Fashion Archives - Twin Tested

Ultimate Photo Shoot Guide: How to Prepare for Studio Family Pictures with Little Kids

Do’s and Don’ts for a Family Studio Session

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Family Photo Shoot Tips and Tricks

Over the years we have shared our photo tips for every stage of life. Britt shared her do’s and don’ts for couple photos – you guys loved that one and it has been shared millions of times. The blog post is perfect for newly engaged couples wanting to prep some poses before their first photo shoot together. Or at least know the ones to avoid! I shared my family photo shoot when we just had Lila and did some do and don’t do poses that have been shared more than 5 million times. Thank you for the support! If you have headshots coming up or just want to know some tricks from photography pros check out this blog post we did with Jessica Janae. She was so helpful in teaching us ways to position our bodies for flattering shots.

And now onto the newest addition to the lineup. Tips for a studio family photo session: how to keep little ones happy, what poses to include, and how to prep the day before.

Plan Your Time Wisely for the Family Photo Shoot

When it comes to photo shoots and little kids you want to keep it as short as possible, especially in a studio where they are in a restricted area with little space to run and play. Our entire photo shoot was 15 minutes — that’s it! We knew the shots that we wanted to get and moved quickly. Our photographer Beth was great to work with and helped us move fast so we could get all the photos we wanted.

Winston almost fell asleep on the way there and we were ready for the worst but with a little bribery (I promised him ice cream after the shoot) things thankfully worked out! Also, start the photo shoot with your kids solo and together so that you can get those done before you lose their attention.

Get Photos of Your Kids on Their Own and Together

We chose to start with photos of our kids together. That way they weren’t too nervous and the photographer was able to capture moments that we will treasure forever. I loved the bright light and clean lines of the studio. It was our first time opting to do family photos indoors and I am so glad we did. It was nice to switch things up and have a different vibe for our photos.

After the kids’ photos together we had them do solo shots which was so much fun! (they were really good at making each other laugh so we got some great smiles) After that Parker and I did photos together which might seem odd but I have come to love looking back at our photos of just the two of us over the years.

We also started with just the blank wall and standing shots and then moved the bench in and did the remainder of the photos sitting. I am glad we tried out both and got some variation in the photos. I never expected my favorite photo to be the one of us sitting cozied up together on the couch but it is!

Be Silly to Get Real Smiles

With little kids, you have to add in some silliness or you will get robotic smiles. Our kids are 6 and 3 and love nothing more than when mom and dad are silly with them. Some things that worked for us were booty shaking, silly faces, and potty words. Kids will be kids and these all worked like a charm! I love the real emotion and happiness that was captured in the photos instead of them feeling too formal and staged. It was nice to keep the mood light and everyone smiling during the photo shoot.

Try on Outfits Before the Photo Shoot

This is a must with kids! I had ordered both of their outfits online and am so glad we did a try-on one week before the photo shoot because Lila’s dress ended up being way too big. I decided to swap it out with her Easter dress and thankfully it worked with our color scheme. Phew!

Winston’s shirt fit perfectly but we had to try on a few different pairs of pants to land on our favorites that fit well and went with the vibe. I also had them try on their new shoes ahead of time so we could troubleshoot any problems ahead of time.

I LOVE little girl bows and accessories but could not find anything I loved. We went searching the day beforehand and I found this linen bow for Lila that I ended up loving. Family pictures are the opportunity to be picky and particular. I am not normally as detail-oriented when I am getting the kids (or myself) dressed every day but for family pictures you want everything to fit and be cleaned/ironed.

I was thrilled with the green dress I found at Anthropologie. We used the photo shoot to announce my pregnancy and this dress fit so beautifully over my growing bump. It is not maternity and Britt wore it the other day and it looked amazing on her too. The cut is super flattering for all body shapes.

And I have told everyone about my velvet heels because I am obsessed with them! They are so beautiful in person and the perfect fall/winter shoe to dress up otherwise boring outfits with a little bit of texture and warmth.

I hope these tips help ease your nerves the next time you are headed into a studio family photo shoot. I know I was nervous going into a studio photo shoot with little ones but the most important thing is to have fun! It definitely shows in the photos. Please share any other tips you have in the comments!

How to create the perfect Christmas card

Tis’ the season for holiday cards! It is time to decide if you are sending a cheery Christmas card to all of your family, friends, and neighbors. As you sit down to decide upon your card this year, I wanted to share a few tips to make the process a little less nerve-wracking.

The picture is the most important part of the card

A picture is worth a thousand words, therefore I like to let my photos do most of the talking when it comes to holiday cards. Listed below are some important things to think about when selecting photos to include on your card.

Make sure your photo is clear

First and foremost, is the photo you are sending out to all the people you care about a high-quality photo that looks crisp and clear? Nothing is worse than seeing that your gorgeous family photo looks pixelated and blurry on your cards. It is also frustrating to receive blurry photos in the mail when you want to see your loved ones clearly. An easy way to make sure you have crisp photos is to work with a professional photographer, which leads to my next point.

Plan a family photo session

Plan a family photo session with a photographer. It is rare that a candid photo on your phone is appropriate to send out on your holiday card. They rarely successfully show everyone’s faces clearly while including the entire fam in the picture. To remedy this problem, schedule a professional photo shoot with a photographer that is getting paid to make your family look good! It’s their job, therefore most of them are really good at it! Some ideas for the best locations for photos:

Your home: your kids are comfortable there and you don’t have to worry about a tense car ride to a photo destination.
The mountains: you can’t go wrong with a pretty mountain backdrop. Bonus points for cozy sweaters and scarfs!
A Christmas tree farm: we did this for ours last year and LOVED it! They looked festive without being too over-the-top. You can see them here.
Cityscape: change things up and hit downtown for a different vibe in your photos. This could be fun if you have previously done outdoorsy photo shoots in the past and are looking for something a little different. Britt and Sam did their engagements in the city and they are lovely, you can check them out here.
A park: never underestimate the beauty of a simple park. Utah boasts parks with rivers, waterfalls, and majestic backdrops so we might as well put them to use! We both went with parks this year as the backdrop for our Christmas card photos. (Britt did hers in the summertime with sunshine and blooms at a historic park. I chose to do mine at a brand new park nestled at the bottom of a canyon with a river running through it and tons of foliage.)

Show your personality

Now, it is great and NECESSARY to pick a photo that shows off you and your family member’s personalities! Steer clear of anything too serious or stuffy. Think about the kind of photo you want to be sending, probably something to make whoever receives it smile!

toddler photo for Christmas card — Toddler family pictures for holiday card

Choose a card with a front and back

Use the advantage of cards with both sides! That way you don’t have to narrow your picture choices to just one. We usually have a picture of the entire family on the front and then a picture of just our little ones on the back. It is nice to offer variety without throwing in a 20 photo collage that looks messy.

Use technology to your advantage!

We have it SO easy these days with so many resources that make Christmas and holiday cards a breeze. Our personal favorite is Chatbooks (a Utah company) that specializes in photo books but also offers HUNDREDS of options for cards. Their cards are professional, pretty, and super simple to make. I am not kidding when I tell you that it took me less than 5-minutes start-to-finish to create my cards this year! Use promo code: TWINTESTED40 for 40% off your cards this year – woohoo!!

Celebrate Everyday Challenge

As part of our celebrate everyday challenge for November we wanted to dedicate one day to getting holiday cards done. Holiday cards are usually pretty simple but can get tricky when you don’t set aside time to get them done. I have been known to order mine the week before Christmas which ends up being completely nuts! So make today that day and feel even better about getting ahead of the game by using TWINTESTED40 for 40% off your cards! Then you can check that item off your holiday to-do list! Chatbooks added gold foil designs this year to their collection and they are GORGEOUS! Go check them out here.

Make a list and check it twice

I am married to an Xcel spreadsheet lover which comes in quite handy at times like this. Over the years he has curated our holiday card address list. He updates it when friends and family move and regularly adds people to the list. This makes the sending process so much smoother! And it is a relief not having to nag people for their address every year around the holidays.

If nothing else, have fun!

A mailbox full of holiday cards from family and friends is a happy occurrence. Know that you are sending out little bits of happiness that make people smile. If you love to write a 5-page letter with your card every year, please don’t let this guide stop you. If you love to include 10 photos, instead of just two – do it! Bottom line, do whatever makes you happy and let your personality shine through!

Happy card making!

For more photo tips you can check out:

Couples Photo Tips (with more than 10 million views!)

Family Photo Tips (with more than 6 million views!)

How to Make Your Toddler Smile in Photos (1 million views!)

Happy Holidays!

How to get your toddler to smile in family photos

We thought family photos were simple until we added a wild toddler and tried to get her to smile! It seems like toddlers have a sixth sense about family photos. Like they know they are coming and they are going to do everything possible to make it a miserable experience. If this is not the case for you, lucky you!

For me, on the day of our family pictures, my 2-year-old refused to nap and then fell asleep on the drive to family pictures, which meant I had to wake her up and try and get her to smile. I pulled out a few tricks I learned from photographer friends and THEY ACTUALLY WORKED! So, here are four tricks for getting your toddler to smile.

#1 Bring a family member or friend your toddler loves

This was absolutely key! If you don’t bring someone else to family photos, chances are you will be looking at your child in every photo either trying to get them to look happy or making sure they are happy. It is stressful. We invited my toddler’s grandpa to come and he had a great time! She loves him, so he was able to make funny faces and sing her favorite songs and get her to smile for us.

This is also super helpful for photographers so the pressure to get your child to smile is not on them. Instead, they get to focus on capturing the whole family. I also felt like it gave the photographer more of an opportunity to set up the shot and make sure everyone in the photo looked great.

#2 Bring bribes

Yep, I said it. Bring ALL the bribes! We brought favorite toys, favorite snacks and special treats she rarely gets to have. As you can see in some of the photos, we had to pull out fruit snacks very early on to even get her to hold still for 5 seconds. After that, we moved onto a green sucker that completely dyed her mouth and tongue green. ha.

I say the more things you can bring the better. We just gave the bag of bribes to Grandpa and let him go through it. He used every single thing in there by the end of our session, so I really don’t think you can overprepare.

#3 Tell your toddler not to smile

Isn’t this the oldest trick in the book? We thought there was no way it was going to work but guess what? It worked every single time! There is just something they love about not doing what they are told 🙂

#4 Don’t take it too seriously

Have fun with your child! Play with them! These photos will end up looking natural because they are natural. Kids love to play and when you give them the opportunity to have fun, most of the time they don’t mind being photographed. We also went into family photos knowing that we may only get a handful of good photos. That’s all you really need anyway! We want to remember this time in our life as it actually is, not how a perfectly stylized photograph of our family is.

One other note because I’ve been getting questions about the weather. If you can try to pick a day with nice weather, that is, of course, ideal, but if not, come prepared for the conditions. It was about 95 degrees while we were getting our photos taken, so we made sure to dress our toddler appropriately and have plenty of water and drinks on hand.

I hope these tips helped you and would love to hear any others you have. Good luck with getting your toddler to smile for family photos! Let me know if these four tips helped. Our photos were taken by Tori Hillyard Photography, she is located in Salt Lake City. You can find her website here.

Don’t forget to take a look at our other photography posts:

Couple Photo Do’s & Don’ts

Family Photo Do’s & Don’ts

Family Photo Outfit Ideas

Are Amazon leggings really that great?

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The Great Leggings Debate

Our March monthly challenge is MOVE so we wanted to share our recent finds when it comes to the best leggings to wear to the gym. If you have followed us for a little while then you know that we treasure nothing more than an amazing pair of black leggings (pretty sure 99% of girls feel this way too)!

Lululemon dupes

That being said we have been hearing about Lululemon dupes for the past year and got really excited when we found the 90 degree reflex leggings on Amazon for $20. They are thick with a great fitting waistband. However, our gym crew recently talked us into trying out the CRZ leggings on Amazon for $26. We decided we HAD to do a comparison for you all so that we could once and for all crown our athleisure leggings winner!

Britt in 90-degree by Reflex

90-degree leggings that work for every day and the gym

So first we will talk about the 90-degree leggings. They are thick, like so thick you are POSITIVE that no one is getting a view when you are bent over. They are cozy. We got ours during the colder months and to say they have been on repeat is an understatement. They stretch and are easy to slip on and off. They wash well and have held up really nicely. And last but definitely not least – they can pass for pants!! Meaning, we wear ours with sweaters, jackets, sweatshirts, and they look cute!

CRZ leggings are incredible Lululemon dupes

Next up, CRZ Leggings on Amazon $26. These leggings are super silky and soft. They are more of an athletic fabric than the 90-degree leggings. They are super light and breathable. They also have a great shape and waistband that holds you in at all of the right places. And the very best part about hese pants… POCKETS! The fact that you can easily slide your phone in when you are on the way to the gym or working out is a game changer! The only downside with these is that they are an athletic shiny fabric so you can’t get away with wearing them all day with a sweater over top like the 90-degree leggings.

Which leggings are best?

So, the final consensus is… get BOTH! Haha, some of you may be rolling your eyes but just think how much you wear black leggings. It is worth it to have two pairs that you love – for less than the price of one Lulu pair. We got the full-length size in both options. They both have some really cute colors if you are more into that than black. We all know we would rather be wearing leggings than jeans any day!

Wait, there’s more!

We need to add an update because we found ANOTHER brand on Amazon that we absolutely love! It’s called Colorful Koala and you can find it here. I have both dark navy and leopard print and have been so pleased with both pairs of leggings.

If I had to wear one pair of pants for the rest of my life, it would be the leopard print leggings. Get them here. They have sold out multiple times and I had to wait a couple weeks to get mine, but it was worth it!

They are buttery soft and hold up really well being washed and worn constantly. As far as leggings go, one of the most important factors is if they are see-through. These are definitely not! Gotta love leggings that pass the squat test. Hope you love them as much as I do!

What we learned from getting ready every day for a month

Whew! Turns out there are 95 days in January, or at least it felt like it. This was a long month and a long challenge, but we are so proud of ourselves for finishing it. Thanks to all of you who joined in, you made it way more fun! It sounded like the most simple idea – just get ready every day. Turns out, sweats and leggings were super tempting many days. Waking up and seeing others take part in the challenge kept us going until the end!

Here are some snapshots of the past month…

We love the words of Katrina Lake, founder of StitchFix:

“Every day, every one of us sets the stage for our sentiment, our confidence, and our success by getting dressed. When you feel great, when you feel your best, it opens up a world of possibility. Feeling confident and self-assured are important inputs into good days, successful days, and happy days.”

Making the effort to actually get ready was definitely deliberate and purposeful.

We ended up learning a few things:

We were WAY more productive. This was the whole reason we decided to give it a try. Studies have proven (read more here) that you get more done when you get dressed and ready for the day. Well, it turns out they are right! You are ready for anything and you get stuff done.
We took fewer naps. It’s just harder to nap when you’re wearing jeans rather than sweats 🙂 But, truly getting ready for some reason I felt less tired when I was getting the same amount of (not much) sleep.
I felt more confident. Sounds dumb, but putting on an outfit I like, doing my hair and makeup and feeling put together made me feel better about myself. It was a reminder that taking pride in your appearance requires taking care of yourself.
I wore clothes I haven’t in years. Turns out I actually have plenty of clothes to wear, they were just hidden in the back of my closet collecting dust.
I cleaned out my closet! I also realized there are clothes in my closet I am just never wearing again, which meant I got rid of them. I narrowed it down to clothes I actually want to wear and either donated or posted the rest on Poshmark.
I got organized. Planning my outfit the night before made a huge difference. That way, I could think about it for a little while after the baby went to sleep rather than running around in the morning grabbing whatever I saw first.
Done is better than none. There were quite a few snow days and a couple sick days when I really didn’t want to get dressed. So I pulled on my coziest “get ready” clothes and called it a day.
Getting ready made me want to make plans more often. When you’re ready, you feel like you need somewhere to go, so I actually did that and it’s made this month so much more exciting.
Realized monthly goals make a lot of sense. They are easy to stick with because the endpoint seems so much closer. Which is why we decided to make a monthly goal for the rest of 2019. Stay tuned to see what our goal is for February!

What outfits to wear in family photos

It can be overwhelming to decide what your family members will wear in photos. I want to lay out a few guidelines that help me keep things streamlined for family photos each year.

Start with one color

As an easy go-to, I always start with a base of navy blue pieces. After talking to dozens of photographers over the years, the majority have shared that navy blue looks the best in photos. Gotta go with the pros.

Start to layer in accent colors

After you have decided on your navy blue base it is time to start layering in accent colors. Depending on the time of year you may want to go with pastels or bold colors. It is up to you!

Don’t forget the neutrals

You can’t go wrong with neutrals and navy blue as your family photo colors. This year I chose a pretty neutral palette and found a warm, fuzzy, gray coat that I loved. We wanted Lila to be the star of the show in a mustard yellow pea coat! Neutrals can bring warmth to your photos.

Consider the venue

Consider the venue when you are putting together everyone’s outfits. We have taken our family photos in fall foliage, at home, at a pretty park, and this year we went with a Christmas tree farm. The Christmas tree farm felt festive and was perfect for our holiday card.

When in doubt, ask your photographer

If you just cannot decide what to wear in family photos – ask your photographer for suggestions! They have seen many family portraits and will have a great idea of what looks best.

Think outside the box

Ali Anderson Photography took our photos, she is really wonderful, ESPECIALLY with toddlers which is not an easy task! We took our Christmas card photos at a tree farm in Alpine, Utah. If you look up “tree farm photos” you will be barraged with red and green plaid. Now I am not hating on red/green plaid because it is timeless and festive. However, we did something a little more unexpected and I love how it turned out.

For Lila’s look:

We wanted Lila to be the focus of our pictures this year (proud first-time parents what can I say?) I stumbled upon a mustard yellow pea coat at Target! I immediately loved the color and knew it would pop in the photos. Plus, the cape is removable so we opted to take it off since it looked a little bulky on her. This coat is similar and a gorgeous color, but you can’t beat the $26 price tag on this one. Her shoes are Freshly Picked and she wears this mary jane style. They really are the only shoes that do not slip off her feet and they are SO cute!

For Parker’s look:

We kept it pretty simple. He loves a good half-zip sweater so we found one in classic navy, our base color, that he loved. This one is similar. We felt like a coat on him would like too heavy and bulky for the photos. As for his pants, we went with the classic khaki chino. These are similar, and if your guy likes to golf they can also wear them on the golf course. His shoes are a great staple to have in your closet. You can find them here.

For my look:

I found the coziest hybrid jacket/sweater, but it is now sold out. However, I did find this one with the same sort of look. I wore my favorite jeans from Banana Republic. These ones are similar. I topped it with the striped top because I felt like it helped to tie Parker and Lila’s looks all together. The top I have is sold out but this is a similar one with collar detail! For footwear, I went with my everydayblack booties from Nordstrom and they are my winter staple! I honestly wear mine every day in the cooler weather because they can be dressed up or dressed down.

Tried and True Family Picture Rules

Do you guys have any rules you follow when it comes to family photos? Our photographer Ali went above and beyond to keep Lila smiling in the cold weather. We brought Lila’s favorite toy, a little stuffed animal cat, and as long as Ali was holding it by the camera Lila kept smiling!

Don’t be too matchy-matchy

Try not to fall into the trap of being too matchy-matchy when it comes to family pictures or you could end up looking like those all denim nightmares from the eighties! As long as the outfits complement one another, you are good to go!

Check out our other photography tips

First up, our most popular blog post of all time: Couple Photos Do’s and Don’ts. Britt and Sam show couple poses to try and the poses to avoid! This is perfect if you have engagement or wedding photos in your future.

Next up, Family Photo Do’s and Don’ts. We had so much fun doing this photoshoot where we show poses that work and poses that should be avoided at all costs. Skim through if you need some ideas for your family photos!

And last of all, our Photography Tips From the Pros. Jessica Janae is a bombshell and taught us some tried and true poses and tricks to do in front of the camera. Hint hint, don’t do the head tilt!

Hopefully, these tips can help you achieve the family pictures that you are dreaming of! If nothing else, have fun! It shows through the photos if you are really enjoying yourself. Best of luck!

We started a YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Hi guys!

We want you to be the first to know we have officially launched a Twin Tested Youtube channel. After being encouraged by many, we finally took the plunge. Please please go subscribe (we currently have 9 followers who are 90% family 🙂 ). We are going to post Steal or Splurge videos. Similar to what we did on Makeup Monday on Instagram, but in a much more fluid space. You will now get links to every product we talk about directly below the video and you can watch it all at once. This just makes sense for us to do and we hope you love it! Please send us your suggestions and products you would like us to test. Thank you so much for your support throughout all of our ups and downs. It means the world. Hope you all have a fabulous day! Here is our first video testing out Lululemon vs. $23 Amazon leggings.

Here are the links to both leggings:

Lululemon: Wunder Under Tight

Amazon: 90 Degree by Reflex

Kortni Jeane Swimmers

While having babies is definitely the most joyful thing we’ve ever experienced, it also throws your body for a loop. Learning to love and appreciate the postpartum body has been a challenge. Both Brooke and I work hard to stay healthy, exercise 5-6 times a week and live a good lifestyle. Even with all of that, some things are just never going to be the same. Facing that and learning to be proud of our bodies for what they accomplished and what they do for us each day has been really life-changing. Our cute swimsuit designer/mogul and friend Kortni Jeane asked us to be part of her #TheKJWomanIsGood campaign to talk about what makes us feel good. We are so honored to be part of something that promotes body positivity no matter your size or stage of life. Although we were hesitant to model swimsuits, it turned out to be a great experience. You can learn more about the campaign here.

Here is the fun video they put together:

Dressing the (growing) bump

Pregnancy as a first-timer has so many surprises. One of the most exciting things happened a couple of months ago when I felt the baby really kick for the first time. It is such a relief to feel a baby moving around in there! Something that has caught me off guard a bit is that my body is changing every.single.day. My bump grows at random rates and my chest just keeps expanding. I wake up not really knowing what clothing items will fit. This has made getting dressed tricky – especially because I have to look semi-presentable Monday through Friday on the show. Thank goodness for dresses! They are now my go-to. From flowy to more bodycon styles it is so nice to have something that is stretchy without a waistband! All waistbands are now my enemy. I abhor anything that feels tight and constricting. Some maternity clothes out there make you feel bigger and more pregnant than you are however I have found a few winners that I wanted to share! When you find a good thing you should share it, right?Thank goodness for Seraphine Maternity! I knew about this brand thanks to Princess Kate. She wore the brand during her pregnancies with George and Charlotte and always looked FLAWLESS. After hopping on the website I was pleased to find the exact dress she wore was available in a variety of colors and prints. Being the good sister that I am I talked Britt into getting one as well 🙂 She settled on the magenta, I went with the mint print. We both love the dress because it flows and can be worn during pregnancy and after! As for the black printed maxi, it is by far Britt’s most complimented pregnancy outfit. I went with the red dress because I needed a piece that was a little more dressed up and could flow through all the different stages of pregnancy.

How to accentuate your best facial features in photos

Britt and I are often asked what makeup is best for TV or photos. After more than 6 years of trial and error on TV we have found our time-tested favorites. Today I am sharing the products that help accentuate your best features. It’s important to note that foundation is a must when you are in front of a camera. It evens out your skin tone and makes it so you don’t look washed out. We’ve shared our foundation favorites in a previous post here. The three features I like to accentuate in photos tend to be: eyebrows, lips, and cheeks.

Lips: After years of being a lip gloss girl I have discovered the benefit of lip liner. Don’t worry, this is not the brown lip liner of the 90’s. My very favorite is made by Butter London. The color is “Sweet Something” and can be used under practically any other gloss or lipstick. However, I really love it plain. The key is to line your ENTIRE lip, not just the outside. It has a matte finish that looks great on camera and is not too shiny.

Brows: Eyebrows seem to be the name of the game in 2016. Everyone is making theirs bigger and bolder. I like to keep mine looking semi-natural by using a brow gel. Fiona Stiles has created a product that helps separate your eyebrow hairs while enhancing them. I use it every single day!

Cheeks: Since learning how to apply blush properly (only on the apples of the cheeks) I have loved the little pop of color it can add to my face. Powder blushes are great for this but can fade quickly. For longer lasting wear, especially in the summertime, I like to use Tarte Fearless Cheek Stain.

Britt and I plan to continue our makeup tips throughout the summer by sharing our favorites!

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