Why selfies make you look 7 years older

AND FIVE TIPS TO AVOID IT

Every time I see a post about the perfect Instagram account, the best filters and the most interesting people to follow, I read it. Instagram has gradually taken over my life, so you can say it's getting pretty serious. So how come I never post a selfie? Because, well, I always look like crap in them. When I read Grazia Daily's post on why you always look 7 years older in selfies, it seemed as though the post was directed straight at me. Who knows, maybe you can learn a thing or two from it too. After all, I mean, people guessing you're older than you are - who really wants that anyway?

1. Light

Seems pretty obvious. Good lighting is very important. Bad lighting will only emphasise your wrinkles, make those bags under your eyes stand out and overemphasise your facial contours.

2. The right angle

The way you hold your phone in or from the lighting and the shape of the lens are pretty important factors. Apparently, a phone with a 28 millimetre lens will give you the best photos. But not everyone owns a phone with a 28 millimetre lens and to be honest, I have absolutely no idea what my own phone has... But anyway, the important thing is that you hold your phone a little lower than usual rather than higher up in the air, because this will make your forehead appear smaller.

The higher the camera, the bigger the forehead and the older you will look. So to conclude, looks like I might have to bring back the bangs to avoid this.

3. don't look down too much

Try to hold your camera straight in front of you. If you look down too much, the skin around your neck will give you that sagging look and feel. Even your professional contouring skills won't save you.

4. everything's sagging

As you get older, the volume in certain areas of the face fades. Unfortunately, it always happens in areas you where you really want the volume to stick; think cheeks and around the mouth. It always manages to stay in the areas of your face where you don't really need it, aka your nose. An iPhone lens will only emphasise this more than you want it to. So what do you do? Tilt your head and voila, bye bye sagging face.

5. Hello selfie stick

Some people hate the selfie stick, and I might regret saying it, but my god I love that thing. Not only does it help me prevent taking photos from unflattering angles, it makes my face refined. Be honest, you love it too. Long live the selfie stick.