Vampires may have been most famous a few years ago, but zombies are starting to catch on quickly with the popularity of shows like "The Walking Dead" and movies like "Warm Bodies." Read on for tips and steps for creating your zombie make-up.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Putting on Zombie Makeup
Step 1. Prepare your face
You can start with a clean canvas, so use a gentle cleanser to remove makeup and remove oil from your face. Rinse with warm water, then pat (don't rub) a dry towel against your face. Don't wear moisturizer or sunscreen. These products can cause latex-based cosmetics to melt.
- Get rid of your hair. If you have long hair or bangs, keep them away from your face when you do the makeup. Tie it into a ponytail, and remove loose hair with a bobby pin or a bandana.
- If you're a man, you may want to shave before putting on makeup or prosthetics. Latex and gelatin can get trapped in the hair, making it painful to remove. After all, when you die your hair won't grow. Whoops.
Step 2. Use latex or gelatin to make the wound (optional)
Liquid latex and gelatin are two ingredients you can use to create really cool zombie effects – like open wounds, bleeding wounds, bite marks and broken noses. While they may sound intimidating or too complicated to use, liquid latex and gelatin are actually very easy to use. An explanation of how these two products work can be found in sections three and four of this article.
- If you decide to use liquid latex or gelatin, they will need to be applied “before” you apply the face paint.
- However, if you decide that these products are too complicated or you don't have the time to find them, just skip to the next step.
Step 3. Apply white face paint or stage makeup as a base
Using a light make-up or a dotted sponge, spread the white over your entire face. Then follow with small and light movements until your entire face is covered with a light layer of makeup. Let it dry completely.
- Create a mottled effect by using the second color on top of the white color subtly. You can use grays for a gray rot effect, red or purple for a bruised effect or green and yellow for a wobbly effect.
- Use the best quality face paint you can find. Cheap, low-quality face paint won't blend well and isn't good for your skin. Try to get high-quality stage makeup – it can usually be found in good costume shops.
Step 4. Draw dark circles around your eyes
Dark, sunken eyes can help make you look dead, roughly injured, sleep deprived, or all of the above!
- Line your lids with a dark pencil eyeliner, then brush outwards. Then use black or brown eyeshadow or face paint to fill in the dark circles under the eyes and around the eyelids.
- Blend around the edges with purple and red paint or shadow to create the illusion of skin that has just been bruised, or with green and yellow for bruises that look older.
Step 5. Make your cheeks look sunken
Zombies often look skinny – good brains are hard to come by! You can achieve this sunken effect by sucking in your cheeks and then gently applying powder or black paint into the hollows. This will accentuate your cheekbones.
Step 6. Darken your lips
Wear black lipstick or face paint to look dead and dry. Also accentuate the creases around the lips with gloomy dark lines.
Step 7. Create the effect of broken veins and bloody scratches
Use a small paintbrush to draw thin blue and purple squiggly lines across the face to resemble broken blood vessels. Take a dotted sponge (or other abrasive sponge) and dip it in the red face paint. Gently wipe the sponge against the skin to create a bloody streak effect.
Step 8. Finish with fake blood
You can buy fake blood at costume shops, or you can make your own, non-toxic version by adding red food coloring to the corn syrup. For each fake blood you need, mix a cup of corn syrup with a teaspoon or two of red food coloring. For a darker, more realistic look, you can also add a drop or two of blue food coloring.
- Apply the fake blood to your upper hair and let it drip down your face, or take some blood with your hands and dip your mouth in it to make it look like you just ate!
- Use a toothbrush for a blood splatter effect. Apply fake blood to the toothbrush, point the bristles at your face, and run your fingers along the bristles from top to bottom.
- Create a dripping blood effect. Dip a sponge in fake blood and squeeze it over your skin. The blood will appear to flow naturally.
Method 2 of 4: Equip the Zombie Effect
Step 1. Put on the scary zombie contact lenses
Zombie contact lenses – which are usually very pale blue or white – can greatly increase the scary factor of your costume. Find such contact lenses on the internet or in costume shops.
Step 2. Make the zombie hair greasy
The undead don't care about their personal hygiene, so they don't attach importance to shampooing. If you want to make your hair look limp and lifeless, rub a lot of conditioner into your hair. You can do this before or after you put your makeup on.
- You can also make your hair look messy and unruly (for a look like you just came out of a coffin) by ruffling or combing your hair back with a small comb. Spray hairspray to hold it in place.
- Sprinkle baby powder into the hair roots for a gray effect
Step 3. Stain your teeth
Like other parts of their bodies, zombie teeth usually decay too. Of course, you can buy dentures at a costume store, but they can feel awkward and uncomfortable to wear and make it difficult for you to talk or eat properly. Solve this problem by staining your teeth (temporarily) using water mixed with a small amount of brown food coloring.
- Hiss the mixture in your mouth and between your teeth, then spit it out. You can also use red food coloring for a gory effect!
- When you're done, brush your teeth with a small amount of baking soda to remove the stain and return your teeth to their original color.
Step 4. Make the costume
The perfect zombie makeup must be supported by a zombie costume that looks real. To make a classic zombie costume, grab a used dress (thrift stores are a good option) and tear it up and dirty it as much as you can. Use scissors, muck in the mud, let your dog nibble on it – the more damaged it looks, the better.
- Make bullet holes in your clothes by making circular marks with a black permanent marker, then dripping or splattering fake blood around the edges.
- What's awesome about zombie makeup is that you can wear it with any costume to instantly turn it into a zombie. Use your creativity to come up with a zombie version of whatever boring Halloween costume you had in mind – become a ballet dancer zombie, tourist zombie or pirate zombie!
Method 3 of 4: Using Liquid Latex
Step 1. Purchase liquid latex
Liquid latex is suitable for making the appearance of a dead person, as well as making wounds or other facial defects.
- You should be able to find them at a seasonal Halloween supply store, or at a beauty supply store.
- Choose a color that looks pale and rotten
Step 2. Use the “stretch and drip” technique
Stretching your skin while you're wearing latex can ensure that you don't leave any areas unaffected. In addition, it will give you a terrible wrinkled effect when the latex dries.
- Gently stretch the area of skin you painted. We recommend doing this technique one area at a time (eg, forehead, one cheek, chin, etc.).
- Using a clean paint brush or makeup sponge, gently apply a thin layer of liquid latex. Apply lightly and make short strokes.
Step 3. Make the shape of the defect or wound
You can use this technique to make your face look deformed, or base it on to get a scabies “scar”.
- Layer latex again to "make up" your makeup. By making a thin layer of latex, rather than smearing it thickly, it provides an even distribution with minimal clumping.
- Mix a small amount of uncooked oatmeal with latex and apply it to one or two small areas of the face. This will look great for a ruffled or masked look.
- Place a layer of tissue between the layers of latex. Get a sheet of toilet paper, and separate the sheets so you can get a single layer. Tear off the edges until you get the shape and size you want. Hold the tissue in one area with one layer of base latex already under it, then apply another layer on top. This will help disguise the smoothness of your skin with a rotting texture.
Step 4. Make a cut or scab on the latex
By carefully tearing pieces of the molten latex apart, you can create large puncture wounds or small scratches on your new skin.
- Use scissors. You should carefully cut the latex until you make the cut you want. Be careful not to hurt your skin!
- Use a toothpick. Just stick it into the liquid latex and pull it to get the wound to open.
Step 5. Fill your wound with blood
Dip a clean paint brush or makeup sponge in the fake blood, and gently apply it to your stab wound or to the area where the oatmeal was applied.
Method 4 of 4: Using Gelatin
Step 1. Make the gelatin a few hours in advance
For the right consistency, use about 1/3 cup (80mL) of water per gelatin packet.
- Color the gelatin. Use some food coloring tests for unnatural colors, or add a little liquid foundation that's a shade similar to your skin tone to make it look like flesh.
- Cut the gelatin into blocks. Store in a bowl or resealable plastic bag.
Step 2. Gently heat the gelatin
If you heat it to a boil, you will destroy the gelatinous structure. Place in a bowl then microwave and heat at 10 second intervals, until the blocks have softened and become slightly sticky.
Step 3. Apply the gelatin to your face to create a prominent cut
Using an ice cream stick or a tongue depressor, apply the gelatin to the desired area. As the gelatin begins to dry and harden, use the stick to pull on the small, flexible threads – this will create more texture around the wound.
Step 4. Allow the gelatin to harden and dry
If you each use a makeup sponge on other parts of your face, be careful to avoid areas of gelatin.
Tips
- Make sure that you are not allergic to liquid latex or other cosmetics by doing a dot check first. To do this, apply a small dab of latex or makeup to a sensitive part of your skin (like the inside of your wrist) and wait fifteen to twenty minutes. If your skin looks irritated or you see a rash forming, rinse off the makeup and don't use it.
- To remove liquid latex, apply a hot, damp cloth to the latex area and allow the heat to loosen it. When it's loose, you'll be able to peel it off easily.
- Don't forget to add fake blood around your mouth to create the appearance of a zombie that just ate. Dab the blood around your mouth, but check first to make sure it's not toxic.
- Put on your underarms. If you mix oatmeal with liquid latex, make it look gooey! Use face paint or green eyeshadow around the area, and mix it with red or black.
- You can create several different types of zombie makeup based on what you're wearing. According to your choice, you can wear different costumes to become cheerleader zombie, nurse zombie, firefighter zombie, etc.
- Mix tissue paper with makeup for a more real look.
