Building Your Actor's Makeup Kit
By Sue Redman
Every beginning actor needs a basic makeup kit—you’ll want to enhance your own image with the right shades and styles. After you get started with the basics, you’ll add your own specialties, experimenting with effects and makeup types. But for now, the basics!
First, find an appropriate box for your things. Lots of people use a small tool box or a fishing tackle box. There are boxes available from various makeup companies (Mehron is one) but they tend to be a bit more expensive.
Now, fill your box. Most actors select five foundations. With Ben Nye, you have three choices of type: crème, matte, cake. The crème is the easiest to start with and it blends with the other crème rouges, highlights, etc. Matte is great if you are in film, because its texture does better under those lights. Cake is water soluble, so it can wash off with soap and water and doesn’t need powder for setting.
After you have selected a type, you’ll find your shades. One should be closest to your skin tone. Next get one which is two tones lighter, and another two tones darker. These will subtly vary your characters, but still look natural. You’ll want a sallow tone to produce an old age effect, and a specialty tone, for whatever you are likely to need—clown white, rosy tone for sunburn effect, yellowish tan if you do cats, etc.
Highlight comes next—it comes in lots of shades, but we think that one off-white highlight will be enough to start. It will help create lots of effects, and will blend into your foundation nicely.
Shadow is the opposite—start with two, one in red-brown and one in grey-brown. These help define facial structure such as cheekbones.
Cheek rouge—select at least one, in a tone which coordinates with your basic foundation.
Powder is necessary to set your crème or matte foundation. Start with a translucent shade, so it won’t disguise your foundation color. Ben Nye also has several non-translucent skin tones, which define your color, and you should check out the fine quality of their luxury poudre choices, as well.
Eye makeup: Your eyes are the most expressive part of your face, so it is worthwhile to choose makeup carefully. You’ll want pencil eye liner, shadow and mascara. Plan on a couple of shades of each one. Later you can experiment with glows and fireworks, as well as various colors for your shadows.
Lips are usually outlined with a lip liner for stage, then filled on. Lipstick or crème lip color can be used, also. If you are an actor, you should try to have at least two distinct shades, so you will be able to switch characters quickly.
Basic tools: a pack of latex sponge triangles, which are discarded after use; powder puffs, a variety of sable brushes. You might want a mixing pallet for creating shades for various characters.
Ben Nye has a product called Final Seal, to spray over your makeup before you hit the hot lights. It keeps your makeup from running and sweating down your face, and is useful for anyone who has to depend on his makeup for several hours, in any weather.
Cleansers are very important—failing to do thorough skin cleansing can cause real problems for the actor. A brush cleanser is also essential.
You’ll also need some spirit gum and spirit gum remover—this attaches facial hair, minor prosthetics, etc.
Next, leave a little space for an old t-shirt—we like to have them slit up the front so they are easy to put on—it will protect your costume while you apply the makeup! A few scraps of soft fabric come in handy, too.
You’ll make lots of decisions that affect your career in different ways—your makeup decisions will be major in determining your career image!
About the author
Sue Redman is costumer and owner of Costumes Galore in Orange, California.
Her website is http://www.costumesgalore.com from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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