Fancy February// a guide to stage makeup

Ellie Ji
Feb 17, 2018
5 min read

wowowowow do I have exciting news for you all!!

Remember when I mentioned that I might perform at a Chinese New Year's banquet? Well, it's happening, and in honor of the occasion I wanted to do something a little different this month and talk about stage makeup.

Originally, I had wanted to explain the process I go through when I choreograph dances, but to be honest it's not particularly interesting, even for me (and I'm the one dancing!) Hopefully this post on stage makeup will be fun to read and perhaps provide tips to help you in the future!

Why Stage Makeup?

Stage makeup can end up looking like this in real life: pretty terrifying.

On stage however, it's essential for a successful performance. Due to the bright lights onstage, performers would look washed out and their facial features wouldn't be seen from the audience without stage makeup, which we definitely do not want-- facial expressions play a huge role in dancing.

A Beginner's Stage Makeup Kit:

I have over 15 red lipsticks that are basically the same color-- but as a beginner, you definitely don't need to be that extra. With around $50 and a trip to the drugstore, you can purchase products to create a complete stage makeup look!

Here is a step by step guide to stage makeup, and my favorite affordable product recommendations:

1. Primer is used to create a base for the rest of your makeup. For performances, you want a primer that will prolong the wear of your makeup and keep you matte (that means not shiny). I would recommend the Wet 'n Wild Photo Focus Matte Face Primer ($4.99)-- it'll do all the things mentioned above at a super affordable price.

To use this primer: spread a pea-sized amount of the product all over a clean face.

2. Foundation gives the face an even skin tone, and acts as a foundation (duh) for powder products to stick to later on. For the stage, you want to choose a foundation that's matte and long-wearing. I'd recommend the L'Oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation ($12.99)-- it stays on all day and has 22 shades, so you're likely to find a color that matches you well.

To use this product: put a thin layer of this foundation all over the face with a brush, sponge, or your fingers.

3. Concealer is used to hide dark circles and highlight the face so that it looks more dimensional under the stage lights. For stage makeup, I like using a more heavy-duty concealer such as the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer ($9.99)-- it has great coverage and even offers a shade made especially for highlighting the face.

To use this product: Put concealer under the eyes and up the cheekbones in a triangle shape, along the nose bridge, and any other high points of the face that you want to accentuate. Blend with a sponge, brush, or fingers.

4. Powder sets the creamy foundation and concealer so that your makeup stays matte and lasts all day, even if you're sweating. I like to use a translucent loose powder all over my face to set my cream products. For this, I'd recommend the NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder ($4.47)-- it's SO cheap and works just as well as expensive powders.

To use this product: Dust a thin layer of powder all over the face with a large fluffy brush.

5. Blush is essential for stage makeup because it brings color to the face and prevents you from looking washed out onstage. My favorite affordable blush is the ELF Blush Palette ($6)-- it comes with 4 different shades in one product and has a pigmented, blendable formula.

To use this product: Using a fluffy brush about the size of your cheekbones, place this blush on the apples of the cheeks and blend back towards your temples. For everyday makeup you would want to avoid putting on too much blush, but for the stage it's okay to look like a clown in the mirror-- it won't look like that once you get onstage!

6. Contour is the technique of putting a darker powder in the places where shadows naturally occur on the face is order to accentuate bone structure and make the face look more dimensional. You would usually contour with a cool-toned brown powder like the NYX HD Blush in Taupe ($6.50)-- this product is the perfect shade to creates realistic looking shadows on the face.

To use this product: Using a brush about the same size as the blush brush, place the contour powder in the hollows of your face: under the cheekbones, on the sides of your nose bridge, along the temples, and under your jaw.

7. Eyeshadow adds definition to the eyes. For stage makeup, you usually use shades of brown. I like buying my eyeshadow in palettes, because you get multiple shades in one product. The eyeshadow palette I would recommend is the ELF Cosmetics Mad for Matte palette ($10)-- it offers lots of neutral shades that you can create a variety of looks with.

To use this product: Put a light cream shade all over the lid, mid-tone brown shade in the crease of your eye, and a dark brown or black shade closest to your lash line.

8. Eyeliner, as you can tell from its name, lines your eyes and adds definition. Usually you would do winged eyeliner, where the line extends past your natural eye shape so that your eyes look bigger and more visible to the audience when you're onstage. My favorite eyeliner is the NYC Liquid Eyeliner ($3.60)-- it has great lasting power, and is a rich black color.

To use this product: Apply a line all the way across your lashline, then extend the line outwards towards the tail of your eyebrow. From the end of that line, create a triangle shape by connecting back to the lashline, and fill in the triangle with eyeliner. For the bottom lashline, draw a thin line slightly under your natural lashes to make the eye look bigger.

9. False Lashes are so important because they are the main product that helps the audience to see your eyes when you're onstage. For performances, you should use dramatic, thick eyelashes-- they might look crazy in person but they define your eyes so well onstage. I'd recommend Ardell lashes because they're inexpensive, but they can be reused several times.

To use this product: Apply a thin line of lash glue all the way along the false eyelash band, then wait 30 sec-1 min for the glue to become tacky before applying to the eye. Falsies are the hardest part of stage makeup in my opinion (I'm a complete disaster when it comes to false lashes), so don't be discouraged if it takes a few tries to get it right!

11. Lipstick is a must-have for any performance. You should use a red lipstick that is long lasting and smudge-proof so you don't have to worry about reapplying throughout the day. My favorite red lipstick for performances is the Wet n' Wild Megalast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick in the shade Missy and Fierce ($4.99).

To use the product: Apply the lipstick along your lip line first, then fill in the rest of your lips. To ensure that your lines are clean, you can use makeup remover to touch up.

And there you have it! That was a LOOONG post, but hey-- stage makeup is a long process. This is exactly what I'm going to use for my Chinese New Year's performance coming up in just a few weeks.

If you're still confused about how to apply your stage makeup, they are some great tutorials on Youtube that will take you through the process step by step. Here's some of my favorites:

Channel: Live on Pointe