By Emma Gunavardhana and Gotlhokwang Angoma-Mzini; photograph by Marie Baersch
Yellow teeth? Hidden eyes? Uneven skin? There’s a filter for that! Plus: The top lipstick, foundation and eye-opening liner trick for your best selfie…
#YellowTeeth
THE PROBLEM: Pearly whites? Not on your mobile. “The white balance is automatically set on phones,” says beauty photographer Jody Todd. “That means that if your teeth are a tiny bit on the yellow side, the camera will actually make them look worse.” Uh oh…
SORT IT: Purple and deep blue-toned red lippies are your white-teeth saviours. The blue tones neutralise the yellow and the red draws attention to your lips, not your teeth. Another killer tip: rinse with a whitening mouthwash just before. The wash contains oxidising ingredients that make them look whiter. Now grin.
YOUR BEST FILTER: Walden – the filter decreases colour saturation. Quick: profile pic. Then up the ante: Steal Amanda Du-Pont’s Beauty Secrets!
#HiddenEyes
THE PROBLEM: When you smile, your cheeks move up, making your eyes look microscopic. Hell, no Miss Piggy!
SORT IT: Duck-face pouts make eyes appear more prominent, but we wouldn’t advise it unless you’re Derek Zoolander. Alter the way you apply your eyeliner instead. Begin in the inner eyes with a very fine one-millimetre line. Increase the width of the line in the middle to a max of three millimetres, then taper it back off to one. Check this out too: How To Conceal Dark Circles Under Your Eyes.
YOUR BEST FILTER: Amaro – it ups the exposure, making everything look slightly exaggerated. Great for eyes, not for thighs.
#UnevenSkin
THE PROBLEM: Your perfectly normal-looking face doesn’t always translate to
a picture: “Orange tones in tungsten light bulbs can be red to a camera, exaggerating skin patchiness,” says celebrity snapper Dan Kennedy. Going for a sweaty selfie? How To Get That Workout Glow With Make-up.
SORT IT: A satin foundation will help. They’re heavily pigmented like matte foundations, so they even out our skin,
plus the glowy finish helps the light diffract off the skin, making it look brighter and more even too. Try one that contains concealer too. Also try these 5 Beauty Hacks To Instantly Improve Your Skin.
YOUR BEST FILTER: Rise – it brightens the skin tone, taking out any areas of shadow.