History of Stage Makeup

Series Summary

Cosmetic makeup has been used for years to enhance the natural beauty of women around the world. When used on stage or in a movie, makeup takes on a role of its own. Special effects makeup can be as simple as a cut on the face or as complicated as full-body character makeup. With the help of stage makeup and costumes, you can bring a character to life. This is why it is important to know the techniques of applying stage makeup. With some professional instruction, anyone can learn the art. All it takes is some time and practice.

In this free video series our expert cosmetologist will show you how to pick out and apply stage makeup for any actor or performer. You will learn about the history of stage makeup and how to pick the best kind of stage makeup. You will also get tips and advice on finding and applying stage makeup foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. You will also learn how to apply blush and lipstick and get tips on stage makeup visibility. It is important for stage actors to look fresh and not washed out from the lights, and stage makeup is the best way to achieve a healthy look for actors. If you are interested in stage makeup or the theater, let our expert show you everything you need to know about theater makeup.

Video Transcript

"The history of makeup in general is really kind of interesting. It started out a long time ago, when the kings and the princes--they would wear certain kinds of makeup to show rank. And the women wanted to join in as well, they didn't use it to show rank but of course, they used it to enhance their beauty. We all know about Cleopatra and using things from plants and things like that, so it's been around for a long, long time. The after a while, men got tired of wearing it and the women continued wearing it, and then after a period of time, then it was just the "painted ladies" or the "women of the night" that seemed to wear makeup. So, the makeup industries had a very difficult time convincing women that it was okay to wear makeup to enhance their beauty, and women took to that. So, they started wearing makeup. But in the world of theater, of course, we had makeup in the world of theater for a very long time and we can create all kinds of wonderful effects and images and just some classical looks as well as some really gory, funky stuff. So, the world of theater makeup is vast and its been around for a long time, and a lot of fun."