How to look great in birth photos
Pregnancy skincare tips
We’ve all seen those Facebook posts of women applying a perfect cat eye with lashes in between contractions…
But I’m not going to encourage that.
In fact, when it comes to your birth, I recommend skipping the makeup all together. Imagine taking portraits after running a marathon in summer. Not only will your foundation melt, your mascara and eyeliner will run, creating the dreaded raccoon eyes.
But going bare-faced for photographs can be a little daunting.
There are a few things you can do throughout your pregnancy, or at the very least, during the last few weeks of your birth to help you put your best face-forward.
If you've been following along with me for a while now, you know that I love my esthetician experts and have a few friends who have made skincare and makeup their life's passion and work. Melissa Tobias, my favorite Fort Worth esthetician, serves all of my maternity portrait clients - because she makes you feel beautiful and pampered. All her makeup bag of tricks help you feel confident in front of my camera - so much so that I don’t even have to edit any imperfections you might be worried about.
But Melissa will tell you that good skincare is the best and most important step.
So with Melissa's advice and my NYC makeup artist friend Jane's suggestions, I've compiled a quick little list to help you have that same confidence putting your bare face forward.
NOTE: I do not get a cent if you purchase any of these products from these links. I only share recommendations and help you shop easier so you can spend your time doing other things - like resting.
No. 1: Always wash your face
Use a non-foaming gentle cleanser. Pregnancy hormones tend to cause sensitive skin issues in many women, so a gentle cleanser is all you need.
Melissa recommends following it up with a good toner. Her favorite - Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater, which you can find at Ulta.
CeraVe hydrating cleanser is a recommended solution that is known to be gentler than Cetaphil and won't break the bank. Can be found at Target & other drugstores. Click the photo to purchase.
No. 2: Drink tons of water
Which you're already doing because of pregnancy. Go you! Yeah for the quick win!
No. 3: Gently Exfoliate
Use simply a wash cloth or gentle mask Steer clear of harsh scrubs which can actually be damaging.
Try Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. Click the photo to purchase.
No. 4: Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize!
Pregnancy tends to dry out our skin (hence the need for all that water) so moisturizer is a must. Choose one for your skin type that is pregnancy safe, and sulfate and paraben free.
This goes for your body as well. I love CeraVe’s Moisturizing Cream for when your skin is really needing a good quench.
Try Dermalogica’s Ulta Calming Water Gel. Why we love it? It’s designed for sensitive skin -specifically dehydration, and great for all ethnicities and skin types. Bonus: It’s weightless, which is a bonus in the Texas humidity. Click photo to purchase.
No. 5: SPF!
Do I even need to go into this further? Always protect your skin!
Extra Tidbits of Information
Many women love their pregnancy skin but sometimes the hormones wreak havoc instead. Normal skincare go-to’s include various treatments such as salicylic acid and Retinol. But Melissa says to steer clear of these and talk to your doctor instead. And always check the labels of your products for warnings labels. Many products, such as treatments and serums, are not advised for use during pregnancy and breast feeding.
No matter which products you use, the key to a face you feel confident baring in photographs is a good, consistent routine. And at the end of the day, don’t worry too much about it - that pregnancy/labor & delivery glow is amazing and you’re going to be enamored by so much more than your skin in these photographs. ♥