RALentines - Behind the Scenes

Here's the promised play-by-play for the Ral look. As a note, I do the make up a LITTLE different every time... What can I say? I'm (mostly) human. Over the effect is similar, but I've definitely varied the degree that I shade or how I do the effect for facial hair.

1. I start EVERY look with my hair already up in a wig cap and an anti-slip headband. Keeps my hair out of my face plus I'd end up smudging everything if I tried to do it later. This is also where you put on whatever base layer you usually (primer/lotion/etc).

2. I put my contacts in next. I DO not trust myself to touch my eyes and put them in once I've got all my make up on. Some people can use those little applicator sticks for their contacts but I absolutely cannot. The contacts are hardly super important here, I know a lot of people who don't like cosmetic contacts or can't use them. I just like happen to have a pair I like that I think work for the character.

3. Start contouring! The first layer I do is a color a few shades darker than the stuff I used for my base foundation. I put this darker base on everything to block out what I'm going to eventually build on: under my cheekbones, under my jawline, under my eyebrows and the sides of my nose. My face is pretty round, the goal here is to start making it look more blocky and angular.

4. Define those angles and add shadows. THIS I do with neutral and warm gray colors, usually from a matte eyeshadow palette rather than products specifically marketed as contour products. A few reasons: First, Ral's got really dark hair and the wig I got is a very deep, true black and I want everything to match. If my face was all shades of brown and my hair was black it would look weird, I promise. Especially since Ral is such a scruffy boy and half of what I need to do is give my face some of that 5'oclock shadow. Second, I have a very pretty cool/pale complexion and contour products tend to be warmer browns so they don't make people look pale and sickly. But I want to use a TON of stuff here to get the effect I want and I realized pretty quickly that using too much warm-tone product makes me look orange and gross (thick the worst spray tan you've ever seen).

5. Eyebrows are a combination of black eyeshadow and a brow pencil, gotta make sure I can make some super smug faces. I use the same shadow/pencil combo to add scruffy lines for the illusion of some facial hair. Then I mug in front of my mirror for a while to make sure that I've got enough crap on my face - usually when I look like I'd punch me at a bar for trying to talk to me I'm satisfied and finished.

6. The wig is last. Its a lace front so I stick it down onto my head with toupee tape and some spirit gum and/or eyelash glue and then blend the bits of the lace that are visible over with whatever color matches that part of my face. I match up/draw in sideburns with the same shadow/pencil combo I use for brows. If the wig has any flyaways I'll hit it quick with some light-weight hair spray.

And that's its? Then you get to goof around your house and take a bunch of selfies as the Electric Gay Prince.