... :))

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    1. Aww thanks Nids....happy u enjoyed reading it :))

      ♥xx♥

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  16. ah haa ... this is so informative :) !!! you look lovely :) !!

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  17. Hi Cynthia, this is not related to the blogpost, but I was hoping to get some advice from you.

    I was going through my lipstick collection and found that I tend to buy mostly brownish-red shades. I am trying to be a bit daring and want to try some pinks and oranges for a change - but even there, Eg, even when I bought orange, I ended up buying Maybelline's "bronze orange" which is a brownish-orange.

    Please help me get out of this brick/rust spell! I look forward to suggestions for people like me who do not like over-the-top colors like fuschia, but would like to start with a few nice pinks and oranges for medium to light skin tones. Thanks so much!

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    1. Okies....I will surely do a post on that...hopefully within the next 2 weeks :)

      ♥xx♥

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    2. thanks so much! Looking forward to your recos. I would also like to add that my complexion is fair, but my lips are on the darker side and I have dark circles too - maybe this is why shades with a brownish tint tend to look good on me?

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  18. you are the best CZ. you look so cute thr. :) I always manage to look like i am going to kill somebody right now. And whats with the No-amile thing seriously. I never smile with my mouth open yet the photographer keeps telling me stop smiling and i end up looking like someone either in pain or too angry. :/

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    1. Thanks Jyoti! Haha...I wish we can control our expressions if only for passport photos lol :D

      ♥xx♥

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  19. Wow! That was one funny, yet informative post! Sometimes we mess up things in a minute way and think they don't matter, and somehow it those things, which get highlighted in pics! Maybe it for situations likes these, that the word 'irony' got invented! :-)

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    1. Exactly! Cameras enjoy picking up the worst flaws, I tell you :D

      ♥xx♥

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  20. Great Tips CZ..bookmarked this..U look really cute in those pics. My bad passport photos look like I am slouching to one side 9one shouler tilting), one eyebrow higher then the other, nose shining like a bulb...i can go on and on..lol...

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    1. Thanks Prachi!

      Hahahaha....like a bulb....Oh dear...LOL

      ♥xx♥

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  21. dont know how i missed this articles :( i just got my photo clicked two days back :((
    nevermind will follow ur tips and get it clicked again :)
    this is one of the best article I have read in days on any blog !! kudos to u :)

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    1. Haha...ok, better luck/photo next time then. Thanks Mansi :)

      ♥xx♥

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  22. Gosh you've got really beautiful eyes!

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  23. Hi Cynthia, found this old post and must say that you look gorgeous. I recently had a photo taken for an ID Card and my sis said i could star in "Conjuring 3"!

    Tulika

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I ♥ finding little notes in my Vanity Case, so do drop one. I read all of them & I try my best to reply to each & every one of them [check back in 2-3 days =D] but most times it's physically impossible! Either way, I love to hear from you & really appreciate you taking the time out to share your thoughts <3

Thank you for reading! :)

♥xx♥