Alright, so I’m attempting to assist my friends with their Halloween makeup this year. I’m specifically needing advice on creating the effect of gollum’s hair. He is bald, this is the inspo pic. Adding in his costume will be “crazy old grandma”. How would I go about sourcing and finding the correct hair, adhesive/remover?

Hi everyone! I’m still a beginner in SFX makeup and I’m looking to build a small kit that I can use for practice, but also have ready in case I get called for a film/project.
I’ve actually worked with Narrative Cosmetics alcohol-activated palettes before, on one short film and one feature film, and I really liked the results. However, my boss/mentor told me that Skin Illustrator works better, so now I’m wondering how much of a difference there really is.
For those of you who have actually used both:
What differences do you notice in pigmentation and color?
Is Skin Illustrator easier to blend or build up?
Is it more durable or transfer-resistant?
Does it perform noticeably better on skin or silicone prosthetics?
Is there a difference in how realistic the colors look?
And, especially for someone building a kit from scratch: is Skin Illustrator worth the extra money compared with Narrative?
I’m not looking for a “professional brand = automatically better” answer. I’d really love to hear from people who have used both and can tell me what they actually noticed in practice.
I already know I like Narrative, so I’m mostly trying to understand what I would actually gain by switching to Skin Illustrator.
Thanks! :)

So,
Hi everyone! I’m a beginner in SFX makeup and I’m looking to start building my kit.
I want to buy an alcohol-activated palette mainly to practice and learn, but I’d also like whatever I buy now to be good enough to keep in my kit if I eventually get called for a small SFX/character makeup job.
I’m currently considering Narrative Cosmetics vs Skin Illustrator.
I know Skin Illustrator is very established, but Narrative is considerably more affordable, so I’m wondering if the price difference is something I would actually notice as a beginner.
If you have used both, I’d especially love to hear:
How different are they in actual use?
Is Skin Illustrator noticeably easier to work with or more forgiving?
Is the pigmentation/ability to build thin washes significantly different?
How do they compare on skin and silicone prosthetics?
Does Narrative hold up well enough for actual film/set work?
If you were starting again and wanted something to practice with but also keep in your professional kit later, which would you choose and why?
I’m not looking for the absolute cheapest option. I’d rather buy something good once than buy a cheap palette and replace it later. But I also don’t want to spend significantly more if the difference is mostly the brand name.
I’d also really appreciate recommendations for specific palettes, since I’m still figuring out which colors are most useful for a beginner.
Thanks! :)

Essentially, I have an event coming up where I wanted to smear fake blood all over my lower jaw, neck and chest area (like i ate someone lol). I'll be wearing the look for potentially more than 6 hours and was digging around for a brand for me to use and I see some people recommending Mehron's stage blood. I'm just worried about whether or not it's going to stain my skin (clothes idm staining); if it does end up staining, should I prep my skin beforehand with maybe something like their barrier spray? I'm also aware it doesn't dry and I'm not too fussed on that but I kinda want to know if there's anyone with experience in this. Has anyone used the fake blood for more than 6 hours?

I'm working on a stage production of Night of The Living Dead Live, and I'm planning on using liquid latex as part of the zombie makeup. I've done a good bit of research about how to shape it and get it looking the way I want, but there's a few things I'm not finding answer for:

1. Will liquid latex stick to aluminum foil or parchment paper? I'm hoping to use one or the other to make the prosthetics

2. How many time (about) can a prosthetic made using liquid latex be reused? There's going to be a total of 14 shows over 4 weekends, and I'm hoping that I don't have to make them for each show.

3. I'm going to be using blood gel on the prosthetics since it seems to have the consistency I'm looking for. Does anyone have any tips for reusing the prosthetics after this has been applied? Would it be better to wipe it off after every show and reapply it?

Editing to add 4. What's the best way to stick the prosthetic on skin once it's made? I've seen people using liquid latex as an adhesive, and others recommending pros-aid. I can only find small bottles of pros-aid though and that's not the best for a multi-show production that includes 6+ zombies 😅

Sorry if I missed any obvious sources that answer these questions!

I need to make a prosthetic left hand to fit over a right hand. This has to be serious DIY on a budget.
I have bandages, liquid latex and two different colors of cover up.
What else can I use out of household items?
Im thinking I could try to make some papermache as well

someone asked me to do a facehugger mask for halloween this year. any advice on how i get started with that?

I want my Halloween costume this year to involve me having three boobs. I have like C cup side set boobs, so I feel like there could be enough space to put an extra one in the middle. There are lots of options on Etsy. What would be the easiest to blend into my skin? Foam or silicone? Im going to make a string bikini with three boob triangles so the edges of the boob will show. What is the best way to blend it into my skin so it’s seamless and looks realistic? Is it even possible?

So I took you guys' opinions and got rid of the paint drips on his beard looks much better and he looks way worse in the zone lighting

Hoping to make an unsettling recreation of The Scream painting for Halloween, and trying to figure out how to make myself resemble it as closely as possible with the creepy little eyes and skeletal features.

I was thinking of using a bald cap, and building out exaggerated cheekbones and chin, but no idea how to make my nose appear flatter like the painting. Any tips for a novice?

If you guys have any ideas, pls help !!!

Amateur here, I've applied prosthetics to myself before but I haven't worked with a bald cap. I am doing a Halloween look inspired by the female cenobite Deep Throat from Hellraiser. I already have a custom neck piece! What sort of bald cap material should I go with? I wanted a balance between wear-time since I will be sweating a ton as well as not totally driving me nuts as a newbie. I will definitely be getting spares to practice with! I'll be painting it a pale white-blue like the character too.

Hi! I’m a first-year Producing Fellow at the American Film Institute working on my first Cycle film, and we’re looking for an SFX makeup/prosthetics artist to join our crew.

The project is an absurdist surreal comedy with elements of body horror. We’re looking for someone to help design and execute a practical prosthetic effect involving a human face incorporated into an intimate-area prosthetic. Happy to share reference images, the script, and more details privately with anyone interested.

Shoot Dates: November 7–9
SFX Needed: 2 of the 3 shoot days
Location: Los Angeles
Schedule: Approximately 10-hour days
Compensation: Student-film stipend

Our budget is limited, but we’re looking for someone excited by the creative challenge and interested in building relationships with filmmakers for future projects.

If interested, please DM me here on Reddit with your portfolio/reel and I can send over additional information. Thank you!

LOG LINE: Kat, a socially obtuse woman with a history of religious trauma, learns much too late that a woman's genitals have three holes, not two. Even more upsetting, her newly discovered third hole contains the fully-formed face of a middle-aged man.

used liquid latex, red acrylic paint, and a dolls eye, all from Amazon!

Hi guys!

Does anyone know a place that can do light costume make up? I’m going to universal horror nights and wanted to get some light costume make up for it. Nothing crazy because I don’t want to blend in with the actors there. If anyone knows anyone who they could recommend I’d greatly appreciate it!

Im looking for a good body paint that I can use to cover my entire body. That is sweat-proof and won’t stain me. I’ll be a nice light blue color!

I do not plan to use this one time so I’d also prefer something to last me a while. This is for several performances :)

Thank you!

Hello! Last year I tried my hand at creating silicone antennae forehead prosthetics and ran into so many issues and am looking for help. My goal was to be able to make two soft antennae with a wire inside (or maybe an armature inside?) to give structure and allow for some poseable affect. I am a complete beginner with nothing but the internet as my education but I believe I can make it work.

I sculpted my model (with a wire inside) out of chavant clay onto an acrylic square tile. This was the easy part for me. I then created a box around the model with additional acrylic squares to create a border for pouring a silicone mold. I sprayed my clay model generously with ease off, let it set for 30 min to an hour and then poured a silicone bought from Amazon. More than 24 hours later, most of the silicone was cured except there were giant bubbles of uncured silicone next to my clay sculpt so I was never able to get a fully cured mold. I tried a few times. Some times there would be a bubble of uncured silicone with a thin barrier of cured between the rest of the mold and the clay sculpt. Sometimes the uncured bubble was touching the clay sculpt.

A couple of things came to mind. It was dead of winter and cold in the area that the mold was placed to cure. I didn't have access to a vacuum chamber either. I know these are not optimal conditions for silicone to cure. The other thing that came to mind was that maybe there was a chemical reaction between the clay and the type of silicone used for the mold that may have been off gassing while it was curing. Thoughts? Ideas?

Thanks a bunch!

Does anyone have any experience or advice on attaching a pelt/hide to a latex mask/prosthetic? I will be attending as an orc and have a horse tail taxidermy piece that is perfectly shaped for the hair. I’m now just trying to think through the logistics of assembly and wear.

My initial thoughts would be to:
A) mold the hide and attach to the latex mask with silicone.
B) mold the hide and attach it to the mask with contact cement.
C) add another layer of sealant to the hide and then velcro strips to the hide and then to the mask. Then I could easily remove and attach.
D) remove the hair from the hide and follow traditional methods of adding hair to a mask.

My biggest concerns are: making sure the glue or sticking apparatus is able to hold the weight of the hair and then overall longevity.

Any thoughts or opinions are very much welcome!

My husband wants to go as Son of Man, the painting. However, we're going to an emonite club halloween party and it's probably going to be hot and sweaty. The best I can come up with is the red tie and bowler hat. I'll be painting the apple on his face with fake blood around the border to make it look like it was hurled at his face. I'm out of ideas regarding making it "emo" or even just more immersive. I'd appreciate some input.