These Tips Will Seriously Up Your Instagram Game

You know the feeling: bending over backwards trying to take a photo of your new lipstick haul, only to get a muddled, lackluster image in return. How do Instagram stars do it? you wonder. Is it magic?

Rest assured, we have all been there. And no, these bloggers and photographers don't have some Instagram fairy dust up their sleeves — what they do have is the inside scoop on what makes the perfect beauty-product shot.

In hopes of nailing down a streamlined approach to iPhone photography, we tapped Lisbon-based visual artist and photographer José Lourenço to share his expertise. And don't worry if you don't have a fancy camera to take your photos with, because Lourenço's advice involves just a few props, great lighting, and an A+ editing app.

"Sometimes you do not need quality materials to [take good] photographs," says Lourenço. "All you need is will, passion, and [the ability] to watch the world around you."