How easy is it to recapture that online look?

The theory behind this article is to see how helpful a photograph is in reproducing a look. Without the step by step instructions, can a person match the end product? For the project undertaken today, I’ll use a photograph posted on Instagram by sophieemua of a makeup style as the tool to follow for a reproduction. With the picture, there were a lot of questions that went into deciding how to begin the makeup look.

First, was determining how to apply the foundation, which seemed to have a glow to it. I used liquid foundation and a loose powder to replicate the image. Once the base was set, I applied the different layers of blush, eye shadow, mascara and lipstick until I had a makeup look that replicated the image I started with.

It became apparent that I didn’t have all of the makeup colors needed to exactly match the photo. The eye shadow that I had available is much more gold than the rose gold in the picture. I packed on the makeup, yet it still seemed like I didn’t have enough on to match up with the photograph. 

The differences showed in a side by side comparison of the images; the comparison image was taken by me. There were other differences that support the idea that copying a picture is more difficult than following step by step instructions. It’s no surprise that more self-help videos are posted versus photographs.