STEP BY STEP
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From washed out to melt down, stage lights can do a number on your make-up. When performing on stage many dancers over compensate and end up with way too much make-up. From a distance you don’t want your eyes so drawn on with black liner that they look like two little black holes. Cheek color applied like bright red balls on the apples of the cheeks and lipstick so bright you’re all lips is not a polished professional look either. Just because you’re wearing stronger make-up doesn't’t mean you forget all the make-up rules to accent your features. Here’s how to have flawless professional stage make-up that doesn’t fight with your own natural beauty. To begin your make-up masterpiece, pull hair back away from your face so your bone structure and features can be easily seen. Get ready now to paint your work of art. The eyes have it. Whenever you apply make-up, remember the importance of balance. The face must have balance between the eyes and lips. These two features are the most important on stage as the face washes out so much under the lights. The eyes are exaggerated with dark eye shadow so watch out for that under eye mess from shadow fall out. To make painting the eyes easier, some make-up artist's like to define the brows first before applying eye shadow so there’s a nice frame to the eye. This is your choice to see if it helps. The colors shown will be from our standard stage make-up kit called the Pro Kit which includes strong pigmented Pro Brown eyeshadow quad (used dry or wet for lining), White eye pencil, Stage Red Cheek color, Stage Red lipstick, Sienna lip pencil, Starlight lipstick and Shimmer Pot. Of course as in all make-up application the proper brushes are very important (see our wonderful brush kit). Educator's can buy these Pro Kits in bulk at discounted prices for performer's or kits can be purchased through us at events. Put your own kit together using the following products: |
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After proper skin care using oil-free moisturizer ( see our all natural, oil control skin care line) to prevent shine from perspiration, prepare eyelids if needed to even redness or discoloration, with oil free foundation. Make sure to apply this across the entire lid next to the bridge of the nose and out passed the end of the eyebrows lightly.
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Always powder eyelid with oil-free face powder to create a dry canvas for shadow to go on smoothly. TIP: When applying anything to the lids it’s important to lift your chin up and lean in close to the mirror. This way you have a full lid to work on and can see what you are doing clearly. To shape brows first skip to Step 11.
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Use our Pro Browns eye shadow quad (shown) for the most versatile performance face. Use an angled eye brush to Define and apply the brown shadow in Intensity first. With eyes open, define the outer half of the eyelid blending up and over half way in, just above the eye crease. TIP: To find where your dark shadow should end and lift towards at the outer edge of your eye, use the eyebrow technique. Hold a pencil pointing up at the base of the nostril, passed the end of the eye, stopping at the brow end. Keep shadow aligned with end of brow. Almond shaped eyes without noticeable eyelid should blend brown shadow just above crease over 3/4th of the way in. Deep ebony skin tones or for added drama apply Starry Night. This black shade is perfect for defining the outer eye corner, blending into eye crease half way in.
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Use the soft small rounded eye brush to Balance eyes to cheeks to lips with Terracotta eyeshadow. With eyes open blend onto eye bone just above the brown shade Intensity, from outer brow line to where brow begins. Be sure to blend out the ending points of the color for a soft polished look. For interviews/auditions and outdoor performances apply with a light hand to create a softer look. Deep skin tones will need a stronger deeper pigment found in our Deep Pro Browns called Copper.
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Highlight using the small flat rounded eye brush. Blend Icicle shimmery eyeshadow onto inner half of the lid and up under eyebrow out to the temples. Use this color to soften edges of Terracotta and create lift to the lid and under eyebrow. Be sure to get into inner eye corner to avoid shadows if you are not going to use the Shimmer Pot.
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Add pop by applying shimmer pot in Goldlit (warm/brown or green eyes) or Ice (cool/blue eyes), down center of lid, inner eye corner and brow arch. TIP: This is especially important for those with smaller eyes or messy brows. A little glitter either in Gold (warm), Silver (cool) or Crystalina (ethereal opal) down the center of the lid and up under the arch of the eyebrow can add drama and glitz when wearing rhinestone costuming.
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To begin lining eyes, use a firm liner brush (ours truly is fabulous!) with a little water or our Eyeliner Sealer to seal on liner water-resistant. After brush tip is wet and excess patted off tip, stir into Intensity eyeshadow. Line under low lashes starting at outer corner lining out towards end of brow stopping parallel to eye crease. Do only outer corner for youth performers. More mature faces, usually 10 years of age and up, can line below lower lashes half way in towards inner eye corner, thinning line as you blend in. Line upper lid with black shadow Starry Night, starting at the outer edge of eye slightly sweeping just beyond eye crease, towards end of brow, then thinning as you line across the lid half way in. TIP: Be sure not to meet lines in eye corners. Close your lines; close your eyes! Pencil liners are not used for this job as they melt under heat and perspiration. Liquid liners leave a very heavy line and are hard to blend. This method of lining is easy and always looks professional. For shaky hands, brace your right elbow with your left hand to support if you’re shaky. Stroke the brush from the outer corner inward. It helps when applying any liner, to first look straight on into the mirror with your eyes wide open. Apply liner with eyes like this first to see how the finished look will be. Remember people see you with your eyes open not half closed. Always have a supply of Q-tips handy for quick clean ups while liner is still wet crease. Open eyes using White Pencil in between lines at outer eye corner. Our White Pencil is soft and creamy so it's easy to apply. Even open eyes more by using White Pencil on the lower eye ridge above lower lash line.
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Now prep the canvas which is very important to avoid uneven, shiny, blotchy looking skin . Make sure under eyes are clean of eye shadow (try non oily eye make-up remover pads) and moisturized. Apply foundation in a yellow/golden undertone to correct facial redness from performing. Apply to center of forehead, down sides of the face to cheeks, to sides of nose and around nostrils, around the mouth and onto lips, chin, jawbone, then finally blend out what’s ever left onto throat. Blend in with clean fingers gently using downward strokes. The hair on your face grows downward so this method gives you the smoothest, most even coverage. Our oil-free foundation slides on silky and lasts for hours! Our foundation is not only oil-free but heals problem skin. Youth performers (under 10 years of age) still need foundation, concealer and powder. The forehead, cheeks and chin are most important to control facial redness. Not applying the canvas will create a blotchy face on stage.
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Next step is the concealer. For professional make-up application use a small synthetic flat brush, our clean eyeliner brush or a clean lip brush to apply the concealer over key dark areas. Look for shadows by the inner eye corners and under eye darkness. Our concealers are yellow to remove darkness from shadows cast by stage lights. Most concealers contain oil so never use these on a blemish. Cover facial imperfections with our Blemish Concealer which is not only oil-free but helps reduce redness and scarring. TIP: Choose a color slightly lighter than your foundation. About ½ a shade lighter. Concealer is applied after foundation due to the fact that foundation melts the concealer when applied on top taking away some of the coverage. This important for all ages!
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Set the canvas with loose face powder. If prone to shine, choose an oil-free loose powder formula like ours. These powders have a bit of yellow tint to them which correct facial redness from performing. Using a powder brush tap excess powder into lid then blend powder across foundation in downward strokes to set. Do not apply much powder under the eye area due to the potential for dryness and creasing. TIP: For a super set apply powder to a puff or cotton square and press powder into foundation gently all over to set. With a clean powder brush buff off excess powder and smooth out the finish.
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Brows are the frame to the masterpiece. Some make-up artists like to apply brows after the canvas has been prepped. That means after foundation, concealer, and powder. The reason for this is foundation and powder can get into the brow hairs and will need to be groomed out. For the same reason mascara and lashes are applied after too. Preparing the brows after the canvas prep gives your brows maximum definition and shape. There are two choices of brow defining tools. The dry cake color and the pencil liner color. TIP: The dry cake color requires a small angled brush or a pointy brush to apply color. These are good for making brows look thicker. The pencil liner can shape, define and fill in bare areas but should be brushed out a bit to look more natural. Brow brushes blend color into the brow hair and kind of shred the liner color making it look like hairs. Try our brow pencils that come with their own brush. Some dancers who want their brows to appear thinner, draw a line one shade darker than their brow through the brow center. On stage to create an illusion the brows are thinner than they really are, blend foundation over outer edges of brows . IMPORTANT: Use a brow pencil liner not an eye pencil liner. Brow pencils feel harder than eye pencils because of the higher wax content. That extra wax gives the color staying power for a no smudge, no run super hold. If the pencil you have feels so hard that color isn’t coming out, warm between your fingers or under hot running water for a minute to warm the wax up. TIP: Brow color choices should be in the same color range as your hair color. If you are very blonde, choose a color one shade darker than your hair color. In general it is a good idea not to choose brow colors with a lot of red or orange in them. Unless you are a very red, red head, under bright stage lights these tones can wash you out. To find out where your brows should begin, arch, and end, go back to Brow Steps under Training.
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Lips are the key to balancing your facial features. Begin with a freshly sharpened lip pencil a shade darker and browner than your lipstick. This will help pull in the sides of the mouth so when the lipstick is applied the brightness will pull the lips forward creating a fuller effect. Line lips with lip pencil in a red/brown like our Sienna (warm) or a burgundy/brown like our Rum Raisin (cool). Line lips along their outer edge, be sure to bring out the sides of the mouth and fill in onto the lip about half way. TIP: Fill in lips with lip pencil to increase lipstick last. Lip pencils have wax in them, which increases staying power on the lips. When lipstick starts to fade the lip pencil remains underneath providing color. Draw your lip pencil on by looking one step ahead as your draw. Kind of like riding a bike or driving a car. Line with lips closed. Corners are easier to see and lips stay in place. For a natural look for day, interview or photography try our lip liner in Natural. For Hip Hop use Deep Natural lip pencil.
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Lipstick gives life to the lips and the brightness pulls lips forward creating fuller looking lips. Colors that look best on stage are true reds like our Stage Red which goes with all costuming. For a more natural looking red tone try a sheer shade like our Rhubarb which is less overpowering on the mouth especially for a more youthful performer. For a polished, professional, more even and defined lipstick application, use a lip brush, it keeps the lipstick in place much longer and really does make a difference. TIP: For super staying power apply lip liner, then lipstick, blot lips with tissue and with a powder brush, brush loose powder over tissue. The powder helps the tissue to pull out excess oil and seal color.
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The only way to create a fuller show stopper lip, is with a lip highlighter on the center of your lips. This is a sparkly or shiny highlighter applied just at the center of the upper and lower lip to add fullness. Try our Starlight. The perfect combination of gold and silver glimmer in a gloss stick.
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Cheek color is for creating bone structure and adding life or flush to the face. Applying cheeck color last will prevent using too much. Start with contouring. A brown color with a hint of pink which makes it neutral. This shade is not used to add color but to define your bone structure as well as to shape your cheekbones. Feel with your finger along the underside of your cheekbone. Start by applying our cheek Contour shade, using a cheek brush starting at the center of your ear and blending along the bone, towards the base of your nostrils. Place three fingers pointing up next to the base of your nostrils. As you are blending down along your cheekbone stop two fingers out from your nose. Shade along sides of nose and forehead. High foreheads can benefit from contouring along hair line. To flush, use our Stage Red cheek color. This adds just the right amount of red, sheer and flawless, for a natural flush Use a cheek brush and before applying color, tap off excess on tissue. Apply sparingly to the apples of the cheeks and slightly up onto cheekbones in a teardrop shape.
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Finish with mascara. If you choose to wear false lashes, mascara is applied after lashes have been secured. For a very high-energy performance, when perspiring and extreme athletic movements are involved, mascara alone is the best choice. Perspiration loosens false lashes and they can be knocked off with a lot of athletics. Instead of the extra worry of your lashes, not to mention your sight, use 3 coats of mascara to open eyes. Apply black mascara no matter what your hair color is. TIP: For more open eyes always curl lashes first. Curl once toward the inside lashes and then again focusing on the outside lashes. Before you apply mascara, wipe the wand with a tissue to clean off excess mascara that could cause clumping (a big difference when applying so many coats). Do the bottom lashes first keeping the brush on its side and rubbing back and forth. Go to the top lashes and do the same, starting at the base (roots) of the lashes and rubbing side to side as you work out to the end of the lashes. The side to side rub separates lashes and helps to distribute the mascara evenly. A lash comb is helpful to have just in case of clumps and is very useful when using false lashes too. On stages False Lashes are always recommended. Adults use our Cabaret length and youth or for any performer requiring a soft lash look, try our Natural lashes. Be sure to read The Truth About False Lashes under Training. Our mascara is fabulous! Stays put, curls lashes and is easy to remove. Check out our Faces Ala Mode to see finished looks on our beautiful performer friends from across the country in the stage make-up look described. Christine Dion's new book HIGH PERFORMANCE BEAUTY has all the above info with models and so much more!!! Check it out available Spring 07 in all major bookstores. Special discounts through us to MODE DION clients of course.