Body and Extremities

It is no longer just the face that needs close attention....

Since more and more skin seems to be showing up in films and on TV, we need to mention parts of the body other than the face and hands.

Elbows, knees, and ankles can look unnaturally dark unless you use makeup to lighten these areas.

Using a cotton bud, or the edge of a sponge, stretch marks on the stomach can be "painted in" to some degree with a liquid makeup two to four shades lighter than the base.

With dark-haired individuals, areas of the body that have been shaved will need the same treatment.

Scars and removed tattoos will take extra amounts of base or foundation. Often, you can use liberal amounts the same shade as adjacent skin.

The makeup needs of dark-skinned people are not greatly different from those that have been outlined. Appropriate shades of makeup are available for most of the darker skin tones; however, to arrive at the needed tone, it may be necessary to do more in the way of blending different makeup shades.

Generally, makeup for dark-skinned people should be applied sparingly. Black males and other males with dark skin may not need makeup at all. They often photograph well without it.

Problems can arise, however, with very dark-skinned black males who do not exhibit a natural skin sheen, since the tonal reflectance level can drop so low that a loss of form and dimension results. It is desirable to preserve these highlights, and occasionally even accent them with baby oil or glycerin.

If hands are to appear on camera, as when products are demonstrated through close-ups, special care must be taken.

Use an appropriate shade of makeup base to ensure that hands match other parts of the body and to minimize wrinkles and color variations.

Nails should be well manicured. Clear or colored fingernail polish can be used. The appearance of the hands should be carefully checked on a TV monitor prior to a production. Extreme close-ups will often reveal makeup flaws that are not normally visible.

Because they are often slightly lighter and redder than adjacent skin tones, ears can be a special problem. Added to this is the fact that back lights will often shine through ears to some degree, further raising their tonal value.

To control this and bring ears back to their proper tonal perspective, they should be covered with a base makeup that is two or three shades darker than the face. The makeup base should then be covered with a translucent face powder.

Bad teeth can be minimized with an appropriate shade of tooth enamel or dentine fluid. Special coverings are available for this purpose.