Stage Makeup Tricks

• The choices the makeup artist makes will further enhance a theatrical show. Theatrical cosmetics play an important role, helping to color the actors a specific tone and merging the actors into the overall mood and feeling of the play.

Foundation

• Apply foundation to a clean face before adding any other makeup. Do a skin test on the actor to determine matching shades. Apply heavy foundation for the appearance of flawless skin. Add darker foundation shades for shadows beneath the cheekbones. Strong stage lighting tends to drain color -- add a darker shade of foundation for pale actors.

Eye Shadow and Blush

• Makeup you apply for theater will be much heavier, since an audience that sits far away from the stage will not see subtle tones. Don't be afraid of big, bold colors. The colors you apply will depend on the character, as well as the tone of the entire production. If the production is bright and garish, use bright and garish colors. If the performance has a dark, foreboding tone, use darker tones and sharper, severe eye makeup techniques. Mascara or fake eyelashes are highly recommended.

Add Age

• If a younger actor plays the role of an older man, he will need to have makeup applied to look convincingly older. Have the actor move his face around -- smile, frown -- in order for to determine where wrinkles might form. With a lip or eye pencil, slightly darker than the actor's skin tone, mark the wrinkles. Locations could include the corners of eyes, edges of the mouth and forehead. With a Q-tip, use a much lighter shade of cream foundation and highlight the tops of the wrinkle lines, then blend. Create shadow on and just below the line as well, and blend down.

Injuries

• To illustrate a bruise, use a dampened makeup brush to add a deep blue eye shadow to the area as a base. You may add light olive green and charcoal gray shades for further realism, smudging the edges. For the illusion of a broken nose, apply putty to the nose and shape, making sure the putty matches the skin tone. Putty may be used for other facial deformities as well.