How To Do Vampire Makeup

Doing your own vampire makeup can be a five minute breeze, or a more involved procedure, whichever is to your taste. Some vampires look entirely human, some just have fangs to give them away and some transform into undead creatures of the night with glowing eyes.

The first thing is do decide how simple or complex you want your vampire makeup to be. If you watch vampire movies, you'll see lots of variation to what a vampire might look like. There are some common perceptions to how vampires look and act, but you don't necessarily have to limit yourself to them. Vampires are often very pale as they avoid sunlight, but sometimes vampires are portrayed as able to go out during the day. Their eyes are bold and dramatic, to emphasize their hypnotic powers. They frequently have visible fangs but showing your fangs is not required. People who dress as vampires have a tendency to accent their wardrobes with period clothing, and the color scheme tends towards the darker and deeper ends of the spectrum.

Deciding how you want to look ahead of time is a good way to save time and money when it comes time to assemble the costume. Once you decide what type of vampire you are, then you can move on to makeup and accessories...

Seriously Undead - Some vampires are more akin to zombies, being more like the walking dead who are up and about for a snack. Discolored skin, wounds and blood running down the chin is a good look for this type of nightcrawler.

Period clothing - Just how old IS your vampire character? Just about any historical period would be possible for a vampire costume. Corn-starch is good for making "dust" on outfits that are supposed to be very old or for vampires that just climbed out of their crypts.

Modern Gothic - Perhaps your vampire keeps up with a more modern style and is fashion-conscious. Clubwear or fetish fashions could work for these characters. Long coats and big boots go well with dark lipstick and fingernail polish.

Everyday Vampire - Does your vampire keep a low-profile? They might just prefer to dress in dark but casual styles. Formal wear also works well for those of you vamping it up at costume parties.

Paleness - some people do white base makeup to get that "no sunlight" look, but I find that using a white face powder is often easier to apply and less messy to remove. Use a powder puff or brush to dust the powder across your cleanly washed face. For non-Caucasian vampires, a face powder that is in the same color family as your skin but lighter is a good option.

Eyes - lining the eyes with a black eyeliner increases the focus and it can also be used to darken the eyebrows a bit. The lining can be subtle or heavy, as you wish. Those with a very generous budget might want to try special "vampire eyes" contact lenses.

Cheeks - most often no emphasis is put on the cheeks which keeps the focus on the eyes and mouth. For a more sinister look, using a dark grey eyeshadow, you can shade under the cheekbones and along the temples to make the face appear more gaunt.

Lips - vampires can have very pale lips (just dust over with the powder) or they can be dramatic with lipstick. Favorites seem to be either blood red or glossy black.

Fake blood - if you want to have some fake blood on your lips or dripping down your chin slightly, it's really easy to make some by mixing up a few tablespoons of corn syrup with a few drops of red food coloring. Add a single drop of blue to the mix to get the red to be less orange and more like real blood. This is cheaper than purchasing fake blood and is non-toxic and ok-tasting to have in your mouth. Watch out for dripping it on white clothes as the food coloring can stain.