cupcake_goth | Posting madness: makeup tips for a specific look?

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Posting madness: makeup tips for a specific look?

Help me, oh LJ Hivemind! I have an upcoming photo shoot where I need to look, er, mad. Not angry, but crazy. I would also prefer that the mad look be at least a bit flattering, because I'm vain. (Look, I will freely admit to my vanity. I am not in denial about it.)

Anyway, yes. Mad-looking makeup. I'm thinking of something vaguely Emilie Autumn-ish, but without the heart or the exaggeratedly-tiny lips.

But maybe more pinks and deep purple/browns, instead of red and black, because I've learned that trying to do that sort of look in red and black makes me look tired and unwell.

So, this is where I turn to the LJ Hivemind! Give me suggestions or tips for doing flattering-yet-mad-looking makeup, please! Thank you.

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I say rim the under and inside lid of your eye with red, then blend to pink then do a deep brown. Top eye lid should be black.

By inside lid I mean the corner of the eye. Maybe a little white powder right under that eye corner. I would use a good shadow for the cheeks and nose. Lips should be pointed and shinny black/purple-red.

Crazy fake eyelashes with some odd little details on the outer edges perhaps?

Oh, and don't forget contouring your cheeks and nose to create hallow cheeks, or whatever effect in the contouring department you are going for.

It might be tricky to pull off but maybe try incorporating subtle inconsistency in the makeup (maybe making the under of one purple and the other one pink?). This will throw off the eye and give a sort of surreal or uncanny feel to the look if it's done right. As always with something like this, it's always more fun to experiment than anything. Oh and I think your color choices are pretty spot on for what you're looking to do though do feel free to incoporate red in there. I see no reason it couldn't be blended into the other color as an accent.

Best of luck!

This + don't evenly match the shape/size of your undereye make-up. Uneveness or difference between the two will lend to uncanniness.

http://fryemuseum.org/images/collection_images/1952_099.jpg

Edited 2010-02-10 23:26 (UTC)

Definitely the most "madness" I've ever personified in a photo!

Ah-ha! Thank you, darling I will be using that as inspiration, oh yes.

I'm so happy to help and can't wait to see the end results!

For the eyes, we literally wet down some of the makeup and "dragged" it down my face a bit (either with a Q-tip or a brush... can't remember) to give it that recently-cried look. I think it added a lot to the not-at-all just right look ;)

Oh, that's a pretty, pretty picture! And I can't wait to see

cupcake_goth's take on it!

Your current icon makes you look like the Mad Hatter. If you're looking for something different than that maybe along with the crazed makeup you could tease the hell out of your hair as well, but leave a ringlet or two here and there for contrast.

I need to look more Mad Hatter-ish than this icon, but thank you! And yes, teased-out hair is part of the plan.

Using browns or greys underneath your regular colors and blending gives a gaunter look. Shading the neck helps too, even the with the little bit of neck that you usually show. I'll stretch my neck out like a chicken and brush the contours lightly. Add in the pale lips, with maybe a touch of blue underneath foundation. For really mad, a touch of dark liner at the back (inside) of the lips, maybe?

Since madness is usually conveyed with the eyes, I'm thinking go really pale with your face AND lips. This will give your eyes the center stage. Give your eyebrows as high an arch as you can. Also, Chanel makes a great looking eyeshadow color called Magic Night, which is a smokey burgundy-ish color that I prefer to call "Bruise" to myself. Experiment with that and black in some combination. And don't forget to muss up your hair! Insane people always have unkempt looking hair!

I went and looked at some of my favorite examples of madness for some ideas and got none, but maybe you will.

Here's Creature Feature's Buried Alive. At 2:30ish they show some tight shots of Curtis Rx's makeup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b704tlVZqs

He looks beautiful as always yet completely fucking mad. Maybe you need a less angular face though...

http://www.youtube.com/user/mychemicalromance?blend=3&ob=4&rclk=cti#p/u/8/hxhdhBRP06Y

Gerard's face also seems to make use of the Big Eye Circles... though they're both being not only mad but corpsy

So, where are some good Gee Way Crazy Eyes sans deadness?

http://www.youtube.com/user/mychemicalromance?blend=3&ob=4&rclk=cti#p/u/7/pyi0ZfuIIvo

Why, yes, it seems I HAVE taken your reasonable question and gone on a mad tangent in order to look at pretty boys being pretty.

Random tangent -- okay, I am now a fan of Creature Feature :D :D :D

And I'm taking makeup notes, because I've never been all that good at doing eye-circles without looking hungover!

-- A <3

Hijacking random tangent -Creature Feature, yes!!

Hollow-looking, overly-bright eyes go a long way to convey "mad" - dark makeup around the eyes to emphasize the whites and give the impression of hollowness and lack of sleep, and either continue the dark through the socket/underlid or use a slightly bruised-looking color. Make the rest of your face pale, to emphasize the air of uncanniness and to help the dark makeup and eyes pop out more. Something like this:

Artfully smeared but otherwise-perfect shadow or lipstick is another signal of "something isn't right" - it doesn't have to be much, and if overdone it starts to slide into the "kinderwhore" look (and it's easy to over-do) but it can be effective.

I would suggest drawing on very long, spidery eyelashes along the bottom of your eyes, and the tips at the top shooting up to the brow bone.

So many good suggestions! I second the slight differences between eyes, artful smudging, crazy false eyelashes... My suggestion, add something completely and totally atypical to the overall look. For example, if the theme of the look were Victorian to use an element that is from a completely different time period like the present or the 1920s or something. Or a color that is completely out of place with the rest, like neon green. Just a hint of something... off. =P

Totally irrelevant but, hey Jilli, are you familiar with Katy Towell and childrin r skary of http://www.skary.net ?

Because if you aren't, you should be.

Edited 2010-02-11 01:21 (UTC)

ooo yes more lady Mat Hatters :)
For my makeup (and bear in mind I'm not very good at makeup at all!) I mixed purple eyeshadow with black under my eyes to get that exhausted crazy hysterical look! if that makes sense. I found that purple lipstick helped with the crazy too :)

that image is photo shopped to give her that look.

For the eyes use the eye makeup from this vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W245_LgsJpc
or do the eyes from this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-2rDnWCJA

For a manic look on the lips pale pale pink with a thin layer inside of a dark red when there puckered a few times they will blend in a way to look frazzled but not stupid.

when is the shoot? do you want me to come over with my makeup and we can try a few different looks out?

My suggestion is to subtly use shading to make your face look asymmetrical.

I've actually always considered hair more conducive to that look, personally...

I suggest somewhere between Emilie Autumn and:

http://quizilla.teennick.com/user_images/S/SE/SES/Sesshomarufan1/1141532823_fGerardWay.jpg

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Posting madness: makeup tips for a specific look?

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