I love feeling prepared to conquer what lies ahead.
Preparing for life’s most meaningful moments is an empowering act of self-care that makes me feel love and nurtured in a way that no one else could.
It feels damn good to show up for myself.
Because I know that when I am prepared, I am able to be more present with my experiences and get the most out of all of life’s wonderful hallmarks.
During your boudoir session, we want you to feel empowered and comfortable in your body… a big part of achieving that comes from our thorough session prep.
So we’ve put together 20 tips to help prepare you for session day.
Follow these tips and you’ll watch those nerves melt away and find yourself enjoying your photo shoot like you never imagined was possible!
- Do an at home boudoir wardrobe fitting – read our recent blog post that will walk you how they work.
- Get a Mani Pedi – we recommend doing so 1-2 days before your session.
- Book a massage – these are wonderful to do before your session to relieve some tension which will allow you to move more freely during your session. These are also soooo great to do after your session as you may be a bit sore 😉
- Get a professional bra fitting – you can do this free of charge at most local lingerie boutiques or a Victoria’s Secret.
- Get in the zone with an at home boudoir selfie sesh – we walk you through how to do one in our 3 Revelations About Self-Care blog post.
- Try to get 7+ hours of quality sleep each night the weeks leading up to your session – studies show that sleeping 7-9 hours a night boosts blood flow to the skin surrounding your face which helps reduce dullness and gives you a healthy, rosy cheek glow.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate the weeks leading up to you session – proper hydration increases skin elasticity and helps balance your skins ph levels which has an array of positive affects on your overall health and appearance.
- Practice affirmations to get into a body positive mindset – check out our 5 Affirmations for Body Positivity blog for some inspiration!
- Book a facial – typically, the best time to book a facial is 2-3 days prior to your session however we suggest consulting with a professional. Depending on what kind of treatment your skincare provider recommends, you may want to book further out to avoid any redness in your images. Be sure to mention that you have a photoshoot coming up.
- Take yourself on a date – I think it’s such a good idea to spend a little extra time connecting with yourself before session day. Sometimes I like to bring a book or journal, other times I prefer to just sit and people watch.
- Try pieces on at a local store – it’s so easy to buy all of your wardrobe pieces online these days but there is nothing like going to a store in-person and trying on different styles to see what you like. Even if you don’t end up purchasing anything, it can give you soooo much insight into what feels good on your body.
- Schedule a haircut – we recommend doing so 7-14 days before your session… just in case anything were to need some fixing up, you would have time to do so.
- Make a Pinterest moodboard for your shoot – This is such a good way to begin gathering inspiration for your shoots vision. Depending on how creative you want to get, some of my clients have boards for their hair and makeup look, wardrobe pieces, and posing while others just pick one they are most excited by. Connect with me on Pinterest and you can pick through some of my boards and share yours with me!
- Scroll through our Instagram to gather inspiration – You can find us at @lindsaycarlisleboudoir.
- Join our VIP Group on Facebook – if you’re not already a member, you’ve got to join us! Take a look through our past posts in the group and you’ll see some really wonderful shares from some of my past clients about their boudoir experience. This is also a space where you can ask questions about what others experiences were like, whether it be in regards to shopping for pieces or displaying images, and our community members will share their insight.
- Pack your bag the night before – there is nothing worse than rushing out the door the morning of your session… NOT so luxurious. Take your time packing the night before and make a list to ensure nothing gets left behind.
- Eat breakfast – please! Even if you don’t normally, our sessions are a workout so you need to have proper fuel in you. It is no fun to be halfway through your session and feel your energy crash.
- Moisturize – lather on your favorite moisturizer especially the days before your session. This makes a big difference in your images.
- Setup a Pre-Session payment Plan for your photo collection – pre-paying for your desired collection in smaller installment payments really helps relieve some of those session day jitters. It feels soooo good to have the financial side of things taken care of before your session and it also allows us to create images with your products in mind.
- Save the studio address and map it out ahead of time – you’d be surprised how many people under estimate their travel time to the studio and end up rushing the morning of. Map out your route at least a day in advance and give yourself a 20-30 minute buffer in case there is any unexpected traffic. If you are early, most of our studio locations have cute coffee shops nearby you can grab a drink at on your way 🙂
I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring our boudoir session tips to help you to feel more ready to slayyyy session day. As always, we’re here for you every step of the way.
Wanting more info on our Los Angeles or Tulum photo sessions?
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Much Love,
Lindsay