PERFORMING ENHANCING MAKE UP

Can make up really add that much difference to your performance you may ask? Well the simple answer is… absolutely!
How you present yourself can make or break a performance! Can you imagine the famous Michael Jackson piece of “THRILLER” being the same with rosy cheeks and hair slick back in a bun? No, what makes it even more powerful is the “zombie” look with green ghoulish make up and wild hair.
Once you have your routine in mind with the music chosen and costume being created in the sewing room, your next thought should be to your make up and hair. For group routines your teacher will have the say on how you should look & for solo’s you may have something in mind or need their guidance to give you a few hints!
Make up is so important to help finish and polish your entire look. The next step is to practice your look before the actual performance day and have someone film it for you to see what you think.
Unless you are doing a character make up like “THRILLER” most of your make up application should be as follows;
Step 1: foundation bases should be of a warm finish in a shade that is one to two tones darker than your natural skin tone; we do this so you don’t look pale under the stage lights.
Step 2: eye brows are so important, if we don’t colour them in a little we look like our forehead goes on forever, so we need to darken and sometimes extend them to make them a little longer to frame our eyes. Try to avoid crayons and eyebrow pencils as they tend to melt and move, instead choose an eye shadow in a shade close to your natural colour. If you are in doubt most dark browns will do!
Step 3: if you are wanting a dark Smokey look choose deep blacks with a hint of grey or purple in them and stick to just the contours (outsides) of your eye socket or you risk the “black eye” look on stage. Browns on the outside and gold’s on the eye lids work best for making you look alert and awake on stage!
Step 4: lips can either make you look clown like or really strike the audience as a professional performer, so choosing the right shade is important! Always use a lip liner to help the lip stick stay on longer. Remember lip liners can change your lip stick colour so choose one that matches your lip stick well! Classical looks work well with pink and red tones. Contemporary looks work well with a pink based nude and all other styles need either a nice blue red or strong pink red. Try to avoid coral reds that look more orange under the stage lights.
Step 5: Finish with a blush that can be seen as more of a highlighter. Blush shouldn’t look like an Indian stripe on your cheeks! Start from the top of your ear and sweep down to your cheeks, turn your brush and stoke up towards your ear in the opposite direction so you don’t end up with a straight line, smile and add a little to the apples of your cheeks!
Finale: stay proof finishing powder! If you have a long performance day ahead you can’t go without a good invisible blot powder, choose one that is finely milled and won’t cake on your skin. Coat your lashes with a good water RESISTANT (not waterproof as this will dry out your lashes) mascara and go dance up a storm!
Stand out cosmetics has all your everyday and stage make up needs as well as tips and step by step guides to help you look your very best on stage & off. Contact Tina to find out more about their free studio workshops and step by step guides for your parents & students.
Tina Sparks owns Stand Out Cosmetics! Check out the website! www.standoutcosmetics.com.au