So you have been on a night out with the girls just to let your hair down, and you take a group photo and a few pictures with your flashlight on, and when you look back at the photo you wonder to yourself, why do you look ghostly or even see white patches across your face, well this is known as flashback.
So, how to prevent flashback in photos?
- Don’t wear products with high SPF
- Concealers that are too light
- Avoid setting powders with silica, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide
- Setting powders with light-reflective particles
- Wearing the wrong foundation color
- The wrong colored finishing powder
- Always do flash test after your makeup is completed
What Causes Makeup To Flashback
Flashback in photos usually occurs due to light reflective particles in makeup that reflect light off once a photo Is taken. When the particles bounce the light off the face this is what causes a white cast in photos that we see. There are certain ingredients that should be avoided in makeup when taking photos. Silica is used commonly in powders to help give the makeup to give the skin a smooth poreless finish. This is commonly founding in setting powders and HD powders.
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are found more with products with sunscreen in them. These two ingredients are used to help bounce off UVA/UVB rays off the skin that’s why when a photo is taken it flashes back
How to Prevent Flash Back in Photos:
- Don’t wear products with high SPF
- Concealers that are too light
- Avoid setting powders with silica, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide
- Setting powders with light-reflective particles
- Wearing the wrong foundation color
- The wrong colored finishing powder
- Always do flash test after your makeup is completed
1. Don’t Wear Products With SPF
The biggest culprit with a flashback with makeup is applying products with a high SPF. You will find that products that have high SPF are mainly in daily moisturizers, primers, and foundations. SPF is great to wear during the day to help protect your skin from harmful rays. The ingredients that SPF products work well with are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which both help reflect harmful light off your face. When a picture with a flash is taken it ends up reflecting these very same particles used in SPF products. Instead of using products with SPF in them opt-out and use moisturizers, primers and foundations with SPF in them. Most pictures that are taken with a flash is usually taken at night so the SPF isn’t really needed.
Some things to consider is when using a moisturizer make sure is the right type of moisturizer for your skin type because you don’t want it messing up your other makeup.
When it comes to primers make sure again it has no SPF and doesn’t have a luminous finish because illumination primers have light-reflective particles which can sometimes give a bit of a flashback depending on how well they are covered up by the foundation
When it comes to foundations look at formulations that are for photography and have more of a matte finish.
2. Concealers That Are Too Light
When applying concealers it’s ok to go two shades lighter than your foundation because it helps brighten up the under-eye area. However, if you apply a concealer that is too light it will show a ghostly type of a finish, it doesn’t matter if you put your foundation on top of the concealer it will somehow make its way and show through and will give that ghostly look in your pictures. Also, make sure your concealer doesn’t have illuminating particles in it because again this will bounce any light off which can also create that flashback. Instead, look for concealers that naturally blend in well with your foundation color and have a matte finish if possible.
3. Avoid Powders With Silica
One common ingredient that defiantly causes flashback with makeup is silica. Silica is commonly used in many cosmetics for anti-caking agents. A lot of powders especially HD powders that we bake with contain silica in it. Silica is an ingredient that is used in makeup so that the skin a smooth blurring effect. Silica can be found in loose powders and moisturizers.
Tip: if you already used a loose powder with silica in it then you can always apply a matte foundation on top of it o that it will help get rid of any potential flashback that could’ve occurred.
4. Products That Contain Illumination Or Glitter
One thing that I really enjoy having is glowing skin and products that can complement a healthy glowing look. I am always on a look for products that can help give my skin an extra glow. One problem I came across for myself is going for a setting powder that had chunky glitter in it. The purpose of the glitter was supposed to help give the skin an additional illumination but when applied to the skin the micro reflective particles did end up giving a huge flashback. Therefore, when it comes to flash photography stay away from products that have illuminating products. Instead, try to go for products that have a matte finish because this won’t have any shine as well as it will help absorb any excess oils on the face.
Lastly, another ingredient to look out for is silver mica which can be found in powders that have illumination effects. This is usually a micronized white powder that usually isn’t clear. This is another will cause flashback due to its micro reflective particles.
5. White Translucent Powders
If your skin is naturally pigmented and you have the color you want to avoid using any setting powders that are white in color. These white powders are known to be translucent powders. Even though the powder may go on white and brush off clear on the skin you will find there will be a bit of a white caste that may linger around. This will make your skin look lighter than it really is even if it doesn’t contain silica or ingredients that work with sunscreen.
It could be because the powder was too light for your skin’s complexion and some of the lighter particles sit on top of the skin so when a picture with the flash is taken some of the lighter particles will shine through. Sometimes these translucent powders can make your skin appear lighter. Instead of such translucent powders go for translucent powders that go well with your skins natural skin complexion so that you don’t look like a ghost in pictures.
6. Wearing The Wrong Foundation Undertone/Color
I know ones seems like common sense but if you end up wearing foundation or concealer with the wrong undertone it can make your skin appear off in photos. We can all have the correct color but we have to make sure that our undertone for the foundation is the right color. There are three undertones to consider which are cool, warm and neutral. A cool undertone will consist of more pink and blue undertones and burn easier in the sun.
Whereas warm undertones are more yellow and olive and tan easier in the sun. A neutral undertone has a bit of both cool and warm undertones. If the undertone is too cool for your skin it will show up in the pictures looking ashy and as well in person. If the undertone is too yellow it can look to yellow on your skin making you appear your complexion appearing almost sickly. Therefore, make sure that you have your correct undertone is correct. Your foundation color should always blend in smoothly with your natural skin color looking exactly like your natural skin.
As you can see in the above picture I am wearing a foundation that is the wrong color for my skin tone. The foundation that looks like this will defiantly cause a flashback because the color is too light for my skin and the flash on a camera will pick up on it giving me a ghost-like complexion.
7. Do a flash test
Lastly, do a flash test with your camera. Take a picture with your camera with the flash on. This way you will be aware of your makeup has any of flashback so that you can go back and fix up anything. I know this seems like a common-sense thing to do but some of us might forget.
In conclusion, when it comes to makeup and flash photography there are a few things to consider. Always look at the ingredients of your products which may have ingredients that may be light reflective which could cause any flashback. Products that have SPF will defiantly have light-reflective ingredients that contribute in your pictures having a flashback. Avoid SPF products in general and wear products that don’t have it. Try to go for products that have a matte finish and avoid products that have illumination in them.
Having glitter or illumination particles in your makeup products can also result in some flashback with your makeup. Lastly, always make sure you wear the correct colors with your concealers, foundations, and powders. Wearing a wrong color can result in a ghostly color in your overall makeup. Lighter color than your natural skin color will show through flash photography.