How to look good in your passport and visa pictures

There are only a few things more exciting than traveling out of the country and exploring a whole new place. Just taking in the sights and sounds and absorbing a rich, unfamiliar culture can change you in ways that you wouldn't have imagined. But before the fun part, there's the paperwork that you need to get through first, that is, a passport and/or a visa.

Information about the requirements are easy to find, but how about the pictures you need to take? Of course we want to look pretty - or at least, human - in our passports/visas, so here's a guide on how to achieve just that with a bit of makeup!

First things first: the most important thing to remember is that you can't wear or do anything above your shoulders that would drastically alter your resting face. That means, no jewelry, no smoky eyes or loud lips, no angling your face or even smiling. So how do you look photogenic without all these things? How do you make your skin look great even in bad lighting? Here's my advice!

Tip #1: Wear a matte foundation with little to no SPF. A foundation with over SPF20 typically shows a white cast due to the sun protecting ingredients, so avoid that when having your pictures taken by cameras with flash. Matte is recommended because that harsh flash also magnifies the shine of light-reflecting makeup.

In any case, don't forget to retouch with powder before your photo sesh! And wear foundation that matches your neck.

Tip #2: Define your features well but keep the colors muted. You want to look professional and put-together. Do your eyebrows slightly darker, wear only brown/black eyeliner, blush should be light, and lips are ideally a muted pink.