4 Makeup Tips for Film

{mad performer}

by @themadamez

When it comes to makeup for film, my main piece of advice for you is:

KEEP IT NATURAL, BABY!"

When going for a classic look, makeup is best used to subtly accentuate your features and make them pop. For me, it’s all about eyes, lips, and cheek bones. I leave the rest completely untouched. No foundation, no coverup. The camera picks up EVERYTHING.
It’s more noticeable when you’re trying to hide something versus just letting it be. Film is a fairly unforgiving medium if you think about it, but that’s also what makes it so personal, intimate, and so real to watch.

1. EYES
   Pale natural eye shadow with a little sparkle, eyeliner small cat-eye, and thin dark brown mascara.
   This is my go-to. It's simple, elegant, and easy to do ~ which makes it sustainable.
   
   

2. LIPS
   A bright red lipstick, blotted till completely dry so it leaves a little stain, then a clear coat of chapstick to keep my lips moist and give them a subtle shine.
   
   

3. CHEEKS
   I blot a little of that red lipstick on my finger, then dab it on my cheek bones and rub it in. Simple, and you can get away with just carrying a lipstick or even a colored chapstick in your bag when you're doing interviews or more intimate shows.
   
   

4. NOSE
   If you’re filming in a brightly-lit environment, powder your nose! Use some anti-sheen powder so that you don’t have light glaring on the tip off your nose and distracting from your facial expressions.
   

That’s it! That’s all the makeup I use in my films: eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. Occasionally an anti-sheen powder on my nose, but I usually just prefer to set my films in either low-lit spaces or shoot during dawn or dusk when the natural light is more even. This fair better for everyone in your film and gives a more even color scheme to the footage.

I stay away from foundation and coverup creams - the camera picks up these layers and unless you have a perfect color match and texture match, it’s gonna make your face look fake. But of course a big part of being able to avoid foundation, you’ll need a good skin care routine. I’ll post my skin care tips in another post, you won’t believe how simple it is, and it’s probably the opposite of what the skin care industry tells you that you “need” to do for your healthy skin. One hint: it’s mostly on the inside.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment below if you found this helpful or want to share your own tricks.

Sincerely,
Madame Z

08.07.2020