FELINE FEATURES

This was me, Halloween 2012.

“Are you blind when you’re born? Can you see in the dark?”

If you’re a fan of the musical CATS chances are you’re answer would be a resounding, “YES!”

The musical CATS is known all over the world for it’s energetic dance routines, hauntingly beautiful music and colorful costumes and makeup.

Running for an astounding eighteen years on Broadway and twenty-one years in London CATS has garnered thousands of loyal fans who long to be part of the magic they see on stage. One way they doing that is by making, or buying their very own CATS costume.

Some costumes are elaborately painted unitards complete with hand stitched wigs, gloves, tails, shoes and face paint; others are as simple as face paint and a CATS t-shirt. The costumes and makeup fans create is as varied as there are characters on stage thus giving fans a wide variety of characters to choose from.

Creating a CATS style of makeup can be a lot of fun, but it can also become frustrating if it's your first time and you’re not sure what you’re doing so here are some simple instructions to help get you started.

What You Will Need:

·        Something to pull your hair back and out of you face (even if you have short hair)

·        Your choice of face paint

·        Translucent (clear) power and powder puff

·        Big fluffy brush to wipe away extra powder

·        Brushes – art brushes will work but make sure they are very clean

·        Black eye liner pencil with a

·        Cosmetic eye liner sharpener

·        Two containers of water (one each for dark and light colors)

·        Mirror

·        Makeup sponges (preferably one for each color) and one for blending

·        Towel or something to drape over you while you're applying the makeup and powder

·        A clear picture of the cat you are trying to recreate. It can be one of the cast members or one that you have drawn yourself

·        Spray bottle with water (optional)

·        Face soap such as Neutrogena for makeup removal

·        Wet washcloth

How To:

1. Always start with a clean face so that the makeup will go on smoothly and make sure that your hair is out of the way. If you will be wearing a wig put your wig cap on now.

2. Gather up all of the materials and find a comfortable place to work with lots of light. A table usually works best.

3. To help you avoid mistakes make sure your pets cannot jump on you while you are applying your makeup.

4. Apply the base color(s) with a damp sponge. Make sure the sponge is not too wet because this will cause a streaking effect and always be careful when applying makeup around the eyes.

*Tip* – Most, not all, makeups start with a white base and are applied in the “T” area which include, a line down the center of your forehead between your eye brows, just over your eye brows to just under your eyes, nose and all the way down to your chin or neck. Your second base color will be applied to the rest of your face. For designs that have various shades of the same color always apply the lightest color first and build your color up slowly.

5. Allow your base color(s) to dry (a fan usually helps) then apply a layer of power. Wipe away excess power with your large fluffy brush.

6. With a small liner brush, or a black eye liner pencil, begin applying the details to your makeup. Not all details are black; some are yellow, red, orange and white depending on the character that you are recreating. Allow your detail work to dry then add another layer of power as you did before.

This final step is optional.

7. After all of you makeup is dry and powdered hold a spray bottle an arm’s length in front of your face and lightly mist your face with water once or twice and allow it to dry naturally. This will create a “shell” over your makeup and helps it to stay in place without melting and is a trick used by the professionals when applying their makeup.

At the end of the day when you’re ready to take your makeup off use warm water and lather your face soap then apply to your face avoiding your eyes to begin with and wipe with a wash cloth. When you've finished taking the makeup off the rest of your face then wash one eye at a time keeping it closed until all of the makeup is removed. If you get water in your eye gently flush it out with water until all the soap is gone. Do not be alarmed if you have to wash your face more than one time. Sometimes it takes as many as six washings to remove all of the makeup.

Above all have fun and remember to take it slow; this is not a race it's art and if you make a mistake try to incorporate it into your makeup design. It’s okay if your final makeup varies from your picture, which should always be keep close by for reference.