It’s no secret that lighting can affect our mood, whether it’s making us feel hopeful or causing us to feel down.
Pretty much every production has a lighting department for this exact reason, to ensure the right kind of message and feelings are conveyed and provoked.
Which brings me to ask you this question, what kind of lighting do you use when you’re putting makeup on? Bathroom light? Reading light? Natural light? Have you ever had to adjust your makeup afterwards? I certainly have!
Because your makeup may look a certain way while you’re putting it on and look completely different after you step out the door. You may look tired, washed out or too vibrant and cheerful for the occasion.
If your makeup lighting is on the warmer side meaning yellowish/golden like the sunset, your finished makeup may look more washed out as the warmer lighting makes your makeup look at least a shade darker and your skin more sun-kissed, therefore you will put on less.
On the other hand, if you use a light that is more blue, like that headache-inducing fluorescent light, you may end up putting a lot more makeup than intended as the blue light makes you look more pale.
With these two situations in mind, picture what your makeup might look like under the opposite light.
Natural light (sun light/environmental light) is the best lighting when putting on makeup. The color of the light is neutral (mixture of yellow and blue) and you’ll get a good idea what your makeup will look like anywhere you go. Of course, if the sun is not present, make sure to select a makeup light that has multiple settings that you can play with to find the lighting that works best for you.
Kristee Liu + Makeup Artist 