How I Prepare My Skin Before a Shoot

I have made every mistake available here, including a facial two days before a shoot that left me photographing a red face for six hours. The routine I use now is deliberately dull.

I am a finance academic, not a dermatologist. Nothing here is medical or dermatological advice, and skin conditions deserve a qualified professional.

Nothing new in the last fourteen days

No new actives, no new products, no first-time treatments. If I want to try something, it happens after the shoot, never before it. This single rule has prevented more problems than anything else I do.

Hydration is a week, not a night

Skin that has been well hydrated for a week photographs differently from skin that was drenched in serum the night before. I keep my usual routine and simply do it consistently, plus more water than I would normally bother with.

• Cleanse gently, twice a day, nothing abrasive.
• Moisturise morning and night without changing the product.
• Sunscreen every day, including the shoot morning, under everything.

The best shoot preparation is an ordinary routine done without drama.

Sleep shows on camera more than anywhere else

Two consecutive good nights do more for the images than any product I own. I protect the two nights before, not just the one.

The morning itself

Cleanse, moisturise, sunscreen, then leave my face entirely alone until the artist arrives. No scrubbing, no extractions, no last-minute experiments. Lips get attention the night before rather than the morning of, because dry lips are the one thing retouching cannot make look natural.

If something goes wrong anyway

It sometimes does. A calm base, decent lighting and a photographer you trust cover a great deal, and the panic costs more than the blemish ever did.