Now I don't claim to be a SFX makeup artist, but I first picked up some SFX makeup two years ago and I haven't looked back since. I used good ol' Youtube to teach myself the basics, starting with simple bullet wounds and abrasions, and after two years of practice and a lot of aspiring to be like my new Youtube queen Mykie, I can now make it looks like my entire face is peeling off to a rather convincing standard. No biggie. I really, really enjoy everything gory and squeamish isn't a word in my vocabulary, so around this Halloweeny time of year I'm totally in my element.
I've done quite a few basic SFX videos in my time on Youtube, but I figured I would compile a blog post consisting of everything a beginner in SFX makeup would need to help all you guys out there who don't know where to start. It's a bit of a minefield.
Wax: Wax is my best friend when it comes to any special effects look, it's the best choice for creating those realistic deep wounds and cuts. I'm a big fan of the Ben Nye Nose and Scar Wax nowadays, but when I was starting out the Snazaroo Special FX Wax was my go-to.
Latex: This is a bit of a must-have multiple-use item, but it's particularly useful for blending out the edges of wax to a more natural finish and combined with a little tissue, it's my favourite way of creating burn looks. I use the Kryolan Liquid Latex.
Fake blood: Duh. This one is self-explanatory. Where there's gore, there's blood. I'll admit I'm a bit of a fake blood snob, and I have found that the cheaper fake bloods do tend to look orange and they peel when they dry. Shudder. The Ben Nye Scab Blood is where it's at, it's more of a congealed, thicker, darker blood and it's just the best.
Cream colours: Now you can totally just use eyeshadow for any SFX looks, however I personally couldn't do any gore looks without my trusty Kryolan 4 Colour SFX Wheel in 'Old Age'. The red shades are just perfect for creating that burnt/crusty/dead/anything gross look on any SFX look ever.
Red lipstick: See above; if you can't afford a proper colour wheel, get the right shade red lipsticks and you're laughing. I relied on my red lipstick collection for a whole year when I was doing SFX makeup and it served me well. The experts may have a different opinion on this, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?
Foundation: Whether you're using wax or latex or anything else, it's not gonna look natural unless it's the same shade as your skin now, is it? I've had a lot of trial and error with finding the perfect foundation to use over SFX makeup; liquid is too wet, mousse looks like you've just layered, well, mousse over everything, and powder ain't going to be covering anything. The Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick is the best, it's just the right consistency and the stick form makes it easy to use around the awkward contours of your new grossness.
Vaseline: Strange, but true. You handle wax too much, it's going to get too warm and then it's no good to use for anything. It's a whole sticky messy situation. A trick I picked up on is when handling wax, put a bit of vaseline on your fingers and it's so much easier to shape and use. Trust me, wax and vaseline should come hand in hand.
I hope this helps some of you, and have a look at a couple of my Halloween tutorials on Youtube for some inspiration on how to get started:
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