In my daily travels across the internet, I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve the experience my clients have when they work with me. Because I get a lot of questions about makeup use, I’d like to share with you something I found today. I ran across an article about eye makeup and what colors suit the most common eye colors. (Here’s the article from Allure in case you’d like to read more.) What does this have to do with getting portraits done? To answer your question, it has a LOT of relevance. (Yeah, some of you are ahead of the curve on this topic and I apologize if this is something painfully obvious to you.) As the old saying goes, the eyes are the window to the soul. Eyes also happen to be the primary focus target for photographers. When looking at a portrait, our eyes instinctively are drawn to the eyes of the subject (assuming of course that the subject was looking directly at the camera.) So, the lesson to be learned here is that you want your eyes looking their best and not like you were up all night. I’m not saying that makeup is always necessary because it depends entirely on who the audience will be and the purpose of the portrait. But, when it comes to business portraits and acting head shots, going without is not an option. The only variation will be the amount of makeup used, not if it will be used. Finally, choosing the right colors to make your eyes “light up” is key. Properly done makeup will liven up the eyes and brighten the face. First impressions count and this is the most important first step to making a good impression with the decision makers you are trying to reach.