We want you to look your absolute best and brightest for your photos. No bags under the eyes, no acne attacks, no rashes or breakouts. You get the idea. We’ve assembled some tips from the experts on how to get the best glow for pictures! Most of these tips are for the girls, but there’s a few universal tips that are helpful to guys as well.

1. Plan ahead – 3, 4, or even 6 months out from your planned photo session (i.e. as soon as possible!), decide that you’re going to get the best skin you can, and follow the rest of these tips.

1. Hydration is key. Drink at least 8, maybe even more, glasses of water per day. If you have a favorite water jug that holds more than a glass, keep it full, and drink it all, often.
2. It’s tempting to go try out the new bathing suit as soon as the sun starts coming out – maybe you like showing off your tan lines. But a good (50 SPF or higher) sunscreen will be a better choice and protect your skin from the damage caused by the sun. If you want to be bronzed for your photos, you can do a spray tan from a reputable establishment a month in advance (to make sure you understand how it works with your own body chemistry), and touch it up at a recommended interval before picture day.
3. Find a cleanser that works for you and use it religiously. Keeping ahead of this will make it easier to stay clear of oils and other contaminants that can mess with your skin care routine.
4. Fast food is not (usually not) good food. What makes fast food “fast” is the ingredients, preparation, and portion size. Ingredients are usually bulk, highly processed, and not always of the highest quality. Preparation is usually fried or made with a lot of fat, grease, and/or butter. Portion size is usually more than what you should eat, especially with everything combined, the fat and sodium levels are generally a bad choice. Salads, healthy lean meats, vegetables, those are better choices. The results of cleaner eating will be evident when you see your skin in the mirror.
5. Hair: don’t wait until the day or even the week before your photos to get a new haircut. Stylists suggest if you’re getting a new “do” that you do it at least two weeks prior, so you have a chance to learn to style it at its new length prior to photos. Style your hair so that you’re who you really are. If you normally wear your hair up, then put your hair up. If you normally wear it down, or braided, do that. Healthy hair is also a product of healthy eating and good hydration, so the benefits of these tips extend beyond just your skin.
6. Nails: Clean, trimmed, and filed evenly is a great starting point. Photos will look dated if you go with neon or unnatural polish colors like blue or green. Neutral, pink, red, white, black, are all good choices. Avoid glitter or unnatural shapes/lengths. If you tend to get chipped polish easily, this would be a good time to get a gel mani a few days prior. If your shoes will show your toes, a fresh pedi too is a good idea. Again, stick with the basics on colors.
7. Blemishes: Never poke, pick, pierce, or otherwise scratch at a blemish. You’ll likely make it worse. Instead, depending on what it is, treat it with a warm or cold compress, and if all else fails, we’ll leave it in the photos and edit it out for any close-ups.
8. Last but not least: Keep your stress levels as low as possible. Stress causes your body to produce Cortisol – the stress hormone. This hormone increases glucose levels in your bloodstream, and can interfere with your immune system, digestive system, and longer term, can lead to worse health problems like anxiety, depression, headaches, weight gain, and so on. Suffice to say, stress can take its toll on you in a lot of ways.