How to Apply Corrective Stage Makeup
To achieve the perfect look onstage, makeup artists try to emphasize an actor's best features and hide those that are not so perfect. Because an actor's face needs to be seen by the entire audience, highlighting expressive features such as the eyes, lips and eyebrows are necessary for the actor to convey emotion and to create a realistic character. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Flesh tone foundation
- Contouring powder
- Black, brown and nude eyeshadow
- Eyeliner
- Dark colored lipstick
- Black or brown mascara
- Powder blush
- Makeup brushes
- Powder puffs
- Translucent powder
- Makeup sponges
Instructions
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Begin by cleaning the face using a facial cleanser. Determine the overall shape of the face before applying makeup. The ideal face is oval shaped with proportionate features. Even if the face you're applying makeup to is not perfectly shaped, you can use makeup to highlight the best features and hide the worst.
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Apply a flesh tone foundation over the entire face. Use makeup sponges to spread the foundation evenly on the face. Foundation will not only help hide imperfections on the skin, but will also help other makeup stay put during a performance. Apply translucent powder to create a matte finish.
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Contour the face using makeup brushes and contouring powder. For features that you want to hightlight, use a light powder. Use a darker powder to hide features such as wide eyes or a large nose. The idea is to create a face that the audience will be able to see clearly without any distraction. If the actor has small eyes, for example, you can correct this by using a brush and light contouring powder on the sides of the eyes and underneath. Use contouring powder on the forehead, cheeks, temples and the jawline to create more depth.
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Highlight the eyes by using brown or black eyeshadow. Smudge the eyeshadow after applying to create a realistic look that is not too dark. Use eyeliner to highlight the outer and inner corners. Finish with black or brown mascara. If the actor has large eyes, you may not need to use as much eye makeup as someone who has smaller eyes. Always try to maintain a balance between the eyes, nose and lips when using corrective makeup.
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Use a lip liner before applying lipstick to create the illusion of large, pouty lips. Finish by applying a bright lipstick. If the actor has small cheekbones, finish by applying blush and translucent powder.
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Tips & Warnings
Stand back after applying makeup to make sure that the face is balanced.
Bring extra brushes and other makeup supplies in case you need to touch up any makeup during the performance.
Make sure all actors wash their faces thoroughly after the performance to prevent skin allergies.
