Take a better selfie: Tips, tricks, and how it's taking over social media

According to the readers who left over 600 comments on our selfie stick story earlier this year, the word “selfie” made them cringe. One commenter claimed that selfies, or self-portraits taken with a cellphone or camera, are responsible for “the demise of Western Civilization”, while another commenter added that one of his students takes a selfie every 15 minutes, and was upset when he asked her to take selfies outside of the classroom. Are selfies really responsible for the crumbling of Earth, or are they simply just a way to remember yourself as you were in that particular moment in time?

I consider myself an old-timer when it comes to selfies. In 1999, I bought a web cam on Ebay, and along with my orange clamshell iBook, I was snapping self photos for daily message board conversations. I was always changing my hair color or makeup, so I used selfies as a way to archive my constant appearance modifications. I saved them to a floppy drive, and somehow they are now lost in a sea of unmarked floppies and CD-ROMs. Kids these days have it good, and can upload selfies instantly on a cloud drive or to the Instagram app — the platform of selfie land and pretty lipstick looks. As a makeup artist, I find selfies to be an amazing tool for self-promotion and free advertising for my line of work. But I’m no Millennial at 38, and people my age are using Instagram to snap photos of their cat taking a nap in the sink, or a daily shot of their growing toddler.

Who is responsible for taking over 25,000 selfies in their lifetime?

Young adults in the U.S. with ages ranging from 18 to 34 are taking at least one selfie daily as part of a normal routine, such as brushing their teeth. According to the results of a nationwide survey of 1,000 young adults conducted by Lusterpremiumwhite.com, a maker of teeth-whitening products, 95 percent of the respondents have taken at least one selfie, with 66 percent claiming they have posted their selfies to social media.

“Even a brief glance at a Facebook page, a Twitter feed or Instagram account confirms that Millennials are dedicated to chronicling their lives with selfies, and they especially enjoy sharing them with their network of acquaintances,” says Damon Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of Luster Premium White. “Beyond just Millennials, most people now take selfies while on vacation or while celebrating to chronicle special moments with friends and family. If you don’t take a selfie during your vacation or while celebrating a special day, it is almost as if it never happened.”

How many photos does it take to settle on a sharable selfie? Based on the habits of the survey takers, 3,276 minutes a year are being consumed on taking the perfect selfie, and not only that, but you have to also consider the preparation it would take to get ready for the photo session: Hair, makeup, and even practicing different expressions in the mirror beforehand are taken into consideration.                                                                                                      

“It’s important to make a good impression even if it is through a selfie shared with people you know online or in an email,” says Brown. “They will assess you based on the way you appear and carry yourself in a selfie - your hair, your teeth, your attire, and overall demeanor - so you want to make sure that you look and feel your best.”  

As for how the respondents feel about selfies in general, most would agree with this assessment: “They're fine if you don't overdo it.” Others were more negative, just like the Yahoo Shopping commenters I mentioned earlier, saying that the habit “encourages narcissistic tendencies and self-gratification.” Only 10 percent consider themselves addicted to taking selfies or feel the need to take them every chance they get.

Of course, not every activity or event is deemed appropriate as a photo op. A whopping 80 percent drew the line at funeral selfies, and 58 percent think selfies taken in a place of worship is a no-no. Also to be avoided: Selfies during childbirth, when you are doing your business bathroom. And on a personal note, if I see you taking a selfie while driving, you are going to get a severe side-eye from me. It is dangerous to use any type of mobile device while driving, so keep that in mind.

As for those potentially annoying selfie sticks, just 27 percent have ever used one, and as you’ll find out below, they can come in handy (your pets will thank you later).

Tips and tricks for a perfect selfie

Now we begin the fun part – how to take the perfect selfie. I turned to my beauty guru girlfriends for some tips and tricks on how to do it right the first time, so you’ll have more time to actually be social with your friends and family.

Try cool selfie apps

I am fully aware of what filters can do, and I honestly don’t like how I look when I apply the default filters in Instagram. Behold the Moonlight App (free and requires you to update to iOS 8.0 or later) for giving low-light selfies a little lighting boost. All that grainy, pixelated noise from your girls’ night out selfies are a thing of the past. After you snap your selfie with Moonlight, it gives you the option to turn up the amp on the lighting in the photo as well as throwing in an optional photo filter. The first photo (top, left) I took was under low fluorescent lighting, the center photo was taken with the Moonlight app where my hair color, eyes, and even my teeth were brighter, and on the last photo (right), was taken with the app, but this time I added warmer tones to the photo.

Less is more – less meaning less filters!

Sometimes filters can alter your image in such a way that you are unrecognizable (imagine your Tinder date’s reaction). To keep things more realistic, you can whiten your teeth at home using the Luster Pro Light (online and drugstores for $38.99), which gives you pro results in 30 minutes without going to the dentist, or try an instant whitening toothpaste like Luster Now! ($6.99 for 4 oz. tube).

I also find it helpful to use a quality primer and foundation so I don’t have to mess with filters to get the perfect complexion. There are so many to choose from, but my go-to products are the Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer with SPF 21 to soften the look of large pores, and the new Marc Jacobs Beauty Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate for a lightweight and flawless finish that looks gorgeous on camera.

Watch your back!

The background of your photos is very important, especially for those who opt for the bathroom selfie. You just did your makeup, and you look real cute, but seeing your toilet hanging out in the background just gave you negative stars for cuteness. Take your selfie outdoors, or even more fun, buy some cool fabrics as a backdrop (the lighter the better), or I’ve even used some large cardboard paper in fun colors and designs.

Tilt-a-Whirl

Bring your cellphone a bit above your head and tilt it towards your face, the light falls in just the right places to give you an instant highlighted look. It is also the perfect double-chin eraser!

Get a selfie stick

There are celebrity families who have mastered the art of the selfie stick (can you guess which?), and there are people like me who just want to make sure their dog is included as many selfies as possible. Selfie sticks can help you snap an epic photo, and to read more about them, see this article about the different models available online.

Don’t forget to smile

Everyone needs to smile! Sure, we all have our high-fashion moments when smiling isn’t necessary, but it’s great to be yourself once in a while and show off your pearly whites to the world – spread a little happiness through your own grin.

 
Here are more selfie stats from the nationwide survey of 1,000 young adults conducted by Lusterpremiumwhite.com:

Got any selfie tips for us? We’d love to hear them! Comment below or share them with us on @yahooshopping on Twitter.