THE ESSENTIAL MAKE-UP KIT

Guide By Graham Holt

Make-up. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't the type that your momma wore or the kind that you hid from your sister when you were ten. It's the kind that you use to scare the bejeevers out of your mom and your sister. This here is manly make-up so all you guys out there should not be ashamed of it, and all of you gals out there you can scare people in more than one way with this stuff. SFX make-up is a great hobby and very inexpensive to get into, it's a hobby in which the only limits are those of your imagination.

I realize that many of you are trying this for the first time and may be overwhelmed at the number of choices that your local Halloween/drugstore has to offer. This little guide should set you in the right direction. There are some bare bones items that you will need and some of them you should already have so that makes it convenient, but others you will have to go out and buy. Fortunately, none of the items are very expensive and you should be able to find them all for under $20 total.

Basic Essentials:

That's about all that you need to make a decent make-up kit in my opinion (please do not send hate-mail to the author if you do not agree). Since I'm typing this it's going to be done the way I want it, and if you don't like it well that's too bad because I'm not typing this again. What's going to happen is that I will list all the items individually along with their vital information like where to get it, what to do with it once you've got it, and how much it should cost you to get it. Then I will list the uses down below. Please do not steal anything to fill out this list. If you need to steal to start a hobby then you've got other things to worry about. All costs are approximate and may be different in your area. Some of these items you can get at extreme discounts (I'll tell you about this toward the bottom of the page). Anything that is underlined will be explained further down the page in the "Stuff To Do" section. I hope that you enjoy this hobby, as well as my sense of humor, as you read this guide.

Stuff To Get:

	Corn Syrup (Golden Syrup UK alternative)
	Cost: About $3 for a pint
	What it is: Average everyday Karo or other brand corn syrup. Get the clear or white kind. Before you buy some make sure you don't already have some (you don't need a lot).
	Where to get it: Grocery/drugstore
	What to do with it: Make fake blood
	Food Coloring
	Cost: About $3 for a set (red, yellow, blue, and green)
	What it is: This is the same stuff that you use to dye Easter eggs every year.
	Where to get it: Grocery/drugstore
	What to do with it: Make fake blood
	Small Sponges
	Cost: Cheap enough not to worry about.
	What it is: Small sponges sometimes triangular in shape usually yellow or white.
	Where to get it: Beauty Supply Stores, drug stores, Discount stores (Pic n Save)
	What to do with it: Used to apply make-up and blend in make-up.
	Liquid Latex
	Cost: About $2 for a one oz. bottle (if you can get the kink with a brush in it attached to the inside of the lid)
	What it is: an organic rubber that applies wet and dries rubbery and almost clear.
	Where to get it: Drugstore or local Halloween shop.
	What to do with it: Facial adhesive, wrinkle effect, making of prosthetics, 101 household uses. Do not get this in your hair.
	Cream Make-up
	Cost: About $2 a tube (except right around Halloween when it's really cheap)
	What it is: Water based make-up goes on smooth and comes off with soap and water.
	Where to get it: During Halloween season these are at drugstores and Halloween stores (Get them early because they run out of red and blue very fast).
	What to do with it: You can Paint Your Face. The reason you only need red, yellow, blue, white and black is because with these you can mix to make any color you want (remember the color wheels in art class. Yellow+blue=green, blue+red=purple, red+yellow=orange, all three give you brown. Always add the dark color to the light one not the other way around).
	Eye/Lip Liner Pencils
	Cost: $1-$2 each
	What it is: These are really cool make-up pencils that are just like the graphite ones only with make-up instead of the graphite.
	Where to get it: Anywhere that make-up is sold
	What to do with it: With these you can outline clown type make-up (black), make a light cut (red), or make a bruise (blue)
	Toothpicks
	Cost: Almost free
	What it is: A little pointy piece of wood.
	Where to get it: Between the cushions of your couch (that's where I keep mine, shhh don't tell).
	What to do with it: Ideal for mixing make-up, blood and gelatin. Also good to poke out the eyes of gerbils (score one for the guys).
	Empty Film Canisters
	Cost: One of the best things in life (they're free)
	What it is: You know those little black plastic containers that film comes in. Don't forget the lids.
	Where to get it: Just about any place that develops film will be more than happy to give you all that you want(and then some).
	What to do with it: These are great universal containers. If you store liquid in them you should seal the lid with tape and keep it up right at all times.
	Unflavoured Gelatin (not JELLO it has sugar)
	Cost: About $2 for one ounce
	What it is: Unflavored gelatin
	Where to get it: The JELLO section of your favorite market.
	What to do with it: Pour a little into your brother's mouth while he's sleeping OR make a cool Scar Effect.
	Shot Glass or Two
	Cost: Pretty cheap
	What it is: A little glass that holds about one ounce of fluid.
	Where to get it: You can get one of these from your local drunk or you can find them cheap at thrift stores. The only other time that I see them is at tourist type places.
	What to do with it: Handy for mixing blood and other make-up type stuff together.
	Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)
	Cost: Less than $5 depending on brand of cream and a couple bucks for jelly.
	What it is: Make-up remover and petroleum jelly (you probably only need the travel size).
	Where to get it: Where ever make-up is sold
	What to do with it: Helps with makeup removal and also for creating sticky, gooey burns.

In addition to this stuff you will need something to put all of it in. You can use an old tackle or tool box, make something cool out of a detergent box or be unoriginal and buy a make-up case. You also might want a mirror in case you want to put is on while in a car or bus.

And just in case you want to do more with make-up...

Here is a quick list of additional make-up bits and bobs that will allow you to do a wider variety of effects work. For further info on suppliers, use the search bar on this page.

Many Thanks to S.C.R.E.A.M. for the excellent article