How to do Vampire makeup

[pixiecrinkle]

I searched and searched the other night for a good old step by step tutorial on vampire makeup, but they were all either the latex prosthesis on the face gross looking variety, or the dime store makeup kit with fake blood variety, neither of which was my goal.

So I'm posting what I ended up doing here, for posterity's sake and in the interest of art and science.



Here is me before, in a super awful photo:



First, I put on the top of my outfit so I didn't have a chance to smear my makeup doing that (getting into a corset by yourself is hard!) Then I glued on my latex ear tips. You're supposed to use spirit gum for this, but I brushed on a little eyelash glue instead.

I also added some fake tattoos on my bicep and chest.



Next, I used my regular concealer on various spots and such (Sonia Kashuik Hidden Agenda pallette). Over that, I smoothed on a whole lot of foundation in white and grey from a goth makeup kit by Night Shade all over my face, including eyelids and lips and eyebrows, and down my neck. I sucked in my cheeks and contoured under my cheekbones with the grey a little. I also added a little bit of sheer cream blush (Stila Color Pushups in Berry Flash).



Then came the eyes. First, I lined them all the way around with a normal black eye pencil. Then I used a black grease paint stick to draw over my eyebrows in an exaggerated curve, and to thicken the line around my eyes and draw it outward toward my temples.

With a wet applicator, I caked on the black shimmery eyeshadow (Urban Decay in Oil Slick) all over my lids, making sure the outline was smooth.

With a wet eyeline brush, I then lined just my top lids in a "chrome" powder eyeliner. (Urban Decay Liquid Metal Eyes in Plutonium -- this is a fine glitter powder that looks like liquid metal when you put it on wet. Expensive, but a little goes a long, long way.) I extended this line out toward my temples, and added some short accent lines at the outer corner of my eyes.

I curled my eyelashes and put on a couple of coats of my regular mascara (Stila in black).

Then, on my lips, I put on a great pale white lipstick with blue and silver undertones (Urban Decay in Pallor -- sadly, I believe this has been discontinued, which is too bad, because Halloween lipsticks are often very drying, and since this is a regular brand, it stays moist and doesn't kill our lips.)

Over all of this, I brushed my regular translucent powder. This gave me a bit of flesh tone back. If you want to stay stark white, use a white or colorless powder.



Then, it was time to get dressed. I added a red "Mistress" wig and a crazy pearl and diamond choker from H&M.


Then, individual fangs from the costume shop for which I'd already prepared the dental plates:


Then to get dressed. I added a PVC & lace skirt which I got at The Garden when I bought the corset, a vinyl look cape from Costume Specialists, pink fishnets from Target, my regular knee high boots and gloves with long stuffed fingers (Costume Specialists). Then a bit of body glitter for good measure. (Urban Decay Body Haze in Uzi (silver).)


Only thing I couldn't perfect? How not to be seen in the mirror:


Happy Halloween!