Applying Stage Makeup

Planning your makeup

Think about your character. How old is s/he? How much time does s/he spend outdoors? What kind of grooming habits does your character practice?

In a sense, you have to play what-color-is-your-character. When you choose a color for your base, consider your own skin color and consider your character. Remember if you choose a color too different from your own skin, you'll have to pay scrupulous attention to details like ears, hands, the back of your neck -- any exposed skin. Although it can be a nuisance, if your character is the kind of person to have a trendy tan in mid-winter, and there are references to the time s/he spends in a tanning parlor in the dialogue of the play, it's worth taking the trouble.

Hands matter -- if your character is 90 years old, you are in your twenties, and you don't age your hands (or wear gloves), it's likely to make a difference in your visual credibility. The audience may not be able to identify what's "off," but they'll sense something. If your character is rural -- no nail polish. If your character is a big-haired society babe, long, polished nails (fake or not) add convincing details to the overall look.

It's all about the credibility of the illusion.

Before you begin

1. Wash your face and remove any street makeup.

2. Shave (men), if your character is clean-shaven and you have a heavy beard..

3. Protect your skin, especially if it's sensitive:

   • Use astringent or toner to complete cleaning your face

   • Use moisturizer, especially if you have dry or sensitive skin, or close your pores with a splash of cold water

4. Change into makeup-safe clothing.

   NEVER wear your costume while applying makeup.

If you need to add color to your hair, do it now, before applying makeup:

1. Style it as you will wear it on stage.

2. Apply color with a toothbrush.

3. Use a baby wipe or makeup remover to remove any "drips" of color.

If you don't need to change your hair color:

• Pull hair back from face with hair band, elastic, or pins if necessary.

Applying basic makeup

Note: Pale colors and reddish tones bring features forward. Dark colors make features recede.

1. Apply the base color in broad streaks across forehead, down nose, cheeks, chin, and neck.

2. Blend with sponge until even.

3. Brush sponge over ears, back of neck (if exposed), décolletage -- any exposed skin should be covered with base. Avoid visible lines between made-up and bare flesh. No stripey actors!

   Run a fingertip across the base -- if it smears, you used too much makeup, and need to keep blending with a sponge until it passes the fingertip test.

4. Add shadows (contour): sides and tip of nose, under cheekbones, temples, under jawline, eyesocket, between lower lip and chin. Apply with brush or Q-tip, then blend slightly with sponge.

   Use a cream liner for shadows in some shade of brown, reddish brown, or purple, depending on your skin tone and the effect you want. DO NOT use black or gray.

5. Add highlights: forehead, above eyebrows, tiredness circles, top of cheekbone, jawline, eyelids, tip of chin, down center of nose. Apply with brush or Q-tip, then blend slightly with sponge.

   Use a cream liner for shadows in some shade of pale beige or white, depending on your skin tone and the effect you want. You can blend a bit of your base color with white for a "custom" highlight color.

Note: It doesn't matter if you apply shadows or highlights first -- do whatever is easiest for you.

6. Blend. Tap sponge over the boundaries between highlights and shadows and soften the line well. We want accents, but not lines (except for age lines, to be added later).

7. Add cream eyeshadow, cream rouge.

1. Powder thoroughly. Use a velour powder puff, and press the powder into the makeup. It can absorb a fair bit of powder. If you look as though you've been hit with a sack of flour, you've gotten it right.

2. Use a soft brush to lightly brush off the excess.

Adding age (optional)

1. Frown, smile, raise your eyebrowss, and scrunch your face to see where the lines fall.

2. Paint in the lines with brownish, reddish brown, or purple cream liner (depending on your skin tone). Don't forget the neck!

Note: Paint only enough age lines to give the effect of the age you want to appear; a 50 year old will not have as many lines as an 80 year old.

3. Add highlights around (especially above) lines.

4. Blend highlights into background and into lines, for more realistic three-dimensional effect.

5. Add a bit of reddish liner under eyes, for tiredness. Don't forget that bags under eyes look a bit puffy -- which means highlighting!

(Livingmask.com site)

Tara McGinnis (costumes.org)

1. Touch up highlight/shadow if necessary.

2. Add powder eyeshadow (optional) , eyeliner, mascara, eyebrow definition if necessary. Men: use eyeliner only for lower lid, mascara only for upper lashes.

3. Outline lips (usually with lipliner pencil or brush), then fill in with lipstick.

1. Use cold cream, baby wipes, or makeup-remover wipes to remove makeup.

2. Wash face, and use astringent, then moisturizer, to finish.