Charles-Guillaume Étienne had it right, at least this time. Unless you’re looking for bog standard face paint colours, you’re going to need to mix what you need yourself. I avoided doing this for as long as possible partly because I was apprehensive of mixing my own, partly because I hadn’t found the right shade of blue, or the right product.
After much searching, I finally found the right products and colours, and I decided it was high time I tried my hand at creating the perfect blue.
I. Made. An. Epic. Mess.
Looks sensational, though! I’m extremely pleased with the (tested!) results and can’t wait to try it out at the next convention.*
The most important thing to remember when custom mixing is: make sure that the products you’re combing are compatible. I know it sounds obvious but I previously mixed two cream face paint products and had disastrous results.
Always mix a small amount and then test it on your skin to see how it behaves. Does it have the same opacity? Does it dry? Blend? Crease? Crack? The new colour may behave differently than the sum of its parts.
This time, I decided to use MAC Pro chromaline in white, and hi-def cyan to achieve a light blue for my eyes. I’ve tried many products and I always have difficulty drying and/or setting the makeup on my eyelids so that it doesn’t crease. I chose the chromaline because it’s a cream/gel that dries to an opaque, matte finish and is waterproof. I apply it using a flat eye shadow brush, one eye at a time, allowing about 10 minutes for it to dry completely. It’s a bit of a pain to sit with my eyes shut for that long, but it’s worth it. Waiting 10 minutes isn’t bad considering properly dried eye makeup can last 12+ hours. To speed the process, I sometimes sit in front of a fan but it’s up to you.
So, have some wet paper towel or baby-wipes near by and go for it! It’s rather liberating letting ones cosplay hair down!
Any experience mixing custom colours? How did it go?
It Takes A Village To Cosplay!
Earla Alara
*I tried it recently at Ottawa ComicCon and it turned out fabulously! It lasted the whole day without creasing or smearing. It was easy to apply, and the colour looked spot on – especially in photographs! The only down side is that it flaked a bit around the inner corners of my eyes, but it wasn’t noticeable in pictures or unless you got super close to me.
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