Basic Essentials:
Written by Graham Holt (e-mail at
TheGr8Kazo@aol.com)
With council from Rebecca Burt
Well it's that time again. Time to pull out those beat up masks
(really cool ones no doubt) and the same old costume that you wear every
year and scare nobody, again... or not. This year you may be a little more adventurous and decide to try something entirely new. Make-up. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't the type that your momma wore or the kind that you hid from your sister when you were ten. It's the kind that you use to scare the bejeevers out of your mom and your sister. This here is manly make-up so all you guys out there should not be ashamed of it, and all of you gals out there you can scare people in more than one way with this stuff. SPFX make-up is a great hobby and very inexpensive to get into, it's a hobby in which the only limits are those of your imagination.
I realize that many of you are trying this for the first time and may
be overwhelmed at the number of choices that your local Halloween /drugstore
has to offer. This little guide should set you in the right direction.
There are some bare bones items that you will need and some of them you
should already have so that makes it convenient, but others you will have
to go out and buy. Fortunately, none of the items are very expensive and
you should be able to find them all for under $20 total.
Basic Essentials:
That's about all that you need to make a decent make-up kit in my
opinion (please do not send hate-mail to the author if you do not agree).
Anything with a + next to it is a necessity that is pretty much
important if you want to do anything.
Since I'm typing this it's going to be done the way I want it,
and if you don't like it well that's too bad because I'm not typing this
again. What's going to happen is that I will list all the items
individually along with their vital information like where to get it,
what to do with it once you've got it, and how much it should cost you
to get it. Then I will list the uses down below. Please do not steal
anything to fill out this list. If you need to steal to start a hobby
then you've got other things to worry about. All costs are approximate
and may be different in your area. Some of these items you can get at
extreme discounts (I'll tell you about this toward the bottom of the
page). Anything that is underlined will be explained further down the
page in the "Stuff To Do" section. I hope that you enjoy this hobby,
as well as my sense of humor, as you read this guide.
Stuff To Get:
Corn Syrup
Cost: About $3 for a pint
What it is: Average everyday Karo or other brand corn syrup. Get
the clear or white kind. Before you buy some make sure you don't
already have some (you don't need a lot).
Where to get it: Grocery/drugstore
What to do with it: Make fake blood
Food Coloring
Cost: About $3 for a set (red, yellow, blue, and green)
What it is: This is the same stuff that you use to dye Easter eggs
every year.
Where to get it: Grocery/drugstore
What to do with it: Make fake blood
Small Sponges
Cost: Cheap enough not to worry about.
What it is: Small sponges sometimes triangular in shape usually yellow
or white.
Where to get it: Beauty Supply Stores, drug stores, Discount stores
(Pic n Save)
What to do with it: Used to apply make-up and blend in make-up.
Liquid Latex
Cost: About $2 for a one oz. bottle (if you can get the kink with a
brush in it attached to the inside of the lid)
What it is: an organic rubber that applies wet and dries rubbery and
almost clear.
Where to get it: Drugstore or local Halloween shop.
What to do with it: Facial adhesive, wrinkle effect, making of
prosthetics, 101 household uses. Do not get this in your hair.
Cream Make-up
Cost: About $2 a tube (except right around Halloween when it's really
cheap)
What it is: Water based make-up goes on smooth and comes off with soap
and water.
Where to get it: During Halloween season these are at drugstores and
Halloween stores (Get them early because they run out of red and blue
very fast).
What to do with it: You can Paint Your Face. The reason you only need
red, yellow, blue, white and black is because with these you can mix to
make any color you want (remember the color wheels in art class.
Yellow+blue=green, blue+red=purple, red+yellow=orange, all three give
you brown. Always add the dark color to the light one not the other
way around).
Eye/Lip Liner Pencils
Cost: $1-$2 each
What it is: These are really cool make-up pencils that are just like the
graphite ones only with make-up instead of the graphite.
Where to get it: Anywhere that make-up is sold
What to do with it: With these you can outline clown type make-up
(black), make a light cut (red), or make a bruise (blue)
Toothpicks
Cost: Almost free
What it is: A little pointy piece of wood.
Where to get it: Between the cushions of your couch (that's where I
keep mine, shhh don't tell).
What to do with it: Ideal for mixing make-up, blood and gelatin.
Also good to poke out the eyes of gerbils (score one for the guys).
Q-Tips
Cost: Pretty cheap but more expensive than tooth picks.
What it is: A little stick with cotton one each side
Where to get it: Your grandparent's bathroom. HINT: Stay away from
the yellow ones.
What to do with it: Clean your ears and naval OR apply make-up
with them.
Empty Film Canisters
Cost: One of the best things in life (they're free)
What it is: You know those little black plastic containers that film
comes in. Don't forget the lids.
Where to get it: Just about any place that develops film will be more
than happy to give you all that you want(and then some).
What to do with it: These are great universal containers. If you
store liquid in them you should seal the lid with tape and keep it up
right at all times.
Knox Gelatin (not JELLO it has sugar)
Cost: About $2 for one ounce
What it is: Unflavored gelatin
Where to get it: The JELLO section of your favorite market.
What to do with it: Pour a little into your brother's mouth while
he's sleeping OR make a cool Scar Effect.
Shot Glass or Two
Cost: Pretty cheap
What it is: A little glass that holds about one ounce of fluid.
Where to get it: You can get one of these from your local drunk or
you can find them cheap at thrift stores. The only other time that
I see them is at tourist type places.
Petroleum Jelly or Cold Cream
Cost: Less than $5 depending on brand of cream and a couple bucks
for jelly.
What it is: Make-up remover and petroleum jelly (you probably only
need the travel size).
Where to get it: Where ever make-up is sold
What to do with it: Well you'd find out about it sooner or later
but I'm afraid you will have to take this stuff off, and one of these
two items will help a lot.
In addition to this stuff you will need something to put all of it in.
You can use an old tackle or tool box, make something cool out of a
detergent box or be unoriginal and buy a make-up case. You also might
want a mirror in case you want to put is on while in a car or bus.
Stuff To Do
Fake Blood
This is just about the easiest thing to do. Instead of buying
runny blood that doesn't look real you can make your own that doesn't
run so much and in any color that you like.
You will need: Corn syrup, food coloring, toothpick, shot glasses,
and some film canisters.
You will do: My bidding. Join the dark side you hoser. Fill a
shot glass ¾ full of corn syrup and color to taste (8 drops red and
1 and two blue works for me). Mix with toothpick till even. Store
in the film canisters and apply with a toothpick.
HINT: Food coloring stains, don't get it on your clothes.
Paint Your Face
Make yourself look dead like. Basic shadowing and blending, a good
thing to practice if this is new to you. Clean your face before you
start.
You will need: Cream make-up, sponges, tissue, little sponges, and
a victim er volunteer or yourself.
You will do: My laundry. Apply a base coat of white to make yourself
look pale. Then add a Little black as shadow around the eyes,
nose and mouth. Blend really well and use your fingers if you have to.
Practice until it looks right, you'll just know kinda like with cooking.
You can add purple for a bruise. You don't even need a base coat for
just a bruise or cut. Try to make it look real, go with your imagination
and try new things.
Scar Effect
Burnt scar effect much like that used in a movie released last summer
about a comic book character. Really cool. This same stuff is sold
for about $5 and is a big rip, make your own.
You will need: Gelatin, hot water, food coloring, the mighty toothpick,
black make-up, and a shot glass.
You will do: Cluck like a chicken every time you hear the Hanson
sisters on the radio. Heat up some water really hot, measure 1 tbsp.
Gelatin and set aside. Measure 1 tbsp. Water into glass and add
color to taste. Mix in gelatin being careful to avoid bubbles AND
desolve it completely. Apply this to your face or arm or dog or
whatever. Spread it on kinda thick. Poke at it with the side of
the toothpick to get a bumpy texture before it dries. You must work
quickly before it solidifies. After it is no longer tacky rub in
black into the nooks and crannies then wipe away the excess. NOTE:
If you add 1/6 tsp. Glycerin it will dry out a lot slower and won't be as
full of little bubbles.
Check out the other S.C.R.E.A.M. how-to pages for more projects to try
after you've attempted these.
Other Cool Stuff
This is a short list of cool stuff that you might want to get if you
stick with the hobby or have more money to spend. You can get more
info about these through the suppliers listed on the S.C.R.E.A.M. page.
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This is very important, read it Before you go
shopping.
You can get most items at a discount store(like Pic N Save) pretty cheap.
The best time to shop for make-up is the day after Halloween because
the stores have to get rid of it or eat it and it's usually offered at
50% off or better. Some Halloween stores get damaged make-up, like
with a messed up box, and can't sell it normally. If you ask for it
you can get a nice discount and it's a good way to get talking to the
owner and/or manager.
There was another section that I wanted to add but I forgot what it was.
Oh well. Thanks for reading, I hope that you enjoyed it. Let me know
of what you think about this little guide.
TheGr8Kazo@aol.com