You’ve absolutely decided, this Halloween you are going as a terror inducing Zombie from the Walking Dead. From blood oozing sores to a glued on prosthetic piece that gives the illusion that both your lower jaw and mouth have been eaten away, you are going full out this Halloween night! And while your costume is going to looking amazingly authentic, the amount of makeup and specialized adhesives that it will take to create such a daring look can often be extremely harsh on your skin. Redness, clogged pores, burning sensations and really itchy patches of skin are just SOME of the possible bad reactions that you can have! But, there are some steps that you can take before and after application to ensure that your skin stays clear after the Halloween festivities have ended.
- Buy Higher Quality Stage Makeup and Use a Barrier Cream/Spray-Although it can be tempting to pick up your Halloween makeup from your local drugstore, little is known about the actual contents of these cheaper priced palettes and results from them can often be problematic to your skin. Breakouts, irritation and clogged pores are much more likely to occur when you use those $10 Halloween store products because you have no way of knowing the ingredients or manufacturing processes that might lead to mild skin irritations to a full blown allergic reaction!
Tip: Research Higher Grade Theater Makeup Brands that professional entertainers use such as: Kryolan and Mehron. And use a Barrier Cream/Spray prior to application-a barrier cream/spray is basically an industrial strength primer for your face and neck that will protect your skin from absorbing highly pigmented makeup products or adhesives. This will prevent your skin from staining if you plan to paint your entire face. - Prep Your Skin-make sure that your skin is deeply cleansed and moisturized before you apply your costume makeup. Your face is like an artist’s blank canvas and it always best to start out with a clean and refreshed palette prior to “painting” it.
- Take Everything Off Before Going To Bed-while it may be tempting to just jump right into bed after your spooky night out on the town, it is very important for your skin that you take all of your makeup off before you go to sleep. Do a deep cleanse and for those of you with Sensitive Skin, it might be beneficial to put on a moisturizing sheet mask for 5-15 mins to calm any redness or irritation.
- Avoid Elmer’s Glue-Due to the “Elmer’s glue DIY facial/blackhead removal masks” trending so heavily recently on social media, it is important to mention it in regards to Halloween makeup application. PLEASE DO NOT use Elmer’s glue on any part of your skin! Although it claims to be non-toxic, glue is NOT safe to use on your skin and it may cause skin irritation, redness, clogged pores and breakouts.
