homemade fx makeup

Reptilian FX Makeup

The first time I cooked up a batch of fauxtex (homemade latex), I used it to make a Halloween Zombie effect. But I also wanted to see how this latex substitute could be used for non-gory makeup, so I did this reptilian skin makeup as an example of how you can use fauxtex for movie-quality special effects including aliens, beasts, fairies, etc.
I can’t stress enough how easy fauxtex is to work with. While making this reptilian makeup I had all kinds of interruptions that didn’t allow me to focus on perfection. Instead, this was a rushed job that nevertheless resulted in an amazing simulation of reptilian skin despite my not having a dedicated space, professional quality makeup, or much time to work on it. My model “Peaches” loved the effect and showed it off to as many people as she could. The makeup remained fixed, yet flexible and supple on her face for hours.
A breakdown of time spent on this makeup: 5 minutes to make a batch of fauxtex; 15 minutes to cool; 2 minutes to spread random pieces of “skin” on a piece of plastic film; 15 minutes to let the remaining fauxtex cool enough to place in a sandwich bag and squeeze out bumps on the pieces of faux skin; 15-20 minutes to transfer skin patches to my model’s face and paint. This is MUCH faster than working with real latex, and the model is not even needed until the last 20 minutes (or a bit longer if you know how to paint better than I)!
You can watch the video below to see this whole process:

As soon as I get my hands on some Mehron professional makeup colors, I’ll blow this fauxtex out of the water!
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