Materials: Make-up For Artistic Self-portrait Photography

Cristina Otero talks us through her favorite products for creating experimental make-up looks

Cristina Otero (@cristinaotero) is a photographer specializing in artistic self-portraits. At the age of 15, Cristina became the youngest Spanish artist to present a solo exhibition in a gallery. While her main clients tend to be art collectors, she has also worked on commercial projects for brands and organizations such as Huawei, Renfe, and Turismo Andalucía.

Cristina started out drawing portraits of women, using herself as a reference. Drawn to hyperrealism, she began experimenting with photography and using herself as a model. When it comes to post-production, Cristiana insists, “I don’t edit, I paint”.

For Cristina, applying make-up is a very important part of her pre-production process. It is the first step when it comes to getting ready for a shoot, and one she thoroughly enjoys.

“I know it’s a bit weird, however, I like to do my make-up first, before preparing the set or anything else. It’s something I’ve always done and, over time, it’s become a habit of mine. This is because, when I started photography, I took photos outside. So I would get ready at home before preparing the set at the location where I would be shooting,” she says.

Cristina reiterates that she is not a professional make-up artist, she experiments with make-up to help create the colors and mood that she wants to conjure up with the final image. While programs like Photoshop make it possible to create make-up effects in post-production, Cristina prefers to create looks in real life–she likes that her face is another canvas for her to paint. When it comes to editing the raw images, Cristina simply works to digitally adjust color or retouch any imperfections.

In this blog, Cristina talks us through the different products she likes to use and, specifically, the ones she used to create the image below; how she creates her own make-up at home; and tips on how to achieve interesting effects.

Different products

First, Cristina uses a moisturizer with an illuminating base. This gives the effect of light reflecting off the skin, adding a pictorial effect.

Next, Cristina uses a base to cover imperfections and create a balanced tone across her skin.

To apply these products, Cristina uses a sponge and a short hair brush.

Next, eyes. Cristina has selected three colors: a red eyeshadow, a pink eyeshadow, and a red lipstick. The eyeshadows are both matte–they don’t have any shine as Cristina prefers to add it later if necessary using a powder highlighter (which she also uses for other zones). While it’s not very conventional to use a lipstick to paint one’s eyes, Cristina finds that this product helps to create a gloss effect. “Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things because you never know what you might discover,” says Cristina.

For her eyes, Cristina uses three different brushes. One for eyeshadow, a smaller one for lipstick, and a third, which has much thicker and harder hair, for lighting effects.

To inject some life into her cheeks, Cristina has selected an earthy orange blush, which she will apply using a wider, long-hair brush.

Cristina has two products that she uses for contouring: a highlighter stick and a shadow stick.

To create a more wild and bold eyebrow, Cristina uses mascara to backcomb and reshape them. This is a trick she discovered while experimenting with different products. She then uses another mascara to make her eyelashes stand out.

For the most voluminous zones of the face (the tip of your nose, the arch of your eyebrows, cheekbones, and chin), Cristina adds a touch of a transparent lip gloss to give more sheen to the final image. You can also use Vaseline to illuminate–the effect is more subtle compared to using gloss and is ideal if you don’t want to create such a dramatic look.

The final product that Cristina has selected for today’s shoot is a pair of white contact lenses called “Dead Zombie” that can be bought online.

Homemade Make-up

You can also get creative in the kitchen, searching through your cupboards to source your own products.

In the same way that Cristina uses a transparent lip gloss, vegetable oil (such as coconut, sunflower, or olive) can also be used as a substitute to add sheen in a more exaggerated way.

For the image below, titled “Color Blast”, Cristina mixed milk and yellow food coloring (the same one she uses to make paella!) to paint her lips.

For her self-portrait titled “Dust”, Cristina used cinnamon to create this grainy effect.

Cristina used coffee to stain her skin and create this more savage look for her portrait titled “Hold Me Tight”.

To create the dirty, earthy look in the image below, Cristina mixed cinnamon and coffee.

To create this icy effect, Cristina used salt, which she stuck to her skin using moisturizer and to her hair using gel.

Cristina also uses flour when she wants to make her skin or hair whiter.

In Cristina’s Domestika course, Artistic Self-Portrait Photography, she shares the creative process behind her artistic self-portraits, from setting up the shoot to working in post.

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