Courtesy Of Your Favorite Selfie-Taking Celebs

By now, you’ve heard that “selfie” is 2013’s word of the year, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. And since we know you’d never want to miss out on a trend, we assume you’re furiously practicing your duck face in front of the mirror to really maximize the selfie’s white-hot relevance at the moment. Not so fast, though: There are a few key pointers you’ll want to follow to make sure that your selfies are more Beyoncé’s gorgeous pixie reveal and less Martha Stewart’s food-stagrams. Celeb photographer and Smashbox founder Davis Factor and Smashbox Pro Lead Artist Lori Taylor Davis give us tips, and we pulled celeb selfies to illustrate.

“Lighting is essential when it comes to the perfect selfie,” Factor says. If you’re shooting outside, “a bright day can create shadows on your face, so you will want to find the most natural light to add brightness to your face as well as body.” Miranda Kerr seems to have picked up that tip, letting her face be illuminated by the sun at such an angle as to blur any lines or imperfections.

“If you are looking for more light indoors, I would suggest using a flash,” Factor says. “Most camera phone flashes can only reach so far, so play around and see how far it can go.” Miley Cyrus is not following this advice — without the proper flash, her features are washed out and her skin doesn’t look bright.

“Always remember: when facing the camera straight on you will be shown at your widest, try and turn away from the camera at an angle to create a natural pose,” says Factor. Clearly Kim Kardashian got this memo a while ago.

Both Factor and Davis advise trying to look natural and confident — by not applying too much makeup and by opting for a natural mid-laugh smile rather than a cheesy, gummy smile or duck lips. Tyra Banks nails “confident,” though we don’t know about natural.

“Make sure that your foundation or BB Cream matches your skin tone,” Davis says — her favorite is Smashbox’s Liquid Halo HD Foundation which blends with your skin rather than sitting on top of it. Katy Perry‘s flawlessly blended base would get high marks here, though Davis probably would advise a little more blush to counteract the “ghost” effect from a bright flash.

How to Take Best Selfie on Social Media

If you’ve been living in a tent on the tundra or under a rock in your backyard, you may not have heard the term “selfie.” In your defense, the term itself isn’t really that old – it was coined in 2005 as a way to describe a special kind of self-portrait. A selfie isn’t usually a carefully composed image of the photographer in his studio, taken with a tripod mounted camera on the timer setting (though it can be). “Selfie” usually refers to an image that is much more informal that that, generally taken with a digital camera or smart phone held at arm’s length, snapped on the fly and usually destined for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other form of social media.

Now you know what a Selfie is, but have you even taken a good one?

Now, I’m pretty sure everyone has taken one, even if it never left your hard drive. Now that smart phones have that great flip button that allows you to see exactly what you’re going to look like in a self-taken photograph, it’s hard to resist the temptation. And the selfie itself (minus its comparatively young moniker) is actually almost as old as photography. Before the advent of that little flip button photographers took selfies by cleverly positioning their cameras in a discrete (or sometimes indiscrete) location and then photographing their reflection in a mirror. Today’s cameras make this process a lot easier, and the prevalence of social media makes it almost a requirement to have at least one selfie you can use to mark your online territory.

So now that you know what I mean you may be thinking about all your friend’s selfies on their Facebook pages and realizing what a challenging little sub-genre this actually is. Because you’ve probably seen more bad selfies than good ones. And some of your friends may over-selfie to the point where you’d kind of like to just block them.

Taking a good selfie is an art. What’s more, knowing how many selfies to post and which selfies to use on what social media platform is a much higher form of art. Because selfies can be annoying to others, they can paint you as an egomaniac and they can just plain put people off. In fact, a 2013 study by the University of Birmingham discovered that posting too many selfies on Facebook was strongly correlated with “lower levels of social support and intimacy”. And yet, among people aged 18 to 24, selfies account for a whopping 30% of all the photos they take.

WISHLIST // APPROACHING 2014

White longline blazer | Nike Air Max 1 Woven | Chanel Soleil Tan Bronzing Base
High waisted studio trousers | Faux leather dress | Beige tint sunglasses | Cut out boot
Faux leather skirt | Lace corset | Feldora hat | Mixed quilt bomber | Block heel boot
Chunky necklace | Suede bowling bag

My wishlist changes nearly every other day but for the new year it consists of more monochrome, with a touch of colour.  The main pieces which I'm eying up are the white longline blazer, the Nike Air Max 1 Woven, mixed quilt bomber and lastly the Chanel Soleil Tan bronzing base. I'm absolutely digging outfits which consist of all black (quilted, patent, fur, leather etc) then adding a camel colour accessory, i.e beige tint sunglasses or the feldora hat. As we are in the season of winter I'm completely avoiding the pale complexion when it comes to make-up, as majority of people who can't pull the look off, look half dead and it's not attractive. This is where the Chanel Soleil Tan bronzing base comes in, it's a cream texture so it's very easy to blend and even go over if you find you apply to much of the product. You can invest in a cheaper bronzer which has a gel or cream texture, here are a few of my favorites: Bobbi Brown, NARS, Dr.Hauschka, Laura Mercier.

Update //

After nearly two months of not blogging I've managed to squeeze in this post on my day off.

- My beauty shoot finally took place
- I turned 20 end of November, partaaay!
- Shoot in Hackney for designer Meagan Wellman
- Receiving gifts such as Chanel & Victoria's Secret
- My view from the studio in London
- My first publication landed in Olive Zine Magazine last month (page 98+)

W I N T E R | W I S H L I S T

1. Cutout Crepe Gown | 2. Breasted Coat | 3. Ankle Boots | 4. Stonework Necklace 
5. Wool Leather Jacket | 6. Motorbike Leggings | 7. VB Sunglasses | 8. Kettle Bag
9. Fur Gilet | 10. Fluffy Sweat | 11. Fedora Hat | 12. Rib Beanie | 13. Leather Gloves | 14. Ankle Boots 

For my winter wishlist for this year I have tried to add a hint of colour instead of just sticking to all black. I'm absolutely lusting over the camel colour as I think any blonde chick can instantly pull it off! I'm obviously still lusting over leather and everywhere I have looked for clothes recently, whether it be London, little boutiques or just Topshop I see leather trousers! There is no escaping yet. I have added little accessories which I'm loving just to add a bit of style to an oversized-coat look, with leather quilted gloves, oversized sunglasess from Victoria Beckham's collection, a chunky necklace (I cannot dig them enough, I have far too many!), and a fedora hat which I have seen on a few people where they just look great with any outfit! Lastly, I have left the beloved Cutout Crepe Gown - labelled first, which is from the god of fashion himself, Alexander McQueen. Soon as I saw this online I must of instantly fell in love, just like any of his collection. This gown would be absolutely perfect for any Christmas ball's/party's coming up (if you have £4,250 spare), what a beauty. 

London Fashion Week September 2013

London Fashion Week soon came around and soon disappeared! Over the past four days some of the collections which I managed to catch up on for SS14 are so overwhelming. I managed to catch a glimpse of some of the 'upcoming' models and faces of LFW for 2013, such as, Chey Carty, Rebecca Horn, Rosie Tapner (I've seen a lot more of this season) and Sanna Backstrom, to name a few. Topshop Unique SS14 I think won me over completely this season, it had some of the best models in the show and the clothes were so lovely. The beach babe, 'glamourous, tanned' look, with the crisp white shirt which, I couldn't take my eyes off. Jourdan Dunn strutting down the catwalk in a floor-length purple maxi dress, a lot of the collection focused on moody blue's, green and grey's, then switching to warm peach and crisp white. The make-up I have seen this season on MAC's instagram has completely wowed me! The use of BB and CC creams were very popular backstage, adding more attention to Spring/Summer's growing glitter trend. This season I noticed a lot the skin being fresh and dewy, eyebrows brushed back with gel, finishing with a burgundy lip. The make-up for Vivienne Westwood's Spring/Summer 2014 Red Label definitely made a statement with zombie-like make-up. 

I eventually managed to go to my first show at London Fashion Week on Monday, with one of my close friends Lyndsey. We had passes to see the KTZ SS14 show, which at first, didn't hit me how established KTZ actually is. His style in his collections aren't my sort of thing but it was definitely inspiring to witness. It was so out there, said to take his inspiration from a spiritual and cultural landscape. His collection for SS14 included headwraps, veils, geometric floral prints (which were amazing), oversized studs and statement jewellery. KTZ's use of patterning, layering and the fusion of urban contemporary caught my attention, in the right way for my first show-experience at London Fashion Week. The weather was so dull which I think put a strain on a lot of people's moods at Somerset House, but it didn't stop people go crazy with their style. I was rather star-struck at a lot of other people's style, it was like being in fashion heaven. It's the most inspiring place.

After the KTZ show had finished we took a wonder around the designer show rooms which again, was out of this world. There were a lot of jewellery, embellished handmade garments and accessories which I fell in love with.. especially when it comes down to me and jewellery. A specific necklace, made from a jewellery designer caught my eye, it was a detailed chunky piece embellished with gold and a peach colour, something which you would most likely see in a Dolce and Gabbana ad, and at £275 it definitely made me want it more. Stepping asisde.. my next focus is now on London Fashion Week in February next year!

Liebster Award

I've been nominated by the lovely Helen Hird for a Liebster award. It's such a nice feeling knowing what you blog is appreciated, read and now up for a nomination!

 

Questions from Helen HirdHow would you describe your blog in 3 words?
Inspirational (I hope), creative and complex.

What other blogger inspires you most?
Basing it around make-up I would probably have to say up-coming make-up artist Karla Powell.

Apart from blogging what do you like to do in your spare time?
See as many of my best friends as possible when neither of us are working! Never putting make-up down, practicing make-up on my friends and myself, organizing shoots, visiting London as much as I can, clothes shopping, and the occasional drink to relax!

What is your dream job?
Haha everyone should/will know this. To be a successful make-up artist in the fashion industry, to work behind all the fashion weeks, travel the world and to work with huge names such as Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino and Pat McGrath to name a few.

How long have you been blogging?
Since about February this year. I waited until I attended something very exciting (London Fashion Week) for it to be my first blog post.

What are your 3 favorite brands?
Top 3 has to be Chanel, MAC and Dolce & Gabbana.

Who is your hero?
I can't say I have a 'hero' as of yet. Maybe ask me in about 10 years.

Who is your favorite designer?
Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander McQueen!

What are you proud of?
Without blowing my own horn I would probably say myself. As I'm only 19 I think I've achieved quite a lot for how young I am and I don't think many 19 year-old's can say that. I'm certainly proud of myself and my career hasn't even begun yet!

What is your favorite item of clothing that you own?
Haha this has to easily be my leather trousers. I hardly took them off even through summer (crazy I know!) they're so comfy and anything goes with them.

Which celebrities inspire you with their style?
Most probably Karl Lagerfeld, as I only wear monochrome, I base my style around elegance and simplicty. Anything I piece together may seem really simple but it's all about what works together and, with that I look up to Karl.