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Pasty, potato-faced, knackered: my passport pic gives serial-killer vibes. It was taken hurriedly in 2015 when I was deep in the mothering trenches. Back then, a solo loo trip was a luxury, so there was zero time to primp. Fast-forward to 2025 and I’m not going to make the same mistake. I’m investing time and effort.
Rosie’s 2015 ‘serial-killer vibes’ shot
In good news, you can now take your photo at home, so retakes are an option. But you’re still challenged by a compulsory stark background and no smiling/filters rule. You also have to be facing straight on (pictures 1 and 3), not looking away (4) with or without hair tucked behind your ears. Like Victoria Beckham, my preferred angle is the head tilt (2). Makes me look like a head-twitching pigeon but does flatter an ageing jaw. Sadly, that’s not allowed either.
To get a photo that looks more model than murderer, I asked industry experts – a photographer, make-up artist and hairdresser – for their advice. Here it is.
✓ (1)
Photography
Try ‘smizing’, ie, smiling with your eyes, says photographer Natasha Pszenicki. To lengthen your neck, pull your shoulders back (resetting every five shots, as they creep back up). To define the jaw, try the tongue-on-the-roof-of-your-mouth model trick, then push your chin forward a bit and hold an imaginary peach under it to minimise a double chin.
❌ (2)
Lighting is the difference between Shrek and Sienna Miller. Hold a white sheet of A4 paper at chest height to flatter your face and make eyes twinkle. And buy a ring light on Amazon – it bathes you in soft light (ask the person taking the shot to do so through the middle of the ring). Or stand opposite a big window with your back close to a white wall. Don’t stand underneath a spotlight – it creates unflattering shadows.
Make-up
Laminate coating on a passport photo page ‘fades’ your features. To counter it, amp up definition on brows and eyes, going 20 per cent darker and bolder than usual. For extra oomph, make-up artist Aimee Adams suggests using Benefit Gimme Brow + Volumising Eyebrow Gel (£26, boots.com). Next, increase hold and fullness with Got2b Glued 2in1 Gel For Brows & Edges (£5.50, superdrug.com), and de-piggify eyes by smudging an eye pencil – Adams loves Hildun Beauty Silk To Set Kajal Liner in Emerald (£16, hildunbeauty.co.uk) – into the lash line and winging it out. Adams also recommends No7 Age Defying All-In-One Serum Mascara (£11.96, boots.com).
Benefit Gimme Brow + Volumising Eyebrow Gel £26.00
boots.com
Shop
Got2b Glued 2in1 Gel For Brows & Edges £5.50
superdrug.com
Shop
Hildun Beauty Silk To Set Kajal Liner in Emerald £16.00
hildunbeauty.co.uk
Shop
No7 Age Defying All-In-One Serum Mascara £11.96
boots.com
Shop
✓ (3)
The lamination can also translate glowy skin as greasy, so use translucent powder to avoid. Strong light can flatten faces, but a subtle contour adds dimension. Dust Revolution Ultra Sculpt & Contour Kit (£3.50, revolution beauty.com) on the cheekbones, under the jaw and down the sides of the nose. Lips ‘disappear’, too, so over-line a little with Sculpted By Aimee HydraLip Duo (£17, sculptedbyaimee.co.uk)and use Primark PS Gloss Lip Stain (£3, primark.com).
Revolution Ultra Sculpt & Contour Kit £3.50
revolution beauty.com
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Sculpted By Aimee HydraLip Duo £17.00
sculptedbyaimee.co.uk
Shop
Primark PS Gloss Lip Stain
primark.com
£3.00 Shop
Hair
Try a side parting – it’s flattering and makes you look younger. A pre-photo salon visit for colour streaks adds brightness and avoids the helmet look, while a layered cut defines cheekbones and jawlines. For styling, sleek is best. Hairdresser John Katsikiotis suggests blow-drying with a ceramic brush – try the volume-boosting, strand-smoothing Olivia Garden Expert Blowout Round Brush (£17.79, sallybeauty.co.uk). Finish with a texturising product, such as Lee Stafford Texturising 3-in-1 Spray (£7.99, leestafford.com). To go all out, get someone to waft a stiff card in front of you – it’ll give your hair movement.
Olivia Garden Expert Blowout Round Brush £17.79
sallybeauty.co.uk
Shop
Lee Stafford Texturising 3-in-1 Spray £7.99
leestafford.com
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❌ (4)
The biggest no-nos when it comes to passport pictures
1) Loading up on highlighter. In this scenario, glowy translates to greasy.
2) Tilting your chin down. Instant jowls.
3) Slicking back your hair. Unflattering on everyone except supermodels.
4) Forgetting to define your brows or mascara your lashes. Definition is essential.
5) Dialing up contour with blush and bronzer to counteract the feature fading flash.
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