...
black and white image by Frenk_Danielle Kaufmann from Fotolia.com

Black and white photography records colors on a gray scale. Balancing color and definition with contrast is the key to beautiful black and white pictures. Without color to draw the eye away from flaws, every shadow shows up in these pictures. However, gray-scale pictures tend to even and flatter any skin tone.

Apply a matte foundation without sun block. Choose foundation a shade lighter than your skin to achieve contrast between your skin and your features.

Line your lips with a red liner and fill in with similarly colored matte lipstick. The darker the red, the darker your lips will appear in the picture. The goal is a high contrast between your skin and your lips.

Define your face with a bronzer. Brush the bronzer under your cheekbones and at your temples. Use a soft blush color to avoid dark streaks on your cheeks.

Line your eyes and apply mascara. Work toward a contrast between your skin and your features. Dark shadow colors will turn up black in your picture, so choose slightly softer shades.