How celebrities look so good in selfies

When celebrities reach over 500,000 Instagram followers, they’re sent to a boot camp where they undergo training from the world’s best photographers on how to take the perfect selfie and which filters to use.

Just kidding (or are we?).

Seriously though, how do they always look so perfect? Even when they’re posting a #nomakeup pic they look SO radiant - so what’s the secret?

Well, we have a few guesses (some of which are confirmed by celebs themselves), so maybe try these the next time you’re trying to take the perfect profile pic.

#1 Lighting

Alessandra Ambrosio says that first and foremost, “It’s about the light. The light has to look good. So it’s about getting a glowy, beautiful light. Sunset is my favourite.”

 

A photo posted by @alessandraambrosio on

Dec 27, 2015 at 8:49am PST

The more light you have, the more easily you’ll be able to ‘blowout’ the things you don’t want to see like blemishes and imperfections. But just make sure there’s not too much light either, because you don’t want your nose to disappear.

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Beyoncé’s stylist has even invented a phone case (called Ty-Lite) that has an LED light-covered border, which lights up when you turn on your front camera, so you’re flooded with the perfect selfie lighting. We knew Queen Bey had some sort of trick up her sleeve.

 

A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on

Nov 15, 2015 at 6:12pm PST

#2 Lashes

Even though a celeb may not be wearing ‘make-up’ it doesn’t mean they don’t have any kind of ‘enhancements’ on. Many celebs have eyelash extensions, which is how they always manage to look so ‘done’, even without a scrap of mascara on. And those glamour shots from photo shoots and red carpet events? False lashes are how they manage to take their eye make-up to the next level.

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For lashes that really stay on (with no signs of glue), try using DUO® Strip Lash Adhesive and add just a few individual lashes to the outer corner of your eyes for a subtle lash look that’ll make a BIG difference in photos (we like MODELROCK Lashes Knotted Regular).

 

A photo posted by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on

May 13, 2015 at 3:38pm PDT

 

A photo posted by Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) on

Dec 2, 2015 at 7:26pm PST

#3 Photo editing apps

Instagram has so many filtering options, but the real pros take it to the next level with other photo editing apps like Perfect365 (Kim K’s fave) and TouchRetouch.

 

A photo posted by Lily Aldridge (@lilyaldridge) on

Dec 3, 2015 at 2:57pm PST

These apps can help you to erase imperfections, blur the skin so it looks smoother, enlarge your eyes and even change your hair colour! And if you can’t be bothered putting make-up on, L’Oréal’s Makeup Genius app takes care of that too.

#4 Subtle pout

People love to pout and pull a ‘duck face’ because of how it defines the cheekbones. But if you don’t want to go a full kiss-face, you can always try the Olsen twins’ trick of whispering the word ‘prune’, for a more relaxed pout. Or if all else fails, just SMILE!

 

A photo posted by Kendall Jenner (@kendalljenner) on

May 11, 2014 at 11:54am PDT

 

A photo posted by Zendaya (@zendaya) on

Jan 14, 2016 at 6:40pm PST

 

A photo posted by Barbara Palvin (@realbarbarapalvin) on

Nov 27, 2015 at 6:58pm PST

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#5 Angles

Where you hold your phone (or camera) when taking a selfie can be the difference between looking like a Victoria’s Secret model or being triple-chinned.

“You want to place the camera a bit higher than your face”, says former angel Karlie Kloss.

And selfie queen Kim Kardashian seconds this, saying she always keeps her chin down and the camera up.  

 

A photo posted by Miranda (@mirandakerr) on

Dec 15, 2015 at 8:05pm PST

Miranda Kerr also says, “I always take photos looking up at the camera, it softens your features and is the best angle for the light."

Do you take selfies? What’s your best tip for taking the perfect pic?