Boudoir By Emily Gualdoni

Leading up to the shoot

• Drink up to 8 glasses of water a day to hydrate your skin. Hydrated skin will make a world of difference to your skin's appearance by making It appear softer, glow ng and more youthful.

• Avoid excessive caffeine and sodium (especially sodium!) 24 hours before your shoot. Salty foods and caffeine cause water retention which can make you feel (and look!) bloated. Drink plenty of water up to a couple of hours before your shoot, then you can stop until your shoot is over. This is actually the best thing you can do to combat water retention and you'll feel better and look slimmer for your shoot.

• Make sure you're doing a full body moisturizing daily and don't forget to moisturize your lips as well.

• Cut out ALL tags in your clothing including the washing instruction tags. You can usually see the tags through the sheer clothing.

• Iron and steam your clothes before the shoot so they are wrinkle free. (Removing wrinkles in clothing in Photoshop is an additional fee)

• Create a playlist on your phone! We can hook it up directly to the bluetooth speaker.

• Have a facial a week prior to your shoot, so your skin is in perfect condition for your session.

• Have your eyebrows and other waxing done a few days prior to the session so there is time for your skin to calm down if needed.

• If you're planning on getting a haircut or coloring, again a week or two in advance is best.

• Please wash your hair the morning of and come with your hair fully dried.

• If your hair is naturally curly, but you want the "Victoria Secret" loose wavy curls instead, please follow these suggestions. After washing your hair, blow dry hair at the roots, combing down to just below your ears with a paddle brush. Make sure you blow away from the roots and comb through slowly to smooth out your hair. Do not use a flat iron on your hair, this will make it harder for the hair to curl at the session.

• If you use tanning beds, have your last session a few days prior to your boudoir session so it has time to settle, you don't want unnatural skin tones.

• If you want to get a professional spray tan, I ask that my ladies get them done about two to three days before the shoot (Please don’t wait till the day before!). Before going to your salon make sure to exfoliate and moisturize your skin, just as you would with a self-tanner. Finally, take notice of your hands, feet, and knees as they tend to look blotchy if they are not exfoliated and moisturized prior to the spray tan session. 

• Have that mani and pedi to make sure that your nails are perfect. Choose a nail color that works beautifully with your outfits and fits with the mood you want to portray in your session. Bring your nail polish with you just in case.

• Prep the outfits you'd like to be photographed in

• Try on all your outfits with any accessories to make sure you love the look and feel of them.

• Wash your shoes, yes, the soles too! You will see the bottoms of the shoes in boudoir maternity.

• If you plan on doing more than just smiling in your images, practice your "serious" face in the mirror. I know this sounds super silly but you probably aren't walking around with a sultry face all day everyday and are not used to it. You need to feel comfortable and confident with this look so practice will make perfect.

• If you're undecided about your outfits, you can always take a few selfies of you wearing it (front and back). You can either text me these selfies in advance so I can give you my advice. Otherwise, you can bring these selfies in person on your phone so I can help you decide in person. Sometimes it is hard for me to give advice when the clothing is just on a hanger.

• Follow me on Instagram, chicago_boudoir_ to stay up to date with shoot ideas, etc.

The day of the shoot

• Drink water when you wake up, and stop drinking a couple of hours before your shoot. Eat a small meal before arriving.

• If you're having your makeup done with one of my artists, please arrive with a clean face (no makeup).

•   My makeup artist does not stay for the entire shoot so if you'd like to change your lip color at some point during the shoot, please bring your favorite lipstick to do that.   

• Please wash your hair the morning of and come with your hair fully dried. Using a hair dryer is fine, but do not use a flat iron or a curling iron.

• If your hair is naturally curly, but you want the "Victoria Secret" loose wavy curls instead, please follow these suggestions. After washing your hair, blow dry hair at the roots, combing down to just below your ears with a paddle brush. Make sure you blow away from the roots and comb through slowly to smooth out your hair. Do not use a flat iron on your hair, this will make it harder for the hair to curl at the session. If my stylist at the shoot needs to blow dry your hair straight at the shoot, there will be a $50 fee because this is considered two styles.

• Don't forget your outfits, undergarments, props, etc.

• If you're undecided about your outfits, you can always take a few selfies of you wearing it (front and back). You can either text me these selfies in advance so I can give you my advice. Otherwise, you can bring these selfies in person on your phone so I can help you decide in person. Sometimes it is hard for me to give advice when the clothing is just on a hanger.

• Wear loose clothing to the shoot so the elastic bands don't leave a mark on your skin

• If you're planning on doing any nudes or implied nudes and you're a little shy, it's best to bring a robe to throw on in between poses.

• Bring a playlist on your phone! We can hook it up directly to the bluetooth speaker.

• Try to relax and have fun! The more relaxed you are, the better the images will turn out.