strongly recommend hiring a make-up artist for your session. THIS APPLIES TO BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. You may be thinking that you know how to apply make-up or that you don’t need it. You’d be amazed at what an experienced make-up artist can do. If you’ve ever been on set, you know that they have a make-up artist there applying make-up to reduce sheen on your skin, cover blemishes, and leveling skin tones. You want the same treatment for your headshots. Girls are usually pretty good about applying a bit of foundation to even skin tones and cover blemishes. Guys generally suck at this, even if they have a stage theatre background. A quality make-up artist will airbrush your skin to look amazing and even (without looking caked on). This makes you skin amazing to photograph. The MUA will also apply light eye make-up, take care of your lips, and do whatever else is needed to make sure you look photo perfect. Most people don’t know how to properly apply make-up for a photo session. An experienced MUA does. It’s also nice to have someone style your hair and a professional and clean way. You don’t want a crazy updo. You want a natural look that will hold and photograph perfect. Your stylist can do this.
I recommend Abbey Crawford for doing this. She is available for $75 for women and $60 for men. This price includes both hair and make-up. She is well worth it.