There’s never been a better time to be a makeup lover: Thanks to social media, we’ve got so many opportunities to share our love of all things sparkly. Some beauty influencers like to post photos of their favorite makeup looks or film tutorials, reviews, or haul videos. But there’s another way to show your friends the products you’re loving: shooting a makeup flat lay.
A flat lay is an image of one or more products, photographed from above. Styling and creating a flat lay is a simple process, but the results look super professional—and they’re a great option for mixing up the look of your social grid. Want to create a flat lay for your own Instagram account? Just follow these 5 simple steps and you’ll be creating flat lays for days!
How to create beautiful flat lay photography like the team at Petite ‘n Pretty
- Gather your collection of makeup and choose the products that you would like to photograph. You can edit down your selection by shade, product type, or product shape. Anything goes, and the more creative you get, the better! In this example, we used 10K Shine Lip Gloss, GLO$$ BALM Glossy Lip Balm, the 9021-Bungalow Eye and Cheek Palette, and 9021-Glow Cheek and Highlighter Duo. (All are nut-free, non-toxic, and pediatrician-approved, FYI.
- Next, find your ideal lighting and background. Natural sunlight is typically best for photographing products. Find a table, carpet, or floor that matches the vibe you’re going for with your flat lay. You can also add props to make your flat lay pop—here, we used our own palm-tree confetti!
- Lay out your products and decide which ones will look best next to each other. You may need to adjust your original concept for the shot, but that’s part of the fun!
- After photographing your makeup, lightly edit the images to enhance color and brightness without altering the look of the products. You can do this in the Instagram app when you upload your photo.
- Brainstorm the perfect caption, and you’re ready to post!
As always, we love to see how you get creative with Petite ‘n Pretty makeup. Tag us in your flat lays @petitenpretty—we might just share them with the rest of the Sparkle Squad!
