Basics: Simple Makeup with Crème Foundation

First, start by cleansing the skin with a non-oil cleanser. Makeup should always be applied to a fresh clean face. Oil, dirt or daily makeup could interfere with the makeup application or stage makeup longevity. Men should not shave less than sixty minutes prior to applying makeup. Your face can be very sensitive, and particularly after shaving it. This is why I give this recommendation to decrease chances of irritability.

Start by selecting a foundation color that matches your skin tone. It can be a little darker or a little lighter, but relatively in the same range. Wipe a latex sponge lightly across the container several times to pick up the color. Apply to the face simply by dabbing. Apply it to your cheek bones, nose, forehead, jaw, and neck if your costume exposes this area of your body. Blend it all together for a full, even coverage.

The actual amount of makeup depends on the character you are depicting. The least amount of makeup is always for photo and film, automatically theatre is going to use more makeup even for a simple, basic, daily look. However, the size of the theatre and the proximity of the audience is also a factor when deciding the amount of makeup to apply.

If you are going to be in a smaller theater, such as a round or box theatre, lighter application is more appropriate. If you are going to act in a larger theatre, such as a proscenium theatre, a heavier application of makeup is necessary.

The face is then ready to be sculpted with highlights and lowlights. Select shades that are around two shades darker and lighter than your cream foundation. You can even use darker shades that don’t fit your skin tone and mix them with your cream foundation. Pick up a sponge or a brush and start outlining the receding areas of your face. These areas would include the sides of the nose and under the cheekbones. You can use your fingers to shape and blend. The heavier the application the more you will have to spread, therefore it is better to start sparingly and then continue to add as needed. Highlight the bone structure with colors a couple shades lighter than your skin tone. Sculpt each area of the face with the highlight and shadow, and blend the shadow into the highlight as you work to make sure there is an even distribution of the two colors.

Eyes are usually accentuated with color accent; these are basically a regular eyeshadow. It is a powdery foundation and is applied to the eyes after makeup is completed with dry shadows. A good technique to open small eyes is to take a dab of yellow makeup paint and spread while blending it across the eye lid. This helps open the eye, and is an important step to make sure the audience can see your eye movements. You do not want it to be a racer yellow that the audience will notice, it is just used as a tool rather than as part of the character. To create the illusion of smaller eyes if the subject has large eyes, then use a heavy liner on the top lid. This makes the eye seem smaller.

Set the makeup using a translucent powder (or baby powder) and a powder puff. Press the puff into the container of powder and then roll the brush onto the applied makeup. Not only does this set the makeup, but it also keeps from being too shiny and false looking. You then brush off the excess powder. The final steps are what a woman would use for daily makeup: rouge (blush), eyeliner, lipstick and mascara. Women need to be sure to accentuate their cheekbones with a rouge. Lipliner tends to be a good idea so that your lips are bold and so that your lipstick does not run with the other makeup. Even if you are using a light lipstick you can still use lipliner. Use a liner that is a shade or two darker than the lipstick and blend the lipstick into it. Men also need, at the very least, rouge and some eyeliner and mascara. It does not have to be nearly as heavy as a woman’s, however, it does need to define and slightly exaggerate the features.

To remove makeup use Remover Cream that is usually sold in stores where makeup kits are sole. However, in my experience, removing tough makeup (or even basic makeup) vegetable oil or Vaseline work wonders. They take the makeup off easily, and they are great for sensitive skin. This is a quick, easy, cheap fix for removing makeup. For water-based makeups all you really need is soap and water. Always be sure to bring a towel and makeup remover to the stage with you. This makeup can be very heavy and you really only want it on for the length of the show.