So I have a confession...

All throughout my teen years, I made YouTube style videos and never published them anywhere... I'll just let you judge me for a bit.

Done? Fab!

Anyways, one of the last videos I made and the one I am most proud of was a Zombie style makeup made in 2014 - 2 years ago! Feels like yesterday haha. As much as I would love to put the video up I am not 100% sure that I have the right permissions music wise despite using copyright free music, as the copyright free-ness might only apply to if you're uploading to YouTube. Instead, here is a screenshot step by step tutorial on how to create this look :)

1) Pale your face

Well isn't this a flattering angle (I was applying foundation to my neck FYI)

Apply a cool toned foundation a few shades too pale for your face. Remember to apply to your neck, over your lips and onto your ears- you are dead, there should be no sign of you having a working circulatory system XD. If you have a green tinted primer you could apply this as well. By applying too much you may find that you get a sickly green tint to your skin - this will only add to the dead look you're going for! For full on dedication, apply to any exposed skin :)

If you don't want to buy cheap pale foundation you're only going to use once or you are too pale for cheap foundations (I feel your pain) you could see if you can get a sample of foundation colour changers such as the Colour Changing Drops by the Body Shop, a sample of a more expensive super pale foundation or by using white face paint. And don't worry about using a high coverage foundation - I don't think Zombies are renowned for clear skin.

2) Hollow out your face



So I don't know about you, but zombies aren't known for a youthfully plump face. So lets contour the heck out of our faces!



Taking a grey or taupe eyeshadow, place under your cheekbones and down to your jaw line when you get a couple of inches from your nose/mouth. Also apply to your temples, jaw line, nose, around your eyes and on your neck and collar bones. Then take brown-green and deep purple eyeshadows and apply on the shading near the edge of the face and around the eyes for a bruised, rotting effect.

3) Lets make skin!



Taking a SFX skin substitute (such as liquid latex, 3rd Degree or in my Case Parts A and B of Skin Tite- this is the kit I used) that you know how to remove properly and use safely(!), follow the instructions if you need to mix two parts together or colour to match your skin tone. (That sentence makes no sense 😂)



Then apply to your skin. I used lollypop sticks for this as you will wreck any brush that goes near this stuff, let alone the fact that brushes aren't really the best tool to apply it.  I apply in oval, oblong and patchy shapes over my cheeks, across the side of my nose, down my neck and on my forehead. When it starts to get a little tacky and thicker as it dries (depending on what you use), push the product in the centre of the shapes to the edge of the shape to create a raised edge to the wound. Make sure that the outside edge of the wound is blended into your skin so it is only a raised edge on the inside edge, making it look more realistic. When the product has set you can move onto adding colour!

This part is all about you experimenting and having fun. There are products you can that can tighten the skin in certain areas to make it look scarred. Basically mess around to create an uneven surface to your skin. Add prosthetic boils for instance, just remember to blend everything into your own skin! Not everything has to be an open wound. See where your imagination takes you :)

4) Adding blood!



Yay this is the fun bit!! Taking a deep red colour (not bright red! - the most unrealistic blood colour ever. If you don't have one, mix in some brown or black into your bright red colour) and apply in a blotchy, messy pattern over the wounds you have created. I used the flat edge of another lolly pop stick to make it as messy as possible. This is not fill in the gaps. Go out side the lines, cause blood will bleed onto the surrounding skin irl. Then take darker reds and apply on top to add depth. Apply black with the thin edge of a lollypop stick or a cocktail stick to the inside edge of the wounds add depth to the wound. You can use your fingers to blend colours, and use greens and yellows to add a rotting effect if you so desire :) Have fun with it and experiment.

darken the edges of wounds to add depth. Splatter Blood everywhere. If I did this again, I would go even crazier with the blood and cover my face in the stuff by flicking fake blood onto my face with an old toothbrush for instance XD

If you don't have the grease paint colours I used from my kit, you could mix colours from face paint  - though have a clear gloss at hand to apply over the top or to mix into them to make the blood look wet, as face paint dries matte. You could also use fake blood such as Fresh Scab by Ben Nye for varied texture or from the kits by MakeUp revolution if you are looking for a cheaper alternative. There are also numerous fake blood recipes online. Lipstick and tinted lip glosses are great cheap alternatives - and super easy to get hold of seeming as dark lips are on trend atm. I wouldn't recommend using liquid lipsticks though cause they may stain your skin. I haven't tried it, but you could try adding powder to a thinner fake blood to make it clumpy to recreate blood clots or thick, drying blood... Let me know if you try it and it works!

5) Finishing touches


Blacken your lips with black eyeshadow to make them look deader, add contacts if you have any (unlike me), darken areas further, apply brow gel against the direction of your brown hair growth to mess them up, mess up your hair, add blood to your outfit... Go wild!!

Here are some pictures of my finished look, plus what it may have looked like had I dared to use contact lenses...

I really need to get some contacts, I would look so much more zombie-esque! Also Can we just appreciate the camera quality! Ah I do miss the days I had access to my dad's DSLR.

I also wanted to add this picture on the end of a more extreme version of this look, using the same wound products and techniques, that I created in 2013, to give you some more inspiration...