January was an amazing month where I’ve really been trying to set the tone for the rest of my year. I have been on the go and waking up very early to finish my projects and plan more to make sure my days go by more productively. My January jams playlist includes a mix of my usual smooth and sultry vibes but also some music to hype you up throughout the day. A few people that I featured on this playlist include Justin Timberlake with his new Man of the Woods project and Lyrica Anderson featuring Chris Brown with “Faded to Sade.”

Comment down below what your favorite song is on these playlists!

High end products are more money and supposedly a better quality then drugstore products. What if you could receive the same quality product for a lower price. I’m about to help you save your coins and share some drugstore dupes for popular high end products.

High End: Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

Dupe: Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

High End: Fenty Beauty’s Trophy Wife

Dupe: LA Colors Shimmering Loose Eyeshadow in Sunshine

High End: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Dupe: Loreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise

High End: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Dupe: Loreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer

High End: Buxom Lip Gloss in Dolly

Dupe: Colourpop Ultra Gloss Lip in Finder’s Keepers

Comment down below if you’ve tried these dupes and they have worked just as great as the high end product!

Rule Number 1: Take A Good Shot

The one thing that is important about pictures is just making sure that the environment, the lighting, and the background is up to par before taking a shot. Solid backgrounds like a white background or a colored background accentuates the skin tone and adds a nice contrast.  If you can’t find a white backdrop outside and you want to shoot inside then white backdrops can be easily purchased from Amazon.

Rule Number 2: Make Sure You Have Good Lighting

The best times to shoot for natural lighting is at the first hour of light after sunrise and the last hour of light before sunset. It is during this time frame that the sun is low in the sky and it produces a soft diffused light. If you can’t wait for the golden hour then other great photography accessories include purchasing soft box lights and overhead lights that can give you a nice glow when set to light your environment appropriately.

Rule Number 3: Make Sure You Have A Clear Lens

A clear lens and camera is also essential to a good shot. The cameras that I use are my iPhone for selfies and my Nikon D5500 for full body shots. As long as the environment, the lighting, and the shot is focused then the combination of these elements can lead to a good shot.

Rule Number 4: Sharpen and enhance with the iPhone’s edit tool or Facetune

Once you have taken a good shot then there are further tools you can use to sharpen and enhance the image. The main tool that I use to sharpen and enhance my images is simply utilizing the edit tool on my iPhone and adjusting the levels of exposure, brilliance, highlight, shadow, contrast, saturation, etc. till I achieve a desirable level of sharpness and vibrance. I also sometimes utilize the app Facetune 2 and I specifically use the detail feature and the vibrance feature to highlight certain aspects of my outfits. A great tip to also whiten a background is to utilize the whiten feature usually used for teeth on the background to create a very crisp and white seamless background.

Comment down below if you have tried any of these techniques or have another way of taking your photos!