How to photograph your own progress honestly

Skin changes slowly, and mirrors are unreliable. A simple photo routine is the only fair way to tell whether a product is working.

Set it up once

• Pick one spot facing a window with daylight, and use it every time.
• Turn off beauty mode, filters and HDR in your camera settings.
• Rest the phone at the same height — a shelf or a stack of books works.
• Pull hair back and take the photo on clean, bare skin.

Take the same three shots

Straight on, left side and right side, with a neutral expression. Same day of the week, same time of day. Sunday morning is easy to remember.

Compare in blocks, not days

Do not look at yesterday’s picture. Compare week one with week four, then week four with week eight. Eight weeks of honest photos tell you more than any before-and-after advert — including ours.