Makeup and Face

Introduction

I have many theories about why this is the case. Plus sized clothing is becoming easier to find and higher quality, so it's more common. Large ladies are in some cases unaccustomed to feeling sexy or putting effort into appearance (beyond the Great Diet Effort, of course). Or perhaps it's the "love me as I am" mindset which turns many people off to makeup, or the idea that trying to cater to any part of society's idea of beauty is inherently evil. The reasons are surely as varied as Bodacious Babes. Some women simply look better without makeup, or are more comfortable without "all that junk" on their faces, too!

Of course, makeup IS unnecessary, and if you choose not to wear it, there's nothing wrong with that! However, I really do think people tend to overlook it's ability to transform the Mundane into the Fantastic. If it helps, think of it as stage makeup, part of the whole costume and effect. Even men can benefit from the judicious application of a little of this and a little of that!

Makeup can be as integral to a costume at a Con or a Club as it is to a stage character. "Makeup" need not consist solely of the usual lipstick, blush, foundation, mascara, and so on...it can mean whatever you do to alter your physical appearance aside from clothing and accessories! It can be a conscious lack of coloration, a few dirt smears, prosthetic ears, a beauty mark...whatever helps you achieve the particular "look" you desire.

Whether you are going for seductress, warrior, maiden, CyberGrrrl, dominatrix, Goth Chick, or something else entirely, don't forget to consider what to do (or not to do) to your face to help it along!

Deciding on a Look

Pull your hair back, wash your face, and then take a good look at your face in the mirror. What do you like? What could use some help? Is your skin oily? Dry? Both? How about those eyebrows... are they attractive or out of control? Other facial hair? Is your skin tone even or blotchy? Are you pale, ruddy, dark, olive-toned, or a mixture? What is your favorite facial feature? It's important to know where you're starting as well as what you want to achieve, so you can make the two match!

After you've had a good look at your starting point, decide what it is you want to achieve. If you wear makeup a lot, you probably don't need to think about it too deeply, just start in. If this is a once-a-year thing, you might want to take a little more time.

Makeup can run the range from dramatic in the extreme (think Mimi on the Drew Carey Show. Eeesh.) to subtle and almost invisible. Are you going to be wearing a costume or outfit that requires a "bare face" look, such as an authentic Medieval peasant costume? Or something that requires very specific makeup, like a member of the band KISS? Or something in between? Is the makeup part of your costume, or in addition to your outfit? For example, when I wear "gothesque" clothing, I wear a lot of makeup...but I don't wear much less when I'm in jeans. I just tend to like makeup, and except for specific costumes, it's in addition to my clothing, rather than a part of it. The choice is up to you.

Caring for Your Face

Skin Care

A few simple steps can make a big difference in how much you like your face, and how well makeup applies.

• Wash Your Face
  Before you do makeup of any kind, you should thoroughly wash your face. Use any product you like (I use plain old soap), and if your skin can handle it, use a washcloth or a scrubbie to remove dead skin and help provide a smooth surface for your makeup.
• Moisturize
  Even if you don't have dry skin, it's a good idea to moisturize. Choose a moisturizer which is mild and non-comedogenic. If you have sensitive skin or very dry skin, you can make your choice around those criteria, but brands and expense are really a matter of taste. Moisturizer should not make your skin oily, and helps makeup go on smoothly and evenly. If you choose a brand with sunblock, you get double the bonus!

Jeepers Creepers - Open Up Those Peepers!
Eyes are supposed to be the windows to your soul, right? Well, even if that's a little over the top, they are probably your most expressive facial feature. Unless you have very fine, thin brows, consider plucking or waxing your eyebrows into shape. It's absolutely incredible the difference groomed eyebrows can make! There's nothing inherently "wrong" with natural brows, but if your eyes need to be opened up and emphasized, this is an easy way to do it.

• Doesn't that HURT?
  Depending on how sensitive your skin is, it's painless to mildly painful. Of course it's more painful when you first start than after you've been doing it for a long time. I personally barely notice, but I've been doing it for 20 years. Most people find it tolerable.

• Tweeze or Wax?
  I've never had great luck with wax on any part of my body, so I'm biased. Some people swear by waxing. Me, I tweeze. It allows much finer control (individual hairs instead of a large patch), and you don't run the risk of being allergic to the wax residue. On the other hand, wax will let you shape the top and bottom of your brows in one swoop, and the pain is over all at once.

• How do I shape my eyebrows?
  You can buy makeup books that will show you several different shapes for eyebrows. One simple method is to look in a mirror and manipulate your eyebrows with your hands to see what you like. You can do anything from completely removing your eyebrows and drawing them back in, to plucking just one or two of the most stray hairs. I am an advocate of leaving as much of your natural brow as possible.

  One way to make sure your tweezing isn't getting out of hand is to take a pen or pencil, hold it up against the side of your nose and then straight up against your forehead. The eyebrow on the same side of your nose as the pencil should come to the edge of the pencil. To find the outside limit of your brow, take the pencil and hold it against the side of your nose, then angle it out so that it forms a straight line between your nose and the outside corner of your eye. Your brow should extend out to that point.

  Remember: you can always pull out one or two more hairs later, but you can't put them back. If you concentrate on removing the hairs between your brows and the ones that come down into your eyelid area, you'll do fine. Eventually, changing the shape and plucking the tops of your eyebrows will come more naturally.

• Why do anything about excess hair?
  Of course, it's not necessary to remove extra hair. If you're comfortable with it, great! Let's face it, though; chin whiskers are not our society's idea of beauty and grooming for women. Think about the stereotype of the fat old hag or Old Maid...always a hairy upper lip or a few stray hairs sticking out of the chin, right? Why not do something about it ? It's not difficult, and it can improve the feel of your face, ease the application of makeup, and help make your face look overall more smooth and groomed.

• Remove or bleach?
  • Bleaching facial hair
    If you are going to bleach your facial hair, remember to use a product designed specifically for use on the face. Your upper lip and cheeks are generally a lot more delicate than your arms or legs, and the last thing you need is a nice chemical burn. Yes, that'll take the attention away from the hair, but not in a good way! Other than that, simply follow the instructions on the box. I have found little difference between brands. Some slight tingling is to be expected, and the products usually smell strongly of ammonia, so if you're overly sensitive to odors or chemicals, I wouldn't recommend this method.

    The results you see will vary depending on how thick your hair is, how densely it grows, and how long you're able to leave the bleach on your face. The good news is, you won't have any stubble! The bad news is, if your facial hair is thick, you will simply have traded a dark mustache or cheeks for blond, and it may still be a problem when applying makeup.

  • Removing facial hair?
    There are several options for removing hair from your face (or other areas), varying in permanence, pain, and cost. A few to consider:
    
    • Shaving
      Very quick, very cheap. Contrary to myth, it will not make your hair grow back thicker, but you may be left with unpleasant stubble, depending on how thick the shafts of your hair are. Temporary, usually 1-3 days.
    • Plucking
      Very cheap, can be somewhat time consuming. Invest in a good pair of tweezers (Revlon makes a nice pair of Professional tweezers which cost about $7). This method is probably best if you have just a few coarse hairs instead of many fine ones. Can be extremely painful if you pluck your upper lip! Temporary, usually lasts a few days to a week or more, but with repeated plucking, you may find that hair grows back thicker at first, and then over many years, ceases to grow back.
    • Depilatories
      More expensive, somewhat time consuming. Can be problematic for people with allergies to chemicals, and is a fairly messy process. Your hair will generally grow back finer after using a depilatory, but if you're using it on your face, be sure the product is designed for use on your face! Temporary, but generally lasts at least a week. Should be painless.
    • Waxing
      Can be relatively cheap if you do it at home, a little more expensive in a salon. I'm told it's quite painful, though I've never had it done myself! The hair will grow back finer, and the waxing gets easier with repeated sessions. Temporary, lasts a week to several weeks.
    • Electrolysis
      I don't think it's that painful (I've been known to doze off during sessions), but some of my girlfriends heartily disagree. All depends on your pain tolerance, I think. Essentially, it involves inserting a fine metal filament into the pore and down next to the root of the hair (this is painless), and then zapping it with electricity (this can hurt a lot), then pulling it out. It's expensive, about $20-30 for a 20 minute session, but it's permanent. You will have to go multiple times to get each hair killed off, and the technician can only get a few hairs per minute. Be sure that your technician, also known as an aesthetitician, is licensed. There is some small risk of permanent scarring on delicate skin, and you will have to let the hair grow a little so the technician can grab it.
    • Laser Hair Removal
      I don't know much about this, but I hear it's painful, fairly expensive, and totally permanent. Most of the trendier "spas" should be able to help you locate someone who can give you more information.

• How can I prevent facial hair in the first place?
  Well, the bad news is, you really can't. There are some things that certain women can do, depending on the reasons for their hirsuteness. If your hair growth is the result of a condition such as Polycystic Ovarian Disorder, treatment with the Pill or drugs such as Spironolactone can reduce facial hair. Consult with your doctor about these options. Other than that, electrolysis can permanently slow or eliminate facial hair growth, and the new laser treatments can permanently remove hair and keep it from growing back. These options are expensive, however, and may not be worth it to you.

Makeup - To Paint or Not To Paint

First, you'll want to decide if you are going for full-face, character makeup, just a few touches, street-type makeup, or something else. Then, you'll need to decide what colors look good with your skin, hair, and eyes. If you want, you can also match the colors to your costume.

If you don't know where to begin, or feel like you're "just terrible at putting on makeup", here are some things to consider trying:

• Have a makeover party with friends!
  Bring all your makeup, mirrors, creams, gels, and paints, and have a ball making each other up. You will want to be cautious about sharing makeup. I generally will not share eye makeup, but will risk the other kinds. Eye infections are no fun!
• Recruit a friend as your personal artist
  You probably know someone who applies makeup well. Ask her if she'll help you with your makeup! If nothing else, it'll be fun.
• Buy a book!
  There are a lot of good books out there on Theatrical makeup, glamour makeup, and different techniques. Check out your local bookstore, or one of the online ones!

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  Glitter, Bindi, Jewels, and Other Things You Can Stick To Your Face

  Never underestimate the power of sparkly things. Ravens understand that instinctively, and so do some people!

  There are a wide variety of things available to add a little pizazz to your face, hands, arms, body...you name it! Some to consider:

  • Bindi
    Bindi are traditionally worn by Hindu women, but they are increasingly popular and trendy here in the US. They range from simple, small dots worn between the eyebrows to elaborate arrangements of stick-on jewels meant to be arranged across the forehead and more. They can be found on eBay, in trendy boutiques, at "teenage" jewelry stores, and New Age shops.
  • Glitter
    
  • Henna
    
  • Jewels
    Spirit gum is your friend! Never, ever use super glue or nail glue to stick rhinestones to your skin. In a pinch, you can use eyelash glue, but I highly recommend spirit gum. It is meant for sticking things to skin. You can glue on rhinestones, metallic glitter (be warned, the color often bleeds out into your skin and may remain as a stain for several days), paper cutouts, or anything else light and non-toxic. It is easily removed with spirit gum remover or rubbing alcohol, and can be found in most costume shops.
  • Fluourescent Ink
    If you want some fantastic effects under black lights, just doodle on yourself with fluourescent pens! Glow in the dark pens and ink can also lend quite an interesting flair, and if you couple glow in the dark doodles with glow in the dark stickers, then walk into a dark dance area from a brightly lit bathroom... well, people will definitely notice you!

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  Glasses

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  Masks

  I tend not to like to have anything on my face, but there are some masks that are true works of art. They're interesting, and if you're a little bit shy, they might give you an added boost, since no one can see you! One drawback... most of them can't be worn well with glasses.

  Allow me to recommend the beautiful masks made by Judith Rachfuss. I drooled over one of hers at Norwescon a few years ago, and kept walking by until I finally had to buy it. I've only worn it once or twice, but it's so lovely I use it as a decoration on my antique dresser. They're amazingly beautiful, and she does custom designs. Perhaps you want something to go with a costume you think of, or maybe one of the designs will inspire you...

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