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| 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.
