I’ve seen a lot of inspiring YouTube makeup videos. It’s pretty much replaced makeup school.
It’s fair to say that Skull makeup is probably one of the most common makeups on YouTube.
There’s sugar skull makeup, half skull makeup, cracked skulls, skin peeling skulls, skulls with hair, skulls with jewelry, you name it.
I’ve watched a ton of skull makeup tutorials too. I’d even argue I’ve probably seen them all.
But that was a long, long time ago.
That’s what made me so nervous about doing my own skull makeup. I haven’t seen a skull makeup tutorial in years.
I purposefully stayed off of YouTube so I could flesh out this skull makeup without relying on someone else’s tutorial.
Referencing a Skull
Okay. No YouTube. Which was cool because I thought it’d be better to look at the real thing.
I looked around at different pictures of skulls. Then I found it.
The Human Skull that I used as a reference can be found here.
I immediately loved the color of this skull.
So many skeletons are done in stark white and the blackest black. I wanted to try my hands at mixing colors and decided this was my chance.
What I learned
Look at the curriculum of any makeup school. 9 times out of 10 you’ll see coursework on learning about the skull and facial structure.
Having never been to a makeup school, I think knowing skull structure is the secret to makeup success.
It’s like a little weapon you can whip out and make your work look good every time.
I was really happy with the color. Though it was not an exact match to my reference skull, it was still different from using plain white, which I liked.
1.) I wish I’d taken pictures as I went along. I’ll have to remember to do that next time.
2.) I used cream makeup. I didn’t set it with powder, but I can see why that’s important. Cream makeup does NOT last.
3.) My camera didn’t pick up on the layers of paint I attempted and the stippling. Maybe I should be less subtle? Or get a new camera? (Or both?)
4.) I did not like how the teeth came out. I’m biting the inside of my cheeks in the second picture. It helped me get the shape I was looking for.