Topic: Make-up for Stage Performance

Message:

Posted by: Darkwing (Mar 7, 2003 12:15am)

I don't know of any other place to post this question but here, so here it is. Has anyone ever used make up for stage performance? What I am referring to would be for males to give a more natural look or to improve the way you look on stage. Or do you go with your natural skin tones and let the lighting do its job?

Message:

Posted by: boltt223 (Mar 7, 2003 2:18am)

I just competed in a competition last Saturday and did not use any make up. I think I was the only one who didn't, everyone else in the competition used it. :smiles:

Message:

Posted by: i-o-f (Mar 12, 2003 2:22am)

Hi Darkwing,

for bigger stage performances with lots of lighting I always use make up. It keeps you looking natural even under heavy lighting. Check out the creme make up from "Ben Ney". They provide a nice, smooth and durable color and are very skin friendly.

Message:

Posted by: Marshall Thornside (Mar 12, 2003 9:17am)

My dad never used makeup. I mean at most if he did, a little eye pencil, but I think after a while it's not that necessary unless you want to be dramatic and it goes with your costume.

But then my father wasn't a fake Chinese magician as those that were. ;)

Message:

Posted by: snilsson (Mar 29, 2003 12:47pm)

If you're performing with stage lighting you need to use makeup or the lights will wash out your facial features and the communication with your audience will suffer. Find a professional who can show you how to do it. It's not difficult but to get it right you need the help of someone with experience from professional stage productions. Beware, there is a lot of bad advice out there.

If you're a male performer, basically what you will learn is how to choose and put on a foundation and how to emphasize your eyes. If the "expert" tells you to use a light foundation, a dark brown eye pencil, a small amount of rouge (not red!) and no lipstick chances are you're talking to someone who knows her business. :)

Message:

Posted by: Thoughtreader (Mar 30, 2003 3:32pm)

While there are books out there for make-up, your best thing to do is to find a theatrical supply house that has a "make-up artist" there, and failing that, find your local University with a theatre department and ask who instructs "make-up" for them. Then try to take a course in it.

By taking a course you will learn the many ins and outs of make-up AND what type/application to use for varying situations. You will learn about what to do BEFORE you begin to apply it, sealing your skin, powdering, etc. and all that is necessary. I myself prefer to use Ben Nye creme sticks as they "erase" when a mistake is done and makes it very easy to correct, PLUS they are very easy to clean up.

Make up is essential under lights, be it on stage or in front of a television camera. However, the application of make-up for television is different than for use on stage, both from the amount used to the light that it is applied under.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat
Supplying Unique Mentalism World-wide
(Search "AB StageCraft" on google for our address)

Message:

Posted by: Luke Sherratt (Apr 3, 2003 5:47pm)

Hi

I use Kryolan cake make up— it is the best in my opinion. If you don't use make up you look like a ghost; not everyone but some people look really pale.
Luke :bat: :comply:

Message:

Posted by: BryanDreyfus (Apr 26, 2003 9:21am)

Under white light from stage you will wash out. A good rule of thumb is two shades darker than your normal skin tone for foundation.

Now, applying a foundation wipes away your natural highs and lows (lighter & darker areas on your face). You need to put them back just to get "normal" look.

Have a professional photo taken straight on (a prof photographer will "light" you correctly)... take the photo and darken your dark area and lighten the light areas after the foundation is on ... remember the two shade darker rule.

Now a little eye liner to give you that "commanding" look. A red dot in the inner corner of eye to draw looks to your eyes (mostly subconsciously). I learned that from a Vegas showgirl.

And character make-up, in the style of my fav movie genre "forget about it", get pro help.

Message:

Posted by: Mago Mai (Apr 28, 2003 12:24am)

One of the main reasons to wear make-up for television appearances is to avoid shining because of the sweat caused by the strong lighting.

Mago mai

Message:

Posted by: Darkwing (May 4, 2003 2:19am)

Went and got some Ben Nye makeup (foundation, cover up for around the eyes, powder, etc.) and wow, what a difference it makes on even small stages. My wife said the makeup really makes a difference on your appearance on stage. I now swear by it.

Do any of you use the "No Sweat" that clowns use to keep your makeup from running?

Message:

Posted by: Slim King (May 7, 2003 4:23am)

Always get a nice gal to help you apply your makeup. Most girls have been doing it for the majority of their lives. They're pro's! And, as in the case of your wife, they appreciate men who do wear makeup on stage.

Message:

Posted by: Darkwing (May 8, 2003 9:37pm)

Slim King,
You are right on getting a lady to help with putting on your make-up the first time. I got a lady at the studio to help, although it was the owner who was a guy that matched up my skin tone to the right make-up.

Streetmagician,

Not sure about ladies make-up. I think I read somewhere not to use it, but I am not sure why. The stage make-up I bought wasn't very expensive. I think I paid about $25 USD for foundation, cover up for the eyes and some sponges (my wife had some powder). Should last me a long time.

Message:

Posted by: M-Illusion (May 8, 2003 9:54pm)

I attended a seminar some time ago concerning the usage of stage makeup. The guy giving the speech & doing all of the demonstrations said it was perfectly fine to use everyday women's makeup for stage use. However, I've never tried it...I always stick with what I know, and that is true stage makeup. Might be something to check further into however.

Message:

Posted by: Chrystal (May 9, 2003 1:11am)

Hi Darkwing,

In response to some of the post... oh darn our secret is out! Ha! Yes ladies have known these secrets for quite some time.

If you can find a sympathetic lady behind the makeup counter they can advise you as to what color foundation to wear. Foundation smoothed on with a sponge (little tiny ones made specially for this purpose) This gives your skin tone an overall even tone. The other secret is to powder... (not white powder though) or that would offset all your previous hard work when you've applied foundation. You can buy skin tone powder, these usually come with their own Powder puffs or sponges. It will stay on for hours and hours.

These products are available everywhere including supermarkets. If you hesitate asking for advice most of the products will recommend what your skin tone should be and what product to use. The rule of thumb is never go 2 shades darker.. even one might look unnatural as your neck would look rather pale. The price range is aprox 5 dollars for each of these products.. however if you buy more expensive lines... it can be as expensive as $25. dollars.

Another option is to go to a theatrical store, most carry stage makeup and my experience is they are always helpful with any questions.

I worked on a pilot project for a kids tv show and the producers allowed me to do my own makeup. I just bought inexpensive products like I've mentioned in the paragraph above.. (make sure you powder however!) as this sets the makeup. My makeup lasted 12 hrs under hot camera lights, and no need for touch ups but for the occasional powder.. so should work fine for a stage show.

Lastly, another option is to see if there is a school for makeup artist in your area. One of my friends took a course like this and while she does more special effects type of makeup they are trained for all types of things. They are always looking for volunteers to try out their recently learned skills. May be worth looking into.

Good luck! If any of you need any questions answered feel free to pm me. :)

Just realized I've told you how to put it on.. equally important to know how to take it off. :)

Just apply cold cream and wipe off with a facial tissue. You shouldn't have a problem. :wavey:

Message:

Posted by: Slim King (May 9, 2003 11:14pm)

Go to a beauty school!!! They always want to experiment on victi.... I mean volunteers. I'm sure the whole class will want to get involved. Could be fun AND educational.

Message:

Posted by: GuySavoie (Jun 14, 2003 1:22am)

Don't forget - once you get someone to help you do a quality job with your stage makeup - take some close-up pictures, and put them up on your makeup mirror as a reference!

It's all too easy to develop a distorted view of what seems "normal", and you end up looking like Boy George.

--- Guy

Message:

Posted by: Thoughtreader (Jun 15, 2003 4:34pm)

Quote:

On 2003-05-04 02:19, Darkwing wrote:
...Do any of you use the "No Sweat" that clowns use to keep your makeup from running?

You MUST remember to powder after EACH step you do when applying your make-up, especially with creme stick. Not only does it prevent you from smearing the make-up but it helps prevent it from "running" when wearing it. One can never use too much powder.

Also, try sealing your skin before you apply your make-up. A quick and easy solution is to use a pump dispenser with hair spray and spray it on your face, it sets in a matter of 30 seconds and then it will help prevent you from sweating under the make-up as well as prevent your skin oils from putting in dark splotches in the make-up.

PSIncerely Yours,
Paul Alberstat
AB StageCraft
Unique Mentalism and Magic World-wide
Home of FRAGMENTS, the best magazine test in the world.

Message:

Posted by: magicalaurie (Jun 17, 2011 5:15pm)

Quote:

On 2003-04-26 09:21, BryanDreyfus wrote:
Under white light from stage you will wash out. A good rule of thumb is two shades darker than your normal skin tone for foundation.

Now, applying a foundation wipes away your natural highs and lows (lighter & darker areas on your face). You need to put them back just to get "normal" look.

Have a professional photo taken straight on (a prof photographer will "light" you correctly)... take the photo and darken your dark area and lighten the light areas after the foundation is on ... remember the two shade darker rule.

Yep. Two shades darker is what I learned as well. Powder to set.

Laurie

Message:

Posted by: Ray Pierce (Jul 5, 2011 1:16pm)

Outside of the "Guyliner" look that is popular right now and unless they are doing a specific theatrical character... Men should usually not look "made up" on stage. Good stage make up is to correct for the intensity of the lighting and to allow your features to read better at a distance.

I'm reminded of a story from one of my earlier Canadian tours about 20 years ago. I was meeting one of the sponsor's children back stage about 30 minutes before the show. As one of the male dancers came in to check in before warming up... the little girl stared at him and as he left said, "That boy is wearing make up!" Everyone was there so I thought it would be a good opportunity to educate her. I explained that we have to use very bright lights on stage to make sure the people in the back can see the show just as well as the ones in the front. Because we care about all of the people in the audience we want them to see us and our expressions so sometimes we use make up to make us look normal to the people in the back of the audience. She let that sink in for a moment then with everyone hanging on every word she asked "Do you wear make up?" I quickly replied... "Me? No way!" It got a good laugh from the assembled group!

In fact I started learning theatrical make up techniques at 11 when I started performing on stage and use it for most shows in some form or another. The main mitigating factor for me is the scale of the show and the distance of the first row to the performer. If you're an actor in a play and don't interact directly with the audience, they never really get that close to you. On the other hand as magicians, we are frequently very close to audience members either as volunteers or with having things examined in the audience. Our make up must be much more subtle to not look odd to the people that are close up.

Although I grew up learning about make up for theater, for most magic shows I now usually adopt more television and film make up techniques which reads better up close. It isn't quite as dark as theater make up and usually isn't as thick either.

If you do use theater technique with the darker make up, you MUST be sure and cover your neck, ears and any other exposed skin such as he backs of your hands or you end up with a really phony "mask" look. Yes, it gets on your shirt collars, but it's the only way to do it professionally.

If you use TV make up which is usually a lot closer to your actual skin tone, you don't need to cover as much as there's no line of demarcation between the areas you've covered and the ones you haven't.

For many shows I can get away with just using powder to matte down the skin and not look shiny. That and a little detail on the eyes and eye brows is enough for closer shows.

Just don't go overboard. Get instruction from make up people in the TV or film industry as a good guideline and then practice until it is as flawless as your double lift.

Message:

Posted by: hugmagic (Jul 5, 2011 8:44pm)

Not really makeup but a great tip I got from Glen Faulkenstien who shared it from Andy Williams. Glen was putting vasoline on his eyebrows. Andy Williams noticed and remark that he does the same thing to keep the sweat from running down his nose. A little vasoline on the eyebrows and in between make impenetrable by seat which then runs to the outside of the eyes.

Richard

Message:

Posted by: Ray Pierce (Jul 5, 2011 11:12pm)

The vasoline is a great tip... it mainly keeps it from running into your eyes. For magicians doing a blindfold act, there are other advantages to using it at key positions on your nose as well. That's all I'll say!

Message:

Posted by: hugmagic (Jul 6, 2011 11:15am)

Yeah, But don't have a hard contact slip off when you are doing the blindfold act. It becomes a really blindfold act when you are as blind as I am.

Richard

Message:

Posted by: Ms. Merizing (Aug 13, 2011 7:16pm)

Here's a couple theatrical makeup titles you may find interesting, Darkwing.

Stage Makeup by Richard Corson ISBN-13: 978-0138405397
http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Makeup-Richard-Corson/dp/0138405395

Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials ISBN-13: 978-0823088393
http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Makeup-Complete-Techniques-Materials/dp/0823088391/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Mehron & Max Factor are also excellent for stage use.

Message:

Posted by: LaurensMalter (Sep 2, 2011 2:13pm)

I always use make up! I have a shiny forhead.. So with a lot of lights on your face, it might reflect and it looks kinda.. weird. :)

I use a light creme to cover the darker area where facial hair would be, then I use a slightly darker creme for the entire face.
Wearing make up looks funny in broad daylight, but under all those lights, it looks quite natural.

Also, what I find very helpfull for magicians is eyeliner, just a little bit! And your audience will stare at your eyes, because it will look you're staring at them.. All of these products should be gotten at a theater shop, not at a grocery store, the stuff I use is specifically designed for 'Theater, TV and Movies'.

If you use make-up, don't forget to use transparent powder (don't know the exact name in english), it will take the shine off your face and the make up will not go off as easily (on your clothes that is, bowtie, shirt, etc..)

Message:

Posted by: Lavey (Dec 31, 2011 10:42am)

Dave Womach published a DVD "Stage Make Up for magicians & assistants". Since few months Murphysmagic distribute them. I bought it but I don't found the time to watch it. I use Make Up if there are bright lights.

Message:

Posted by: hugmagic (Jan 1, 2012 10:39pm)

I had to take Makeup in college for my photography degree. Of course, the makeup for stage, television or theater all are applied differently depending on the venue and the lights. I used cream stick makeup in college. Later, I tried pancake but just could not get the hang of it. Now I pretty much use liquid makeup. It is easy to put on, cleanup and stays put.

As for setting the makeup, the old circus clowns powdered between each color and then patted it with water. It would last all day.

I recommend a stage makeup class at a community college. The Richard Corson book is still the bible of stage makeup.

Richard

Message:

Posted by: Kevinh5 (Oct 12, 2012 9:31pm)

OK, how about for us bald guys? Can we just powder the tops of our heads so they don't shine, or do we need to use some foundation up there?

Second question: stage with no special lighting, like on a dias in a hotel or conference center with just the room lights. What changes from the above advice would you give? Thank you.

Message:

Posted by: JessicaSilver (Nov 23, 2012 3:12pm)

Guys who are more concerned just about shine might consider just picking up a primer. It's just a colourless sort of gel that will mattify your skin. (Also, your skin will feel incredibly soft. Probably not a big concern for most men, but I quite like it.) Now, this is really more for tv, photos, etc, but it's still something to keep in mind.

One word of advice: eyebrows. Please, please darken your eyebrows, especially if you're quite fair. Nothing makes you look more pulled-together than a nicely defined eyebrow.

Message:

Posted by: Thatoldblackmagic (Jan 3, 2013 11:27am)

Aqua colour is great stuff water soluble and lasts for ages , runs about 10 dollars for a tub best to go to a dance shop for this or a good make up shop. My parents used to use dark powder foundation with a wet yes wet sponge so it went on thicker.