Thread: Stage Makeup for very pale blondes

Hi!

I need someone's help. I am a person who in my "day life" works at a Health Food store. I don't wear much makeup, though compared to some of the other people I'm a bit more made-up.

I have taken courses in makeup, and for shows, apply what to me is an insane amount of makeup-thick dark foundation, red stripes on the cheeks, fake eyelashes, darken my eyebrows-you name it. It's so much makeup, people have told me I look "frightful", or like a completely different person. Pics up close look freakish.

My problem here is....I am still told by people occasionally that I dont have enough makeup on! I have been told I am too pale, that my eyebrows need to be black (I'm really proud of my fair brows, as I'm a natural blonde and it would look wierd to have black eyebrows).

What can I do? Any makeup hints or websites where I can learn makeup tricks for the fair people? People have done me up before, and I hated the very artificial look. I thought I looked 20 years older. Anyone else have this problem?

It is VERY important that you fill your brows in. They don't have to be black, but if your eyebrows are blonde, under the stage lights it will almost look like you have no eyebrows, which is not a good look for ANYONE! A good rule of thumb when filling in your eyebrows is that if you have lighter hair, pick a shade that's three shades darker than your haircolor. If you have darker hair, pick a shade two shades lighter than your haircolor. For blondes, my go-to eyebrow shade is Omega eyeshadow by MAC, it's sort of a honey brown color. Use an angled brush to apply it in light, quick strokes

I am also a very pale blonde. I never do black eyebrows. All you would need is the glasses, tash, and the cigar to complete the groucho marks look !

There are plenty of products to fill in your brows. Depending on your skin type and how much brow you have here are some options:

Benefit have a waxy brown brow kit, brow zings : Benefit Cosmetics

There is the traditional brown/light brown eyebrow pencil - but you have to be really careful to avoid looking 'pencilled on' like barbara cartland.

If I was you I would pop down to whatever your equivalent of Harvey Nichols is, and go around getting 4 or 5 suggestions from the different brands of cosmetics.

You might want to have a few options that reflect the lighting possibilities at your performance venues. Even finding somewhere 'dark' in the store the check out what the makeup artist has done.

One thing to remember is that actual stage makeup is not *supposed* to look good up close. The important thing is how it looks at a distance. I can't quite bring myself to make my makeup as ugly as some I've seen, but those dancers whose makeup looks crudely drawn up close look really good on stage. If you're dancing on an actual stage with actual stage lighting, you do need stage makeup. The one thing that I disagree with as regards conventional stage makeup is using darker foundation. Unless you cover your entire body in brown makeup it's going to look weird.

Most belly dancers don't need serious stage makeup, but we do need more intense and glamorous makeup than would normally be worn.

I think if you are a fair blonde it is best to go with brown rather than black for brows, liner etc, except mascara.

Originally Posted by zumarrad

The one thing that I disagree with as regards conventional stage makeup is using darker foundation. Unless you cover your entire body in brown makeup it's going to look weird.

I have been wondering for years why people do this. I always think it looks frankenstein-ish. A tanned persons head on a pale persons body. Do you think they put concealer on the neck bolts ?

I think much darker foundation is meant for people who wear fairly covering costumes. Maybe a self tanner would be nice for a stage show, those look natural, and keep you from looking too too white. Then you can wear makeup that matches the tanned skin.

stage makeup doesn't have to be that much darker, but it should be the heavier makeup that stands up to heavy lighting (good ole pancake...)
I have white-blonde eyebrows, so I do go a good deal darker, but black makes the rest of me look even more pale. Even with heavier makeup, do remember to blend! I have had to 'change ethnicities' for people when doing makeup for theater productions, we went way beyond a shade or two lighter or darker! but properly blended, it still looks great. & YES, stage makeup is not what you should wear anywhere else, unless you WANT to look spooky- so don't fret so much about what you look like close up. My long time challenge, since I don't normally wear makeup in "real life," was crafting an in between look for restaurant work,street fairs, more intimate theaters, where most of my performances are at. still working on that.

The other thing I would suggest- find someone local whose make up skills you appreciate & listen to them- someone is always going to think your makeup is too light or too heavy- pick someone you respect to be your 'makeup mentor' & give you feedback and don't worry about the rest of the world. My host mom when I was on foriegn exchange constantly gave me makeup advice. I've done pretty well doing almost exactly the opposite of everything she told me (except for one or two points which DID make sense) I may not be an ideal beauty, but I will never, ever look like her! I did switch host families rather rapidly, but not just because of the makeup advice. If anyone is trying to mold you into their own image, be sure it's an image you want to be molded into before listening too closely!

This is a bit off topic, but I've been thinking about the black eyebrow thing.

A beautiful girlfriend of mine (and I mean she is absolutely gorgeous and she's really sweet hearted to boot), she is about 23 years old and Asian. She didn't have much eyebrow, so she went to a tattoo makeup professional and had her eyebrows tattooed black.

They look terrific now, but I thought about her turning 70 or 80 years old and what are those black eyebrows going to look like then? Pretty frightful, imo.

Just a wandering thought,

Azeeza

Thanks for all the info! I do think the eyebrow thing bothers me. I have so little there anyways, and it's very light blonde, so I always think it looks so wierd when I pencil them in dark. I should ask Tanya for her secrets. She's very blonde and always looks great!

Originally Posted by Elianae

Thanks for all the info! I do think the eyebrow thing bothers me. I have so little there anyways, and it's very light blonde, so I always think it looks so wierd when I pencil them in dark. I should ask Tanya for her secrets. She's very blonde and always looks great!

sometimes you really do need that outside opinion too- we are so used to seeing our face one way, it just looks wrong when we change something, even if to everyone else it looks fine. Just make sure it's an opinion you trust!

I have dark brown hair and black eyebrows even look too intense on me! Usually a bit of soft brown to fill 'em in is more than enough.

What type of venues do you perform at? For parties and restaurants, I like to keep my eyes glammed up, but save the garish lips and cheeks for stage shows. You don't have to make everything dark to be impactful when you're working in close quarters. What I love to replicate is the look you see in Lebanese music videos - a dark, dramatic, blown-out smoky eye with modest blush and some variation on the nude lip. I think this is hot on platinum blondes. TanyaLV wears this look beautifully!

To make my nude lips impactful, I'll line them a shade or two darker, apply the lipstick, and then do a little spot of pearly gloss in the center of the lower lip. This way, the lips look full and glamorous, but not scary. I'm fair, too, and I also find that red ages me way too much for my liking - and makes my lips look smaller. Cosmo by MAC is an amazing rich, mauve-y nude.

OT, but I used to work at a health food store, too! I kind of miss those days!

The tattooed black brows will fade by the time she's 70. They'll still be there but they won't be pitch black. I know people with tattooed brows whose brows are actually blueish/greenish. You know, tattoo colour.

My brows are black and I am not lightening them for anyone.