Basic Full-Face Makeup Application

by Kevin Roche With Hallowe'en fast approaching, you may be wondering yet again how to do full-face makeup that will last through an event. This article is intended to take you through the steps necessary to apply your makeup and take some of the mystery out of the process. The technique described here is the one I use for all of my full-face makeups; I developed it as part of my transformation into "Debra Taunt" ( my female impersonation character), so I know it can survive several hours of heat and perspiration. I first learned it from a book entitled Makeup by Rex (or something close to that) which was aimed at taking the mystery out of basic women's daily street makeup. If you come across a copy of this book (it's a paperback) snap it up; the advice on color is dated, but many of the tips and techniques for reshaping the contours of a face are very useful. This article will not spend much time discussing color choice and design; if you're designing a fantasy makeup, the tips won't apply, and there isn't space to discuss all the effects different color designs will have on your eye and facial expression. It will describe the basic steps required to apply the color and keep it on.

Materials required:
TOOLS Workspace Well Lighted Mirror (Pick up one of those inexpensive lighted makeup mirrors with the folding side mirrors if you can; they often have a center mirror that flips to a "correcting" mirror for glasses wearers) Surgical Cotton (comes in a loose roll -- you unroll what you want and can pinch it off into cotton balls, powder applicators, etc.) Brushes -- a couple of decent makeup brushes sharpener Toilet paper or facial tissues (referred to as "tissue" from now on) Cotton Swabs Makeup applicators (the little "wand" things) Cosmetic sponges A fine-misting spray bottle full of clean water Eye Makeup remover or Baby oil Pre-moistened baby wipes or (much more expensive) makeup removal pads and /or cold cream Some idea what you want the Final result to look like. For fantasy makeup, make a drawing of what colors go wear once you get it right, and use that as a map the next time around. Your favorite skin cleanser

Your favorite face moisturizer Foundation -- I recommend hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic cake foundations such as Le Velvet Filme from Physician's formula. They offer good coverage with less mess than a liquid foundation, and are less likely to irritate your skin than stage makeup. You can save money by buying them as refills instead of in a full compact. In general, for non-dimensional makeup (colors only), you can do anything with street makeup that you can with stage makeup. If you are working for a fantasy base color like blue or green, get the stage makeup. If you want a less-drastic unearthly effect, use a flesh colored base but exotic colors for all your contouring work. Choose the color of your foundation one shade darker than the final color you want to achieve on your face. The powder applied on top of your makeup will generally "fade" the color slightly. Cover stick appropriate for your skin color Eyebrow pencil Eyeliner -- Being paranoid about my eyes, I prefer either the "felt-tip" style liner pens or a liquid eyeliner Mascara and/or false eyelashes (remember -- never share your mascara; it's cheap compared to an eye infection!) Eye shadow colors Powdered highlight/contour colours (one lighter than your foundation color for highlights, one darker for contour/blush). If you use all powdered colors, eye colors can also be used for exotic shaping effects. A lip pencil in the color you want your lips to be Transparent or lightly colored lip gloss, if you want shiny lips Translucent loose powder. This is one item you may want to get at a theater supplies shop. You do not want pressed powder, but the loose stuff that you shake out. Translucence is important, because it will let the colors you apply show through after the final powdering. Choose a shade that blends well with your skin color (or as close as possible to whatever color your skin will be when made up, if you are doing exotic things).

OK, ready? here we go. A simple "street" makeup should take 20 to 30 minutes, once you get the hang of it. One Basic Tip: BLEND! When applying the foundation and most contours, sharp lines are not what you want. Take the time to blend the edges of colors you apply. Smooth and even creme makeups by patting them with the makeup sponge -- don't wipe them on and leave them like streaky paint. Blend powdered colors with a makeup brush, a cotton ball, a clean sponge or wand, or (sometimes) your clean finger. If a region is supposed to look like "paint by numbers", then the edges are ok. To make a contour look like a sharp edge, blend it, then use a colored makeup pencil to add the line of the edge (and smudge that line a little, too.) 1. Wash your face and pat it dry.

1a. If you are male, not bearded, and doing full face makeup, shave first and wait until you stop bleeding. 1b. If you are male and attempting a "female" face, lather and shave twice, then wait until you stop bleeding. (Shaving twice will leave you with a closer shave and less razor burn.) 2. Apply Moisturizer, wait 1 minute, then blot off excess with tissue. If you do not wish to apply a foundation under the rest of your makeup (if you want to apply eye makeup to your natural skin, for instance), skip steps 48 and proceed directly to 9. Be sure to have applied moisturizer to your eyelids so the colors will have something to cling to! 3. If you have any obvious cosmetic defects (spots, dark circles, etc.) that you wish to hide, apply cover stick to it now. Use a clean finger to blend out the edge of the cover into your natural skin. 4. Apply foundation. With a cake (cream) makeup, this is sort of like applying wax shoe polish -- only use less! Twist the sponge into the makeup, then pat it onto your face with a minimum of wiping motions to reduce streaking. Don't forget your eyelids -- the foundation is what provides adhesion and "staying power" for your eye colors! If you'll be wearing false eyelashes, keep the edge of the upper eyelids clean so the lashes have someplace to stick. Once everything is applied, pat all over with the sponge to even out the texture. 5. "Punctuate" the foundation (this, in particular, I owe to Rex's book). Apply "punctuation marks" to your foundation with your cover stick: A period (small dot) on your forehead a narrow line down the center of your nose commas around the corners of your nose apostrophes at the corners of your mouth another period in the center of your chin Blend these marks thoroughly into the foundation. This gives you a foundation slightly more natural looking than the flat blank effect of the foundation creme by itself. 6. Gently blot the entire makeup with tissue to lift off excess makeup. 7. THIS IS THE HARDEST STEP. WAIT 3 MINUTES for the foundation to set. If you absolutely can't keep your hands off your face, try drawing in your eyebrows now. 8. "Powder down" your foundation. Shake some of the loose powder onto an unrolled piece (about 6x6") of surgical cotton. Gently roll the powdered cotton against your makeup. Repeat until everything is powdered. This puts powder on everything to which it will stick, without leaving as much excess behind as a powder puff. Now take a second, clean piece of the cotton and use the same rolling motion with the clean piece to pull off the excess powder. You now have a smoothly textured, stable base onto which to apply color.

9. Draw in your eyebrows. For a natural look, sharpen your pencil, blunt the tip slightly, and use short strokes to imitate the way eyebrow hairs grow. Alternatively, if you simply wish to accent your real eyebrows, use an old (clean!) soft toothbrush and a little mascara to color them. 10. If you will be using mascara, apply one coat to your upper lashes now. Yes, it's traditional to apply mascara last, but if you're a klutz like me it's reassuring to know you can't smudge everything you just worked so hard on! This also brings your eyes out from the blank background of your foundation, making it a little easier to apply other colors around them. You may or may not choose to mascara your lower lashes as well. An eyelash comb can be used here to separate the lashes after you apply the mascara, making them less spiky and more real looking. If you make a mistake, dip a swab in eye makeup remover or baby oil and immediately clean it off. Blot off the excess remover with tissue, pat the cleaned region with your foundation sponge to patch the hole if necessary, and pat it with the cotton used for applying powder if it's shiny. Applying color: remember that stage lighting washes everything out. If your makeup is for stage, make it stronger. 11. Apply eyeliner according to your plan. How much of the eye you line will dramatically affect the apparent shape and depth of your eyes; it may take you a few tries to find the look you want. DO NOT APPLY EYELINER IF YOU WILL BE WEARING FALSE EYELASHES! the adhesive area for the lashes is where liner also ends up! If you still need liner, even with the falsies, draw the line up above where the lashes end. Or apply the lashes now, instead of after step 16, and then line accordingly. 12. Apply Eye color according to your plan. Use the makeup wands, swabs, brushes, and clean fingertips as appropriate to place and blend the colors. (I promised to say this) Avoid BLUE EYESHADOW and its friends unless you want to have eyes like Jeannie, Janice Rand, or Loixanna Troi! According to Rex ( and it seems true to me, too), for a natural look, cheek contours should not extend in below the eye makeup, so keep that in mind while you color your eyes. For exotic looks, do what you want! A general tip on applying powdered colors: pick up some powder on the end of a makeup brush, wand, or swab, then brush it a few times on the heel of your hand to avoid getting any hard spots of color. Now apply the color and blend the edges as you desire.

13. Color your lips. Use the lip pencil like a crayon, and color them entirely with it. First outline them to the shape you want, then fill it in with the pencil. For sheen, apply a transparent (or translucent) lipstick or gloss over the color. By using the lip pencil for color, you'll find it lasts much longer (and you leave a lot less of it on glasses, colors, and other peoples cheeks and lips!). Once the color is applied to your satisfaction, stick one finger in your mouth, purse your lips gently, and pull it out. All the lip color that might have ended up on your teeth is now on your finger. (Go wash your finger!) 14. Shape your face. Highlight first, then contour. Remember natural lighting produces highlights on the top surfaces of a curve and shadows on the lower. To highlight your natural bone structure (or suggest unnatural bone structure): Apply highlight color using short, gentle downward strokes. Highlight cheekbones, temples if you wish. You can use highlighting to lengthen the lines of your neck. Contour color is bolder. Still, be sure to blend it out so you don't look like a toy soldier's "rosy cheeks" unless that's what you want. Essentially, every highlight needs its complementary contour to achieve the "trick of the light" that makes the eye see those shapes. Use a clean brush to lightly blend the edge where highlight and contour meet. More elaborate effects can be achieved by using multiple colors, and exotic but subtle effects can be achieved by blending frosted or unusual tinted powdered eye colors into the shaping. 15. Ok, it's all done. Now preserve it for posterity (well, at least the next few hours!). Powder your completed makeup again, just as in step #8 (both steps: powdered cotton and clean cotton). This second powdering seals the colors you've applied into the foundation underneath it. Neglecting to powder the finished makeup severely limits its lifetime. Without sealing, the colors can "float" on top of the foundation, with the result that after a brisk mazurka or two, your eyebrows are somewhere down around your chin! This is called sagging, and I'm only exaggerating slightly. 16. Get rid of the dry look. If your finished makeup looks slightly dusty, take that mister bottle of water and gently mist your face with it. That should get rid of the desert look. 17. Little bits: you will likely want to add another coat of mascara. If you are wearing false eyelashes, I recommend the self adhesive strip kind. After powdering down, moisten a cotton swab and de-powder the edge of your upper eyelid. The adhesive strip should be pressed gently down along the eyelid just above the line of your natural lashes. For "natural" false eyelashes (as opposed to exotically colored or metallic varieties), I am

advised that you may use them to thicken your own lashes by lightly mascara-ing them together. I have not yet tried this technique. 17. Touch ups: If you are going to be active, take along whatever lip sealer you used, your mascara, possibly your contour colors (and a brush!), and a compact of translucent powder(pressed is ok at this point). If you have room, tuck in your foundation and one clean sponge. You should be able to repair most damage with just that. If your eye colors are in one of those combination compacts and you have room, what the hey! Toss it in, too! 18. TAKING IT OFF. Cosmetics companies love to charge you a lot for fancy makeup removers. Don't bother. Get a tub (not the pop-up kind; they're usually too wet) of hypoallergenic pre-moistened baby wipes and use them to gently remove the makeup. Recalcitrant mascara may respond better to eye-makeup remover or baby oil on a cotton ball (with all that surgical cotton, you can roll your own!). Stage makeup (greasepaint) may require sterner measures, such as cold cream. Apply cold cream, mix it into the makeup, wipe it off. Repeat as necessary. Once you've removed most of the makeup, wash your face once or twice with your favorite cleanser or soap, and then remoisturize. You may have to live with traces of eyeliner or mascara for a day or so, but that is gentler to the delicate skin around your eyes than overscrubbing it.