For a model, there may be nothing worse than waking up the morning of a photo shoot and realizing that your typically perfect skin is just not cooperating as a blemish has mysteriously surfaced overnight – even though you are well past those horrid acne-ridden teen years. And with the advent of HD cameras, perhaps the most unforgiving cameras to date, what is a model to do?
While this might come as a shock, cosmetics companies all over have been reinventing the wheel when it comes to their foundation and cover-up offerings so as to help models look perfect in front of HD cameras, which so meticulously document every pore, blemish and makeup application. The latter issue, spotty makeup, has perhaps become one of the biggest concerns for models as high definition video cameras, riddled with harsh lighting, are now exposing makeup products that settle into wrinkles or scars, making imperfections look even worse.
“The problem wasn’t the color,” said Dany Sanz, the founder and artistic director of the cosmetics line Make Up for Ever. “It was the texture. Foundation needed to look much thinner, yet still have coverage, and with a grain as fine as possible so it wouldn’t show up on film.”
According to a New York Times article, Sanz was one of the first individuals to take a stab at tackling the issue of high definition digital cameras and cosmetics. She worked with a chemist to develop the brand’s HD line, which began with the Invisible Cover foundation in 2008. Since then, the collection has grown to include HD microfinish powder and HD blush.
“I created it for makeup artists to use professionally, but now everyone has cameras,” Sanz said.
And, with the advent of social media and the growing desire of people to take pictures constantly, perhaps there is no greater time for this line than now. Everyone from the young to the old is snapping pictures and posting the pictures to social networking sites which means these products are not just necessary for professional photography shoots anymore.
Consequently, Sanz is not the only one to recognize the need to revamp a cosmetics line. In fact, recently Davis Factor, a founder of Smashbox cosmetics and a photographer, revealed that he tests his makeup in all kinds of exposure including sunlight, outdoor overcast and flash.
“A lot of it is about controlling shine,” Factor said. “Shine can go both ways. You may not want a lip gloss that is too shiny with flash photography, for example. But you don’t want too much powder, either. Before, I had to retouch all that powder out.”
Echoed Julia Goldin, chief marketing officer of Revlon, “If you look at how relationships are today, they are built visually. You see people taking pictures of themselves, their friends or other people. On Facebook, Twitter (News - Alert) and Pinterest, everyday life plays out in images. It comes on a daily basis. It started out with HD, but it’s not really about stars anymore.”
Edited by Rich Steeves