Theatrical Cheetah makeup (pity I didn't have ears handy)

This is the good stuff. Also the hardest-to-get-right fiddly stuff. I got my sister in for this and we giggled throughout the session because she kept making the stupidest faces and twitching her nose. :)

The prosthetic pieces I used was a bald cap and a foam latex 'Rabbit Nose' that felt floppy and delicate. Oh, and it stinks, according to my sis. She had to breathe through her mouth for a while...

To stick it to the face, all you need is to dot Pros-Aide (liquid) Adhesive all around the back edges of the latex (don't cover the whole back with adhesive or you'll have a fun time with removal and your model will hate you.

Rabbit Nose foam prosthetic

The edges can be later smoothed down with Pros-Aide Cream Adhesive so that they blend into the face.

Prosthetic pieces can range from low-grade pre-made types (which was one I used), to high-end custom pieces. The low-grade ones would be more suited to theatrical work, where the audience is at least a few metres away and no one could tell if there's a bit of unevenness around the edges. This will not be acceptable with TV and film, especially with the introduction of High Definition (HD) screens.

xxEva

Recreating Billy the Saw doll

In all honesty I'm not much of a special effects girl. I'll do it and I can do it well, but I just prefer to make people pretty.

Or creepy. I like creepy. It's a much more subtle and effective to give that skin crawling feeling rather than an all out, puke-everywhere-gross look.

And what's more creepy than the Saw doll? :D I have no stomach for scary movies, although I don't mind the Saw series. Apparently, seeing people manipulated, mind-f**ked and tortured doesn't disturb me or trigger any phobias. But seeing a CG ghost on screen will keep me up all night. Go figure.

Given the lack of readily available latex prosthetics, we were taught how to mould wax to the skin and change facial features.

In this instance, I've added wax prosthetics on the eyebrows, cheeks and chin. I had no red contact lenses handy so I just painted the eyes directly on the model's eyelids and asked her to close them to recreate the staring gaze of Billy.

Half-half look created with airbrush, wax, and ageing with creams

Wax is also a pain to work with. If you touch it too much it goes too soft, sticks to everything, and won't hold its shape. The heat of the skin also makes it peel off after a while, so it'll only be good for about an hour or two. Wax is also not recommended for continuity unless you can get the application on exactly the same every time. But for a quick mock-up, it's pretty good.

Tip: Cover your fingers with Vaseline or Pawpaw ointment before handling the wax. This prevents it sticking to your fingers and makes it easier to smooth out fingerprints.

xxEva

Sorry for the overdue post. Decided to head back to the Estée Lauder Corporate Warehouse since they gave me and a girl friend another pass for June in my May visit.

I anticipated a stock over-hail given the amount of stocktake sales on, but it was disappointed to see they had not. Might have been better to visit in July when the sales are all over?

Much of the items were the same, although they did seem sold out of the repair serums I got last time. This haul is nowhere near the amount I found last time and I probably won't be heading back for a while.

Here's what I picked up:

Product	RPP	Price
Estée Lauder Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Lotion (50mL)	$75	$45
Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Foundation in Very Light (30mL)	$68	$41
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Plum Ink	$45	$27
M.A.C Fluidline Eye-liner Gel in Avenue	$32	$19
M.A.C Eye Shadow in Creamy Bisque (Limited Edition)	$33	$20
Total	$253	$152

It took me ages to select my products again. We were in there browsing for at least two hours, but I'm pretty happy with everything I managed to grab.

Now I've promised myself no more makeup purchases until Sydney's IMATS in September.
Reviews to come~

xxEva