Buzz
Whether you're preparing for Halloween, April Fools' Day, or an upcoming play, a touch of special effects makeup can help you simulate a painful fall or an intense hit to your limbs. Use makeup from your cosmetic collection to create a lifelike bruise.
Steps
Use Makeup
Choose the Location for the Bruise. Decide where on your body you want to place the bruise and think about how it occurred. This will help determine the position, size, and shape of the bruise.
- Pick a spot that’s easy to reach to simplify the makeup application.
- The shape of the bruise should match the reason behind it.
- Consider creating a bruise on your forearm as if it were caused by a hard object, like a tennis racket. This bruise will have an elongated oval shape with rounded edges.
- Another option is to create a black eye as if someone punched you in the face.
Apply a layer of red eyeshadow as a base. Apply a layer of red eyeshadow to the area where you plan to create the bruise. This red layer will help form the shape and size of the bruise, representing the entire affected area of the skin from the bruise.
- For example, if you want to create a black eye effect, draw a curved line beneath the eye, starting at the inner corner and curving outward like a crescent. The curve should be about 2.5 cm wide at its widest point, near the outer corner beneath the eye.
- You can also add a bit of red eyeshadow along the upper eyelid to give the appearance of swelling.
Add some purple eyeshadow for color and depth to the bruise. Purple should be applied to the deepest part of the bruise to make it stand out.
- For a black eye, start at the lower corner of the eye, drawing along the lower eyelid. Begin again at the inner corner of the eye, drawing down the side of the eye socket. This step will create a horizontal V-shape (similar to the mathematical 'greater than' symbol).
Daniel Vann
Makeup Artist
Makeup Artist
Use colors that match a real bruise. Daniel Vann, creative director of Daredevil Cosmetics, advises that the colors you choose for your bruise makeup should reflect the stages of a real bruise. Bruises will transition from black to purple, green, yellow, and finally to peach, so make sure to select these colors accordingly.
Fake a healing bruise with yellow and green colors. If you have yellow and green eyeshadow and want to make a bruise look like it's healing, you can blend a bit of green around the edges of the bruise and in the center. Then, apply yellow around the edges and in the middle of the green area to create raised points.
- Apply green and yellow around the edge of the crescent shape on the black eye. Add a little more in the inner corner, gently sweeping down to the bottom of the eye socket, and lightly up to the upper eyelid and the lower corner of the eye.
Blend the highlights with black eyeshadow. If the green or yellow shades you’ve added are too bright or intense, or don't look natural, you can soften them by lightly tapping small black spots to fade the color and create a more blended look.
- You can also use black to darken purple areas if the purple shade is too light or if you want to add more emphasis.
Blend the bruise into the skin and apply face powder to set the bruise. Use a large makeup brush to apply a light dusting of face powder over the bruise. This will help the makeup blend with your natural skin tone and tone down the intensity of the eyeshadow shades used for the bruise.
Trick your friends. To make your bruise look more realistic, let others notice it before you walk around proudly showing it off. People will be more likely to believe the bruise is real if you don't make a big deal about it. Let others ask what happened, and make up an interesting story.
- If no one asks, you can “accidentally” touch the bruise or bump into something, then react as if it really hurts.
Use Special Effects Makeup
Understand the stages of a bruise. Bruises go through a process of injury and healing, with each stage showing different colors and intensity.
- Fresh bruises are dark red due to blood pooling under the skin.
- Next, the bruise will start breaking down the iron in the blood, turning purple.
- As it begins to heal, the bruise will show green around the edges.
- Before fading completely, the bruise turns yellow across the entire area.
- Finally, the bruise will return to the normal color of the skin.
Buy a color wheel. There are various special effects makeup brands, ranging from affordable options for Halloween to professional-grade stage makeup. The most popular stage makeup brand is Ben Nye.
- Both Mehron and Ben Nye offer a product called the "Bruise Wheel."
- To create a bruise, you'll need shades of red, purple, yellow, green, and blue.
- Opt for darker, muted shades such as chestnut brown, mustard yellow, and olive green.
Apply a red base layer. Dab a makeup sponge into red and apply it in the shape and size of the bruise you want to create.
- Apply a thin layer, ensuring the skin beneath the makeup is still visible.
- This red layer will resemble irritated or inflamed skin.
Add depth with darker shades. Use a blending sponge to gently add purple and blue to the bruise, starting from the outer edges and working your way toward the center.
- Apply the makeup in small amounts, building up gradually.
- Use your fingers or a makeup sponge to blend the sharp edges of the bruise, blending the dark colors into the red.
Highlight the bruise with yellow. Using a makeup sponge, dab a small amount of yellow into the center of the bruise. This step will help the bruise pop and give the appearance that it's healing.
Create an old bruise with yellow and green. If you want your bruise to look like it's been around for a while and is almost healed, start with a yellow base instead of red. Apply a circle of purple in the middle of the yellow to add depth, then add a touch of green around the outer edge of the purple.
You're done!
Tips
- Avoid using shimmery makeup! Real bruises don’t sparkle.
- Create unusual shapes for your bruise, as it will look more realistic!
- Don't overdo it with makeup; too much will make the bruise look fake.
Warnings
- Do not tell authorities that your bruise was caused by someone else. Even if you're joking, the person involved could get into trouble, and the authorities will not be pleased with your false statement!
