Freeze!

I love freeze effects because they can be used for both special effects makeup AND character and beauty makeup!

Freeze FX for the purpose of gore are seen in many films (Titanic, The Thing, etc) to make an actor look as if he/she was a victim to some very cold weather. This usually consists of applying a layer of white face makeup to any exposed skin, creating a pale complexion. Secondly, red blotches are applied here and there, creating the illusion of the early stages of frost bite. And lastly, a whole lot of freezeFX gel and freezeFX cystals! Start first with the areas that would be damp (around nostrils and mouth) then, if you really want to go crazy, apply all over the brows, hairline, beard, everywhere!!

Here's a freeze FX makeup of mine:

Keep in mind, this particular photo is actually quite minimal. If he had been dead quite some time where there was lots of snow and wind, he could have icicles everywhere!

And then there's freeze FX for characters. Remember Mr. Freeze from Batman & Robin? Arnold's makeup is again very minimal, but still gives the impression of someone who is cold and frigged. Another example of this is the Snow Queen from The Chronicles of Narnia. Of course, costume plays a BIG part in these two examples, but you can see how a few makeup tricks really are the icing on the cake.

Here's my version of an ice queen warrior!

Click photos to enlarge.

Burn Effects

Freshly and severally burned skin is one of the easiest and funnest special effects to do, in my opinion. It doesn't have to be very clean or precise [unlike cut, stab wound, bullet wound, etc] and the final results are always great!

I did a shoot with a model Amanda last year, and decided to try something a little different.I had her lay down with her head on a pillow so that she was comfortable, and I sat on a chair beside the end of the couch and worked from there. I got the idea from the great Kevin Aucoin, who did almost all of his makeup applications with the model laying flat on the floor with her/his head between his knees, viewing the model's face upside down, but also in its entirety (rather than stand on the right or left). It worked out really well. Amanda was relaxed and I got to take my time with a better view of the canvas. See below, click to enlarge.

Last Halloween, I applied makeup to the team working at The Dark Side Halloween Store in the Seaway Mall. One of the girls decided to be a chef who was burned like the girl in that WSIB video [WARNING: Do not watch the video in that link unless you are not easily disturbed. I, myself, love all the WSIB videos. :)] So, we went with a less exaggerated version of Amanda's third degree burns, and ended up with a little something like this:

Broken Nail

Its very rare that I can talk Trevor into letting me put makeup on him. Even if its tough and manly makeup, like a busted up fingernail. In fact, I've only had the honor one time.

When we were first dating, he allowed me to do this (see photo left). I split a fake nail down the middle and applied it with regular nail glue. I then built up some latex around the sides for the cuticles. A little bruising here, a little blood there... and VOILA! Trevor's horrific hammer accident.

Now that the honeymoon phase is over, he no longer feels the need to humor me by letting me use him as a guinea pig. I'll have to find my models elsewhere!

Plastic Wrap

On a whim one day last summer, my good friend Josh Ladouceur and I decided to make him up as a corpse and wrap him in plastic wrap. A half-hour and one roll of Glad later, we had this. We took photos in my basement cellar, and out in the driveway. It was VERY hard for Josh to breathe (despite the breathing hole I made him) so this shoot didn't last very long. But it was fun!

I would love to do a set of CSI-esque shoots, forensic photos, etc. If anyone is interested, give me a shout!