How to Add Movie-Quality Special Effects Makeup to Your Halloween Costume [Video]

If you're opting for an extra creepy costume this Halloween, a little creative makeup can put you over the top. We've asked filmmaker Nick Calder to share a few techniques that anyone can learn. Here's how you can create realistic blood, cuts, and bruises just like in the movies.

The video above will walk you through all three techniques, but we've got the text-based versions for you below.

Fake Blood

Fake blood is pretty easy to make with items you might have around the house already. All you'll need is corn syrup, cocoa powder, red and green food coloring, and a small mixing bowl.

1. Put a little corn syrup in your mixing bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of the red food coloring. Stir it up until everything is evenly mixed.
2. Add just a drop of green food coloring to the mixture. You don't want to add more than a tiny bit because we're not trying to make green blood, just darken and brown it up a bit. Mix it until the color is consistent.
3. Add a tiny bit of cocoa powder. Mix it in until you get the desired viscosity. You shouldn't need much at all, but adding a little extra will make it look more like a scab when it dries.

When you're done, you'll have realistic (and tasty) fake blood!

Bruises

Bruises require a cuts and bruises makeup wheel and a makeup sponge (which you'll need to cut into four pieces). You can get these items online via the links we provided or at a local costume shop. You'll also need a brush to apply the makeup.

When creating bruises, you'll generally start with the red color on your wheel as a base. Start with a little and blend it in with one of the four sponge wedges you cut. Then darken it up with a little blue. If you want to make the bruise look like it's rotting a little or trying to heal underneath, you can add some yellows and greens on the outside of the bruise as well.

For placement, you'll want to consider how this bruise came to be. Was it the result of a face punch or a fall down the stairs? Figure out where the impact would be and paint the bruise on accordingly. The areas that took the hardest impact will be darker and show more contrast and surrounding areas will blend in more. Watch the video above for a full demonstration.

Cuts and Open Wounds

When you need to create an open wound you need an awesome substance called liquid latex. You'll also need the fake blood you learned how to make earlier, a wedge of your makeup sponge, a q-tip, and a small mixing bowl.

To make the wound, follow these steps:

1. Start by pouring the liquid latex into a bowl and then paint a little on your face with the makeup sponge wedge. Don't paint a tiny part in the center so you can open it up. After you've created the general area, add a little more around it to help it adhere to the skin.
2. The liquid latex will dry in a few minutes, changing from a solid white color to mostly transparent. Start pulling it open with your finger gently until you have a nice point of entry that's not too large but big enough for the q-tip.
3. Insert the q-tip into the hole you created and use it to create a space inside.
4. Dab your q-tip with a little fake blood and insert it into the space you created. Add as much or as little as you need to create the effect you want. You'll also probably make a bit of a mess, so keep a tissue handy for a few likely touch ups.

When you're done, you'll have a realistic open wound!

Learning More

Now that you know a few basic techniques, there's a lot more you can learn. We've rounded up some of the most interesting makeup tutorials on YouTube so you can learn to go a bit further if you'd like. Here are your options:

We hope you enjoy looking like a rotting corpse this Halloween!

Special thanks to writer/director/movie makeup expert Nick J. Calder for creating the awesome video at the top of this post. Be sure to check out his debut film Fear Eats the Seoul and the behind-the-scenes stuff on Facebook.

Music (in the title video) by Mazedude

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Qr-Xtvo6UTw/how-to-add-movie+quality-special-effects-makeup-to-your-halloween-costume

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