The art of selfie posing put to the test

There's no escaping the Instagram selfie trend, so isn't it about time you perfected your photo face?Since model Tyra Banks first coined the term 'smizing' a bevvy of popular poses have been infiltrating our social networking sites, including 'pruning', 'teeging' and most recently the 'squinch' by photographer Peter Hurley.But how do you decide which one to choose? Fear not, one intrepid beauty writer is here to help.Angelica Hermon from style site neverunderdressed.com has road-tested the (supposedly) most flattering poses to see which ones really work....1. SquinchingWhat's involved? Lifting and tightening the lower eyelid and only allowing the top eyelid to come down slightly.Verdict? 'Perhaps I didn’t get it quite right because I think I look like I’ve had seven and a half Aperol Spritzs too many. 'I teamed it with a grin here, which probably doesn’t help the drunken look, but without a smile it would no doubt look more serious and therefore more cool. I need to practice.'2. SmizingWhat's involved? Smiling with your eyes in the style of Tyra Banks on America's Next Top Model.Verdict? 'It’s actually pretty hard to smile with your eyes. Whilst also trying not to smile with your mouth. I felt like I was trying to freeze myself with a peculiar look on my face as if playing Grandmother’s Footsteps. I’ve realised that Tyra’s heavy layer of smoky eye make-up gets her half way to the smize.'3. PruningWhat's involved? Copying the Olsen sisters to project a sultry almost serious look with your mouth.Verdict?: 'This felt like the most posey of the lot and least like what I’d naturally do with my expression if a camera was thrust in my face. To me, it looks like I’ve had a dodgy filler/collagen job done around my mouth. Or have really bad mouth ulcers. 'But on those Olsen twins, it looks utterly fabulous. As poses go, it’s far better than the 90s pout (see Posh Spice) and thoroughly easy to do on demand.'4. TeegingWhat's involved? Bear your front teeth and press your tongue closely behind them with it slightly on show (this is Lily Allen's favourite pose).Verdict? 'Though Lily nails this look every time, I don’t think my version looks anywhere near as good. It reminds me of my 3 year old niece who has a distinct lisp and whose tongue seems to permanently hang out of her mouth like a Labrador puppy. I think I’ll leave this one to Lily.'5. LOLingWhat's involved? Let loose, giggle, chuckle, ROFL and then freeze.Verdict: 'This felt natural and easy and although it was completely phoney, I think I fooled the camera well. It felt the most normal of them all. I thought back to Saturday night when my best friend slipped across the dance floor (ending up in a near-splits stance), let out a loud belly laugh and hey presto, there it is.'(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az