Saturday, October 25, 2008

Fancy Dress Make-up Tips

Having bought your Halloween costume and accessories it's time to complete the look without the need for a mask. If you are planning on 'trick or treating' with youngsters, face painting is a safer option as there is no restriction of vision. Make-up is usually also a less restrictive and therefore less hot alternative for indoor parties….. Here is a quick guide to get you started.

Face paint is a great to achieve a low budget finishing look for your costume where you either don't want to wear a mask or a mask is not a suitable alternative. Before you start it's worth reading all of the manufacturer's application instructions to ensure tear-free results…. Having read the instructions, here are a few more tips worth consideration;

o Firstly, before applying make-up for the actual event it's always worth practising. It's what they say, practise makes perfect and the more you prepare, the quicker you will become – this is especially valuable if you will be a time pressured parent on the day!

o When using face paints on a large area, for example, background colour washing, use a sponge rather than a brush. This will allow you to blend the colour better and will be smoother and more comfortable on the face. Keep the sponge fairly dry and take the paint up to the hairline and just under the chin.

o It is important to use a clean sponge with each change of face paint colour. It may be better to invest in one sponge per colour of face paint rather than continually rinse a single sponge out during the application process.

o Ensure that you have all of the required face paints, sponges, brushes, water bowls, clean water and paper towels (kitchen towel works well) to hand before starting. Paper towels are a must as all face painting leads to some mess.

o Always apply face paint in thin layers as it is less likely to crack and will be more comfortable for the wearer. Thin layers of paint also dry quicker and this is important as each layer of paint should be dry before applying the next layer so as to avoid colour runs and inadvertent colour mixing.

o If you are creating a face pattern with fixed shapes, for example, squares, triangles, circles, stars and you are not confident in your ability to paint these freehand, cut yourself some templates and use these as guides.

o Face paints come in a variety of colours and most brands are suitable for mixing allowing you to create different shades as required. Nowadays, forward thinking manufacturers have pre-assembled collections of face paints to suit many of the occassions suited to the wearing of fancy dress. These are either themed to the event, for example, Halloween, or the character, for example, witch, ghost, devil etc. These are a perfect introduction to face painting and the novice face painter can follow the simple instructions and step-by-step guides.

Lastly, there are many books, videos and CDs available for those who want to develop their skills further. These are inexpensive to purchase and will provide you with an endless supply of designs to follow - all you have to find are willing models....and if all else fails, use an inflated balloon.

Article submitted by: KV Sinclair. Keith Sinclair has over 35 years of business experience and in addition to being a part time University Lecturer on Business Studies, he is CEO of Cavalcade; a group of companies operating in the party sector. Cavalcade operates Karnival-House http//:http://www.karnival-house.co.uk one of the UK's leading internet Fancy Dress Retailers. With massive stocks for immediate dispatch and an ever expanding range, Karnival-House continues to strive simply to offer outstanding service combined with outstanding value.

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