Apply Makeup on Yourself for a Show
Sometimes you need to apply make-up for an important show but there's nobody else on hand to help you out. End the crisis and apply your own.
Contents
Steps
- Have everything out in front of you in your workspace. Make sure you have a good well-lit mirror, cotton wool pads, make-up brushes, make-up sponges and make-up remover, just in case you make a mistake. While you're working, remember to sit back and judge the effects of your work at a distance from time to time: your audience won't be looking at you from two feet away.
- Start with concealer (for dark under-eyes and blemishes), followed by foundation and powder. Bear in mind that stage lighting tends to shine right through make-up and make the skin underneath visible despite your make-up application. You will probably have to use far more make-up than usual. If necessary for the role, contouring to change face shape should be done at this stage--highlighting cheekbones, increasing eye depth, narrowing or attaching little importance the nose, highlighting a weak chin, emphasizing less on a lantern jaw, adding age lines.
- Next, move on to eye make-up. The variety of effects possible are too numerous to mention here but, in general, dark colors around the eye increase the perceived depth of the eye socket and light colors have the reverse effect.
- Use lip-liner (either exactly matching or not, depending on the effect desired) to give your lips a definite edge and reduce the tendency of lipstick to bleed into creases around the lips. Paint on lipstick using a lip brush. Blot to remove excess but leave the stain, then reapply the lipstick and blot lightly once more. This ensures thorough and longer-lasting coverage.
- Finally, apply blusher or tinted bronze powder. It may sound a little bit odd applying this last but waiting until all your other make-up is done can help you judge how much you need.
- Depending on the show and how vigorously you'll be exercising, you may want to finish with another layer of "translucent" powder. This is powder without color, used just for setting make-up. Some actors even recommend a light misting of aerosol hairspray to set your make-up but if you'll be sweating, this can lead to skin issues.
- When the show is over, remove your make-up as quickly as possible. Letting heavy theatrical make-up sit on your face for hours is bad for your skin. A good start for getting most of your make-up off is boxed baby wipes--handy and effective. But follow that with a make-up remover specifically for eyes and a thorough cleansing of the entire face. Finish with a toner/astringent and a moisturizer.
- Finished.
Tips
- If you are new at applying make-up or in a rush before curtain, opt for more neutral colors. These may not show up as much to the audience but any mistakes you make will be near invisible.
- If you have a chance, practice applying make-up before the night of the show so you'll know precisely what you'll need to do.
- Don't forget to take a step back and look at your work from a distance. If you don't have room, squinting through your eyelashes is a fair approximation. Any glaring errors will still stand out.
- It's a good idea to use make-up two shades darker than what you normally wear to keep the stage lights from making you look washed-out.
Warnings
- Don't put too little of makeup on. Otherwise, your face will get washed out with the stage lights.
- Make sure you have tested the makeup on your skin BEFORE the performance.. You don't want to be having an allergic reaction to your blush on stage!
- If the director has told you to do your make-up in a certain way, never stray and do your own thing. If you do, you'll get a bad reputation for not following instructions and this could be the last show you're in!
