The dreaded driver's license photo. Notorious for making people look lifeless and dreary in the most unflattering of ways. And it seems inevitable with the drab white background, cranky employees, bright fluorescent lights, and generally boring atmosphere. While your driver's license photo isn't a glamour shot for a fashion magazine- rather it is a serious form of identification- gosh, that thing is going to be around for a long time. Ten years to be exact, a decade if you want to call it that. So who can blame us for wanting to look a little better with some tips?
1) Look like you. So ditch the bright red lips and Hollywood-ready smokey eyes. Again, a driver's license is a serious form of identification used for official, important matters, so it is important to look like yourself, and not like Angelina Jolie or Nicole Kidman just before the Oscars (though they are absolutely gorgeous!).
2) Embrace your natural hair texture. Again, try to look like yourself, so if the case ever arises that a police officer or some other official person (sorry, it's late at night, my vocabulary left the office at 6 o'clock), they will know what you actually look like.
3) Pull hair out of the way. Obviously, if your fringe is covering your eyes, they can't see your face clearly, but also if you pull all of your hair over one shoulder, it will unbalance how your face looks in the picture, make the picture more cluttered, and look like your hair is one giant glop. Pull it out of the way, or split the hair into two sections and put one over one shoulder, and the other over the second. However, don't go for the slicked-back, strict-as-a-corset, "Russian" ballerina bun either, because that's a bit more severe.
4) Add some color back into your face. Now this doesn't mean that we should go out and buy clown makeup. The fluorescent lights and bleak background will wash your face out, regardless of skin tone. Unless the hungover zombie look is desired, blush and bronzer will be your best friend. Use bronzer that is a few shades darker than your natural skin tone, and a natural, healthy-looking blush.
5) Find a good angle. If you take selfies a lot, I'm sure this is something you already have an idea of. Straight-on shots are not always flattering, so if you can find an angle that makes you look great without blocking the view of any of your features, you're golden.
6) Don't pile on a store-full of luminizer or highlighter, and don't overdo the shimmer/sparkle. Yes, I love sparkle, shimmer, and highlighter as much as the next person, but using too much of these products will backfire and make your face look wet or shiny. Use these with a light hand and caution in mind.
7) Look friendly. Some states have banned smiling in photos, and we can't really do anything about that then, but if you are allowed to smile, then go ahead and look friendly and happy with a little, cute, closed-mouthed smile, or a Tyra Banks-approved "smize".
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