Since the Colgate #WearASmile campaign launched, I’ve been paying a lot more attention to my smile!
I am more conscious of how my smile reflects, especially in photographs. I still want to keep it natural and have been practicing to try and get it to look like the real thing in photographs. I used to look at my smile in the mirror and then in photos, and it would look completely different.
But, with a few helpful tips and tricks I’ve picked up, I’m pretty close to the real thing.
Perfecting it though, still needs work. They don’t pay models for nothing! Channeling the perfect smile – on demand, is tricky! And with anything in life, practice makes perfect.
Don’t forget to vote for your favourite finalist in the Colgate Wear A Smile Campaign. One of these four girls will be getting her own Cosmo Cover, but you guys need to help make that happen, so vote by clicking on this link.
Back to my smile tips, here’s what I’ve learnt so far…
Love and care for your pearly whites
A great smile starts by taking good care of your teeth. I’ve been using the Colgate Optic White range for a couple of months now, and loving the minty freshness of it and how it’s brightened my smile.
Control your tongue!
I learnt a great trick from Eloise Dreyer, who is a makeup artist and fellow beauty blogger. Being in the industry, Eloise has worked with millions of models and celebrities, and has had the opportunity to watch them do their thing behind the lens. Try this trick next time you want to bring out your most fabulous, natural smile.
Put the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and smile naturally. This movement will soften your smile and tighten your skin to enhance your jaw line.
When you just let allow your tongue to “go with the flow”, you’ll find that it can make you do crazy things. Like crack out the goofiest grin you didn’t know you had.
Think happy thoughts
Another thing I learnt, is that even though a photo is frozen, you don’t have to be frozen to bring out your best smile! Be playful, use your eyes to communicate with the camera and always think happy thoughts.
Don’t just stop and stare into the lens (deer in the headlights ala Dimi pre WearASmile), but at the same time, be conscious not to blink, as you don’t want the camera to snap when your eyes are closed.
Work with YOUR face
What works for some, may not necessarily work for others! For example, I think Lee-ann Liebenberg looks amazing in photographs and she’s got one of the best smiles. It always looks so natural. I don’t think I’ve seen one bad picture of her, but some of those poses that she does so well, make me look kinda goofy!
I’ve tried to copy different camera “angles” used by celebs, and some of these work, but most of the time, in my case, it’s like HELLO GOOFBALL!
While it’s good to practice, I think it’s important to mimic someone who has similar facial features as you, rather than a celebrity with a completely different face shape and features.
I’ve found that my best smile is achieved when my head is bang on, straight with the camera or slightly – and I mean slightly tilted. When my head goes forward or back I look dorky and when I try dropping my chin or letting my head fall to the side, those kinds of poses tend to make me look like a five year old trying to be cute.
Another way to find your “perfect photo” face is to look through photos of yourself that you really like and try to recreate those poses. Don’t try to do something that is not you! Although trying out something that is new, may end in a great discovery. In this case, try to make the discovery when playing around and not when you’re taking photos of you your once in a lifetime trip to paradise.
Here are some other pics that were snapped of me at the Colgate Optic White Blogger shoot.
In the first DORK ALERT pic on the left, I am trying too hard not to let my smile take over my face – but to me it looks kinda fake. Like when you just grin, but there is like zero emotion.
The pic next to it is too much. Although my hubby says it has the most “energy” all I see is too much smile, too much face crunching, too much head dropping! Although I was laughing, I was too aware of the camera so it doesn’t look like me – when I look at it at least.
The bottom two pics are so much better! When I’m looking head on, I feel more natural than pushing my jaw or forehead out (which by the way looks great on some people). But the pic on the right is still my fave. There is a slight head tilt, but controlled, so that it still looks natural and not forced!
What are some of the best smile techniques you’ve learnt? Sharing is caring so comment below!
And don’t forget to vote for your fave gal to win that Cosmo Cover shoot!
xo
Dimi
