Love it or
hate it, we are all a part of the selfie generation. Not only was the term
‘selfie’ added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013, it was also picked as
their word of the year. Check any of your social media news feeds right now,
and no doubt you’ll find oodles of examples of this self-loving artistry, and
what a breath of fresh air that is.
In a world
where we’re constantly being told we aren’t good enough, the selfie gives us
the chance to present our best side; to create an online persona we can be
proud of and profile pictures that don’t make us cringe. Kim Kardashian is well
known as the ‘queen of the selfies’ (particularly after that white swimsuit picture), and there’s no doubt she looks
beautiful in every photo she takes. But you’ve got to ask yourself, how much of
it is selfie skill, and how much is simply because she’s stunning from any
angle? And if it’s the latter, what help is there for us mere mortals of taking
a selfie to be proud of?
Thankfully
you don’t necessarily have to be a supermodel to take a cute selfie. Sure, you
can’t actually perform plastic surgery with your phone cam, but you can take
advantage of some little tricks and tips to make every shot just a little bit
better.
1. Set
the scene
When
you’re thinking about your selfie, consider what, other than your face, is
going to be in the shot. As much as you might be keen to snap a laid back
selfie at your dressing table in the morning, the sight of last night’s
underwear draped over the chair behind you is probably not something you wanted
to share. Having something amazing in the background is always a plus, but if
you don’t happen to be at a Beyoncé concert at the time, think about natural beauty
such as trees and sky, or subtle, stylish and underwear free locations at home.
2. Kiss
and make up
Getting
your make up just right can make the difference between looking stunning in
your selfie and being entered for the ‘clown of the year’ contest. Sure, you
can go a little heavier on the makeup than you might normally, as only a fraction
of what the eye sees is successfully transferred to camera. But avoid going OTT
and ending up looking like an embarrassed panda, because once that image is out
there, you can’t take it back.
3. Light
your fire
Good
lighting is crucial, not only to help your camera capture the pigments and
colours in the shot correctly, but also to flatter and enhance your natural
colouring. Natural light is always flattering, but avoid direct sunlight if you
don’t want to look washed out. Fluorescent strip lighting is the worst, so if
you are indoors try and go for LED lighting with a warm white hue to bring out your
best angles.
4. Strike
a pose
What
to do with your face is always a bit of a conundrum. Our advice: Don’t do the
duckface. It might give you cheekbones, but it’s horribly fake and makes you
look rather silly. If all else fails, go for a natural, cute smile, flashing a
bit of teeth and nice wide eyes.
5. Untangle
the angle
The
default angle for the perfect selfie is with the camera just a bit higher than
your eye level and with your face turned at a three quarters angle. This
universally looks good, so if in doubt, get this one off pat and you’ll be
safe. Feel free to experiment too in order to pin down your own ‘best side’ though.
6. Filter
wisely
There
is nothing quite as attractive as a #nofilter selfie taken in good, natural
light. However, sometimes we all need a little extra help, and that’s where
your filters come in to play. A popular choice is Valencia, which doesn’t do
too much to change your skin tone but effectively irons out the creases and
shadows from the night before. It’s just a pity there’s no Valencia filter for
real life!
7. Everything
in moderation
There
is no shame in taking the odd selfie. We all do it. What is a big no-no,
however, is continually clogging up your mate’s news feeds with streams of
self-indulgent images of yourself to the point that they start blocking or
unfriending you as a result. The best things in life taste sweetest when taken
in moderation, and the humble #selfie is no different. By all means have a
happy snapping moment when you’re on your way out, when you’re with your bff,
or to mark an important occasion, but keep it to a reasonable level if you
don’t want to look like a prat.
We’ll
certainly be watching our news feeds with interest to see how you get on in
putting our top selfie tips to the test. Enjoy your selfie adventures!
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