Welcome to part two of our tips on how to prepare for your portrait shoot. Today we look at hair and makeup.

Hair and makeup are something that is down to you, although there are a few hints based on our experience. We advise you to avoid getting your haircut for seven days before the shoot so that it looks more natural, more you.

For men we advise a shave, or a trim of the beard, the morning of the shoot to make you look your best.

When it comes to makeup, less is more. A natural look will always work well and we advise against strong makeup or false eyelashes.Try to avoid using makeup with “shimmer” or high sheen lip gloss.These can cause unflattering reflections in your photos.

If using foundation, make sure it matches your natural skin tone and is blended in well, as your neck may also be on show in the photographs and the camera can sometimes highlight differences.

Eye makeup will generally show darker in photos, so try to avoid darker colours and keep it a shade lighter than normal for best results.

Spots and blemishes.We all get them, even supermodels, but avoid trying to use makeup to hide them. Instead we will retouch any major blemishes from your photos.This way your makeup looks natural and you know you don’t have to worry about that breakout the day before your shoot.

We hope you have found this guide useful. Remember, you can download our full guide to preparing for your portrait shoot HERE.