I woke up like this.

 

Nailing the perfect selfie is no walk in the park. Chances are, you’ll take about 50-100 pictures before you finally find the best shot – and who has time for that? For days when you’ve nailed the latest makeup trend and your skin never looked better, we have the ultimate guide to make sure your selfies are always on point.

 

1. Find Your Light

When taking a selfie, lighting can make all the difference. Next time you’re ready to snap a photo of yourself, try to incorporate natural light. If you’re standing near a window, make sure to face the window when taking selfies, it’s the most flattering lighting for all complexions. When in doubt, make sure the light is going towards your nose, then angle your face down slightly and snap away. Pro Tip: Steer clear of fluorescent light….thank us later.

 

2. Work Your Angles

Everyone has certain angles that make them look best, but when it comes to selfies, follow the golden rule: chin down, camera up. When taking a picture of yourself, make sure to hold your phone so that the bottom of the device is level with your eyes. The effect of moving the camera to a slightly higher angle is guaranteed to slim down your face. And if you think taking a photo from below the chin is going to work out for you, think again!

 

3. Keep it Natural

If you want to smize your way to selfie perfection, make sure to keep it natural. A good rule of thumb is to steer clear of duck-lips (think Kim Kardashian circa early 2000s). It may seem cheesy (no pun intended), but everyone looks their best with a natural smile on their face – just think about how awesome you’ll look and the grin will come easily! After you master the perfect pose, don’t go filter crazy. Of course you’ll want to enhance the image slightly, but if you go too far, it takes away from the image itself.

 

4. Know When to Use Flash

When you can’t find a good source of natural light, meaning you’re in a dark bar or at home watching Netflix, make sure to turn on the front-facing flash of your camera. If your phone doesn’t have this, you can purchase a cheap selfie light to clip on your phone or even turn to Snapchat which has a flash feature for the front-facing camera. 

 

5. Don’t Forget About Skincare

Taking a solid selfie means getting up close and personal with your skin. If you’re skipping your daily skincare routine, it’s going to show. No matter how much makeup you cake on your skin, you can’t forget about skincare! Make sure to cleanse daily with LUNA, enhance your skin with the help of UFO, and apply moisturizer (especially for a #nomakeupselfie).

 

Follow these golden rules and remember us when you’re Insta-famous.