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No, I Didn’t Lighten My Skin. Here’s What Actually Happened

No, I Didn’t Lighten My Skin. Here’s What Actually Happened

Bonnie Answers

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Bonnie RzM
Apr 25, 2025
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No, I Didn’t Lighten My Skin. Here’s What Actually Happened
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Dear Bonnie,

What about darker skin and selfies? I find that lighting works differently for me. I’m really looking forward to this because it’s something I’ve struggled with when creating content for social media. My skin tone changes depending on the lighting, and sometimes people even assume I’ve been lightening my skin, which I would never do.

—Disree

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Dear Disree,

There’s so much nuance to your question, but the core of the answer is simple: lighting qualities.

Reader, to better answer, I asked Disree if she’d be open to sharing a few examples. Not only did she say yes, she said:

“Yes please, you can use them! I think it’s super helpful. I’m a therapist and I vlog about mental health, and I see how someone’s whole perception of themselves can shift when they begin to understand themselves better. This is useful work, and I think it goes a long, long way. Making selfies the healthy way.”

I want to thank Disree deeply for sharing her experience and her photos, which you’ll see below. They illustrate just how dramatically skin tone can appear to change depending on the light, without any editing or filters involved.


If you're excited to level up your photos, hit the LIKE button!


In today’s workshop, I’m breaking down the key lighting elements that affect everyone’s skin in photos one way or another.

We’ll cover:

  • Why your skin can look like a completely different shade or tone from one photo to the next—and what to do about it.

  • Which of the submitted photos has the best lighting and why, so you can recreate it yourself.

  • The easiest editing tool to fix these issues, no advanced skills required. (Includes 4 mini video tutorials.)

This workshop is exclusive to paid subscribers.

If you’d like access to the tools and techniques that can instantly improve your photos, hit the upgrade button below.

Already a paid subscriber? Keep reading, or view the full article in your browser HERE.

Why your skin can look like a completely different shade/tone from one photo to the next.

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