makeup

[Guest happycc]

Ok end of year dance shows are coming up.....my concern is make up....

what is recommended? What about for sensitive skin?

what is usually used? How is it applied?

how to remove the stuff?

 

Carolyn

a mom that DOES NOT wear make up

[Juliet]

A good deal depends on how old the dancer is.

 

I'll assume that he is young, as this is the first time you're encountering this issue?

 

He'll need a little cheek colour, lip colour, pencil or shadow in the eye area. Maybe some brown pencil if his eyebrows are light.....

 

Unless he's very pale, I wouldn't think he'd need foundation. A good deal, of course, depends on the theatre where he'll be performing.

 

Just remember that cheeks, mouth and eyes should have some definition---he should not be painted up like a doll. No red lipstick--I don't care what the other little girls have on.

 

Please email me privately if you have specific questions. Unfortunately, a great many boys grow to manhood without having any idea of how to do proper makup for dance/stage.

 

Hint to to older male dancers: Powder, please. Blot and then powder some more. Please. Your neck and face.

Wardrobe staff do not appreciate getting your makeup off a woman's tights, tutu, or other costume when she misses that shoulder sit.

 

Removal:

Cold cream.

Unscented baby wipes. Get the large/refill size as all the girls will be using them, too.

[Mel Johnson]

Most boys don't need much makeup at all, much less corrective makeups. Just keep it light, and the lines thin. Most places that student dancers dance aren't set up for heavy-duty stage lighting, so their features stay pretty intact, even at a distance.

 

When he wants to take it off, a good face-wash with baby shampoo generally does the job. And it's true - it doesn't irritate the eyes.

[Hans]

Brownish tones are best--as Juliet said, nothing bright. Regular, inexpensive street makeup is fine (I do not recommend Ben Nye).

[ajg]

Mom of older boys here. My sons have had good luck with the Ponds make-up wipes. They are more expensive than baby wipes but both my boys have sensitive skin and these seem to cause less irritation. I just bought a generic brand and am hoping that they will be a suitable substitute because the tub gets passed around to all the boys in the dressing room.

 

My sons have learned to do their make-up by watching company members do their make-up but everyone has their own system. I would appreciate someone describing what make-up an adult male dancer would wear for a performance. Currently my older son wears Foundation from MAC, liquid eyeliner, a little shadow, some blush to define his cheekbones and lipstick that is close to his lipcolor.

[Hans]

When I dance, I wear green concealer over any red spots, an oil-control foundation (I hear that MAC is very good btw), eyebrow pencil, regular eyeliner (applying liquid liner drives me insane, but if it works for your son, go for it), eyeshadow, mascara (the tips of my eyelashes are blond), rouge on the cheekbones and a bit around my hairline because I'm blond, dark red/brownish lipstick, a light pencil to define my jawline, and powder.

[Guest prism]

We don't do much makeup yet but my son is a couple years younger than yours. Last year's spring performance, I noticed my son getting dark circles under his eyes as we got closer to performance. Probably a combo of spring allergies starting up, lack of sleep, and trying to keep up with enough water intake to meet the added demand of extra dancing through a week of rehearsals. The stage lights really made the dark circles even more prominent so I used a concealer that match his skin tone under his eyes.

 

His skin tone is like an early summer tan so didn't do foundation. However, for someone who is very fair skinned, I imagine a foundation would help reduce a ghostly appearance from the stage lighting. I'm not in a rush to get into the eyes. DS has very dark brown eyes and super long eyelashes. He constantly gets comments about his gorgeous eyes. For him, I think mascara would be tricky and probably make his eyes look too feminine. However, I've been thinking of trying some of the clear mascara which might be an option for boys who aren't quite ready for regular mascara. In our case, I thought it might make his eyes look more tidy since some of the lashes have a tendency to crisscross due to the length. But I think the clear mascara can also bring out the eyes with a more natural look for the boys?? Blondes might still need regular mascara though.

 

Blush - hadn't done blush until recently. again, for a young boy, I was trying to get the natural look but enough to show up under the stage lights. I thought about how he looks when he has been outside playing in the cold too long or dancing extra hard on a warm day and his cheeks get all rosy red. Getting the right blush tones wasn't easy. Pink looks too pink, red looks way too red, bronze shades blend in with DS skin tone and don't even show up. Ended up going with a mix of bronze and with a tad of red, applying on the hard cheekline and then blending, blending, blending, across the cheekbone and a little bit downwards into the cheek area for that natural flushed look. There was a lot of experimenting and failures that did have that painted doll look. I now own about 8 different colors of blush that did NOT work! No matter how it was applied, it had the look of make up on a girl's face.

 

I didn't think of it before but what about photos of male dancers in magazines? They must have makeup on but is so well done to look natural that one might not even notice unless specifically looking for it. Happycc, that might help give a better idea of how you want it to look. Really hard to describe in words.

Wish I had thought of this a few weeks ago when trying to do the same for DS.

[Guest BalletAuthor]

Hans, I've been told by someone quite knowledgable about makeup that Mac was originally formulated as a theatrical makeup which is no doubt why it works so well for dancers!

 

My son is an adult and he still hates wearing makeup, although his current AD has finally persuaded him to wear mascara (if you're going to use this use waterproof, because if your ds sweats and you don't, he'll spend the rest of the day looking like a racoon!)

 

For years he has been wearing Mac's lipstick in "Twig" (they have odd names for their colors sometimes). It is exceedingly natural looking on both men and women.

 

If you aren't going to invest in the heavy-duty theatrical stuff like Krylon (and you don't need it until you are a professional and on the stage every day-especialy if you are a man), and if you do not live in a place with a Mac counter (as this is a department store and not a drugstore brand) you can order Mac cosmetics via Mac Cosmetics Website which is a nice site and lets you do things like look at all the lipstick colors in alphabetical order by name or alternatively by hue...Twig looks dark and brownish on the site, but in life it is lovely and appropriate for a man.

 

My ds has extremely pale skin, dirty blonde-light brown hair and green eyes - just to give you an idea of the kind of coloring on which this has worked really well...If you had VERY dark skin, you might want something a bit brighter, but everyone is so right, NO red and no frosted shades either on a boy, please!

[dancemomCA]

Son has been given makeup classes for the year-end performance, with a few more to come. He was told to purchase "Studio Line" from MAC - foundation and contour. He said that they haven't yet got to the eyes and lips class yet - I will mention the "Twig" colour, BalletAuthor, unless he is directed to buy another color. They practised applying the makeup and he told me that he used TOO much - he said he looked like that actor - perpetually tanned George Hamilton, with extremely contoured cheeks!!!!

 

Thank goodness he is getting help!!!!

[Guest happycc]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I sure wished I reread them before doing the end of the year shows. Oh well. No wonder people looked at my son wierd with red lips and racoony eyes. My son has dark brown- black eyes, dark skin-olive complexion and straight black hair.

He is part Chinese, black, white and native american but people say he looks Filipino or Mexican.

He is your all around rainbow swirl child. I will check out the Mac site. The stuff I bought at Target sucked....it dribbled down his face when he sweats.

Carolyn

[Mel Johnson]

Usually, it's best to use dedicated stage makeup, even the water-soluble stuff, and also use powder or makeup fixative as a final "set" for the face. Your son may be in more need of highlights than of darkness near the eyes. I'm pretty beetle-browed, and learned early about this trick. You don't have to do a "whiteface" makeup; just enough to even his own natural skin tones out.

[Guest happycc]

Does anyone know of a good book, video or classes to take on Make up application?

 

Could I go to any make up display at Nordstrom like MAC cosmetics and have them do some stuff on my son?

Carolyn

[Guest happycc]

What are highlights as opposed to darkness?

 

Carolyn

[Mel Johnson]

People who have talent for applying makeup for the office or even a dress occasion have difficulty when it comes to stage makeup. Best to go trial-and-error.

 

And highlights are colors lighter than the foundation, which bring those areas up, rather than let them sink in. Some folks even prefer to use clown white on the cheekbones, then rouge over them. Of course, highlights must be blended, too, to keep the area from having any sharply defined lines.

[Guest happycc]

When you say Foundation does that mean the skin color of the person? I am so sorry about being so dense about this stuff. Like I said I don't wear make and don't read Cosmo or other girlie magazine. I just wash my face with soap in the shower and that is it.