Carnaval 2007 - my makeup page

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I really regretted that I didn't do a step-by-step last year of my makeup, although I didn't really plan to do one this year, simply because it is so time-consuming. However, since I had to re-do my photos, I took the opportunity to MAKE the time and chronicle it again. I have received a lot of great feedback over the years about that "tutorial", and I hope this one works out as well! if you have any questions about any of it!

 

This was my "dry run" for my makeup. I decided again this year to wax down my eyebrows. Kevyn Aucoin (makeup GOD) has assured me in his book "Making Faces" that this was doable, and as years past have proven, Kevyn didn't lie. Eyebrow wax covered does the trick!

Just pinch off a little bit of the eyebrow wax, roll it around to get it soft, and then smear it onto your brows. It's really best to have them thinned as much as you can, and trimmed of any "wild hairs" - especially you boys - before trying to cover them. If you have coarse, wirey brows, don't trim them too short unless you plan to pluck off the short hairs altogether, as you need a little length to "grab" onto the wax and stay smoothed down.

 

Here is my brow with the wax on, all smoothed down. You can see how clean they look. Just apply a lot of concealer, press with powder, and you're good to go.

 

You can see where in these final photos, you can still see my brows a little bit there. Coating them with eyeshadow really helps, which is what I did in my final makeup. They show a lot less there.

 

Here's what I used, since some people have emailed and asked:

The wax is Kryolan Eyebrow Plastic (for stage, film & television) - should run you from $7-10

The sealant (that you can or can not use, depending on what you want - I used it the first year, but didn't this year, and it didn't seem to make much of a difference) is Mehron Fixative "A" Prosthetic Sealer #144, about $6

Kryolan makes their own "sealor" (their spelling) and it's called Kryolan Flexible Sealor. I've found that using products together from the same line can be really good.

I found a lot of places online that have the wax and the sealant that I bought. Not so many for the Kryolan.

For my makeup, I used Ben Nye Lumiere eyeshadows for my blush and the white on my eyes and brows. I used Paradise AQ makeup by Mehron for the green (and all the colors in my dry run makeup). It gives an AMAZING line and is easy to blend and control. I can't remember the brand of the glitter I used, but it is the really fine, tiny makeup glitter you can get at stage makeup shops.

 

What I learned from my test makeup was that I didn't like how "busy" it looked. My costume is full of colors and lights, and I needed my makeup to pack enough of a punch to compete visually with my costume. The multiple colors just weren't cutting it, and the green was the most vibrant of all the colors, so I chose it as my primary eyemakeup color. I also went away from the HUGE wide mouth stroke. It just looked too Batman's Joker to me, and, again, it took away from the rest of the look, so in my final makeup, it is MUCH smaller.

 

Here is a b/w photo with selective color on a few areas (this is not white makeup, it's b/w). I thought it looked cool. :)

 

This is a pretty good shot of my lashes. I had on one pair for the bottom and three pairs on the top. The corner lashes are actually my lashes from last year, cut in half and doubled onto each other. I am IN LOVE with the lashes with the little balls on the end; I thought they really mimiced the whole jester feel. I found them online, I wish I could remember where! If I do, I'll let you know!

 

This is my final makeup. I can tell this was taken the night of Carnaval, as one of my lashes was coming loose (the left-hand, lower lash, inner corner) and I had to fix it soon after this. ALL PRAISE EMERGENCY EYELASH GLUE!!

And now, on to the step-by-step of my makeup. Don't forget to if you have any questions about any of it!

 

So you wanna be a Drag Queen??

No makeup, just moisturizer Eyebrows waxed down and covered with concealer; light/highlight-colored foundation over cheekbones, nose bridge, chin, forehead Medium-colored foundation blended in to highlight color
Dark contour makeup on hollows of cheeks, temples, dices of nose, jawline Translucent powder over all makeup Blush on cheeks, forehead
White eyeshadow to eyes and brows Green spikey bits on eyes applied with a paintbrush Green glitter applied to wet-ish green paint (leaning over a mirror so the loose glitter fell on the mirror)
Top lashes (three pair) applied Bottom lashes applied White makeup applied to outer corners of eyes, lashes blended with black mascara into my own lashes
Red liner on lips, lipstick applied Gloss applied, liner extended past corners of lips Red glitter pressed into lipstick
Red rhinestones added to tips of green spikeys, green rhinestones added to outer upper and lower spikeys Final smile!!

 

And now WAY TOO FEW words about my headdress....

  1. Using a measuring tape, I established how long the "arms" of my hat would be. I sketched the basic shape of the arc on paper.
  2. Using the paper pattern, I cut out the fabric and sewed it together, alternating colors using a little chart I made to ensure no colors would be next to the same color.
  3. Stuff arms with fiberfill to desired firmness.
  4. Insert lights, starting at the tip and moving up in set increments. Affix with Fabri-Tac where they poke out through the fabric.
  5. Hand sew all of the arms together, creating something like a strange octopus!
  6. Run wire, if you can call it that, more like a thin metal dowel (found at Lowe's) through the arms to support the weight of the bells and the arms. Wire and duct tape the ends of the dowel together in what will become the center of the headdress.
  7. Using a plain baseball cap, remove the brim. Glue the edge where the brim was closed with Fabri-Tac.
  8. Run heavy gauge florist wire up through the cap, weaving it in and out and then poking the long ends out the top. Secure the bottom end by turning it up.
  9. Weave the ends into the tape and wire of the octopus. Affix with more tape and wire.
  10. Cover in base fabric. Secure with Fabri-Tac. Stuff with more fiberfill.
  11. Add wide sequin band at the bottom of the cap to cover the fabric edges. Leave the back unglued so that you can use your ponytail as an anchor through the back of the baseball cap and cover it with the loose sequin trim. Be sure to leave room to reach up and turn on and off the battery packs for the lights, put in batteries, etc.
  12. Attach little bell "earrings".
  13. Attach bells to the end of the arms.
  14. Adorn carefully with sequins/trim/glitter/etc.
  15. Attach chin strap. I use a clear bra strap glued to the inside of the cap and then fastened under my chin.

Again, if you have any questions about any of this!

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