The final video, Steel Assassin. Watch now!:
This post is dedicated to those wondering - now how did she come up with that from ... that? I also warn you when asked a question I usually answer it thoroughly beyond interest so I apologize if I ramble a lot, but this is what I do here.
I'm here to break it down for you :)
First things first, this was an assigned project in my makeup class. It's called Stage Makeup, it's a 3 unit course I took last Fall at a small community college. Nope, I do not attend a big makeup school or art school (YET! i want to someday) So, for those interested, maybe you have a similar class available at your local community college!
Second, making the Steel Assassin video was not required or part of the project. In fact, my teacher doesn't know it exists. All she has seen is a picture of the finished look. I don't think she even knows I am this wild with makeup on the Internet yet was one of the quietest people in her Saturday morning class. (Yes, it was a Saturday MORNING class. That's how badly I wanted it)
Anyway, this is all that my makeup teacher saw, plus a little description I wrote on the paper I printed it on about my look:
On these thoughts I was also reminded of movie and video-game characters I've seen in movies like The Matrix, X-men, Blade, Assassin's Creed and Underworld. See any parallels? Also, in all of these movies there seems to be some kind of war going on ... so that led me to the whole assassin weapon hardcore thing. Study the signature parts of some of these characters ... do you see any similarities? :)
But if for some reason someone wanted to hire me to be a Steel Assassin in a movie or something, I'd take it! I'd just make sure to bring a blanket and a box of cookies for when I need some warmth and comfort time hahaha
This post is dedicated to those wondering - now how did she come up with that from ... that? I also warn you when asked a question I usually answer it thoroughly beyond interest so I apologize if I ramble a lot, but this is what I do here.
I'm here to break it down for you :)
First things first, this was an assigned project in my makeup class. It's called Stage Makeup, it's a 3 unit course I took last Fall at a small community college. Nope, I do not attend a big makeup school or art school (YET! i want to someday) So, for those interested, maybe you have a similar class available at your local community college!
Second, making the Steel Assassin video was not required or part of the project. In fact, my teacher doesn't know it exists. All she has seen is a picture of the finished look. I don't think she even knows I am this wild with makeup on the Internet yet was one of the quietest people in her Saturday morning class. (Yes, it was a Saturday MORNING class. That's how badly I wanted it)
Anyway, this is all that my makeup teacher saw, plus a little description I wrote on the paper I printed it on about my look:
What was the assignment? It was called Rock, Paper, Scissors. What it means is, we had to choose one of three elements. Rock (earth, ground, rock materials) For example, this guy in my class drew a mushroom on his face LOL and for Paper ... i guess errm I didn't understand what could be done with paper I'd probably end up becoming a binder paper monster if I chose that SO ... I chose scissors. Metal.
That's all I had to start with. The concept of metal. I remember I wanted to attach aluminum foil to my face. At first I was just going to make myself into The Terminator: female style. But then I realized I wanted something more original. Here's how the ideas got flowing: what do I think of when I think of metal? I think cold, hard, hardcore, metal music, Metallica, platinum, nails, sharp stuff, weapons, war.
I basically ransacked my room searching for all thing metal. Metal rings, necklaces, all the fake (and real?) weapons I had, earrings ... if it could be attached to my face, inserted into holes, tied around my fingers, shoulders or waist or worn, I kept it in a pile then when I tried on the makeup I pick from the pile and see how things look. You should have seen the trial makeup for this look. I looked so weird. I'm glad that wasn't the final look HAHA. I'd show you a picture, but I just cleared my Photobooth so it's forever lost ...
The silver monocle thing around my eye ... I have no idea where I got that. It's the same size as the hoop earrings I'm wearing in the video but I remember, a long time ago I was cleaning my room and I found it somewhere and was about to throw it away, but a part of my mind said WAIT KEEP IT! I thought I could use it for a Lady GaGa look or something someday ... needless to say, I'm glad I didn't throw it away. It was one of the main leads in inspiring me to do this look.
The eyelashes ... you know, originally these things were purchased by me and supposed to be for a very pretty snow pixie fairy holiday makeup tutorial. But the first time I tried them on, they just looked way too harsh ... but I'm glad I got them because they fit this look. I like to think that there is so much metal running through her blood then even her eyelashes thin out in metal strands!
The only contacts I own right now are white out contacts and some grayish teal circle lenses. I don't think I've ever worn the circle contacts in any videos as of today, but you've seen me switch around the white contacts for multiple looks, multiple times. I've had one contact in for so many looks .. Marilyn Manson, my Two-Faced haunted house look and now this. I've been a plain zombie, a demented girl, The Witch (from L4D) and a vampire with contacts both in. I wish I had more funds for more crazy contacts but, for now ... had to work with what I had!
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| Me as Marilyn Manson |
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| makeup by Zachary Sweet |
The metal poles I twirl and have sticking out of my back ... those are actually flag poles. I was a pep flag girl in high school, thus all the twirling (and you can see actually flagging in my Drumline Inspired Makeup Tutorial) However, I stripped down the poles so there was no air resistance so it was a lot harder to twirl them because they move so much faster :P
Filming Day:
Hm, I was soo tired if you can tell fro the video. I look like a mess, I talk funny and I say the wrong words. It's nighttime, if you can tell and it was filmed in a rush during my finals season so I was getting little sleep by then and gosh it was so cold in my house that night. I really just wanted to be in a blanket. But I wanted this to be done.
It took a long time to film. I'd estimate ... 3-4 hours. Possibly more? Why does it take so long? ... because so much of it is spent making sure the camera has battery, is recording, me posing, me having trouble seeing what I'm doing (it's different than being in front of a mirror), me having to run to another room to get something I forgot to bring to the bathroom, me putting up the backdrop with this giant staple gun, the backdrop falling, me getting scared, me thinking of what to do or how to fix something I messed up on .... yes my dears filming a makeup tutorial consciously is a little different than dressing up in the comfort of your room and putting on makeup all up in front of a mirror where you can really see what you're doing. And in this case I had some delay because a lot of the makeup look was improvised and a lot of things I wanted to attach to my face didn't work out so it was a waste ... and liquid latex is smelly and a pain to work with. LOVE what it does for me, but gosh it stinks.
Also, cleaning up after filming a tutorial (especially a messy, special fx one) and filming at night is a pain. I have to stay quiet, and all the metal stuff kept clattering everywhere when I was trying to move it out of the bathroom and with all the blood and liquid latex I had to still take a quality shower after filming to get it all off. And it was cold ... very cold. I had to stop and curl up somewhere to get warm before finishing in fact! Never had to do that before haha.
And this might sound too bold, but sometimes or actually, for a lot of makeup looks, if you want to get into character and get things done for the sake of how it looks on camera, sometimes you have to make sacrifices or more accurately, be a little uncomfortable. I know it's that way in the movie industry, which is actually my dream career, so it's probably healthy to get a tiny dose of the real thing. But I tell you, being attached to all that metal, in the cold with some uncomfortable piercings wasn't my favorite situation to be in. But I knew that it'd all be worth it when I looked back at pictures. Cause I don't even plan on putting myself in that situation ever again... at least, the being too cold part. I had shivers after, I was rolled into a ball in my room.
Here are some of the best shots of the final look:
Watch my Behind the Makeup video here!
And PS - I'm planning on doing a Matrix, Underworld and some Xmen inspired looks in the future :) Some wearable, some Halloween/extreme.
I hope you enjoyed this very thorough break-down and insider into making this look!
OH and before I forget ... any Red Alert veterans out there? Please tell me you recognized the HELL MARCH song in the video :) It's remixed (i'm a sucker for remixed music, I openly admit it) but yes ... I used to play Red Alert! That song is darkly inspiring.
And if you have a tumblr ... please see mine here, just got it! http://audivila.tumblr.com/
The last thing I want to say is ... I know you know by now that I did not enjoy being cold while filming this tutorial (I think I was on the verge of getting sick too) BUT ... what I think is kind of ironic and scary and cool is the fact that ... my concept for this character was that she is a prodigy at metal weaponry, but cursed to always have metal running in her veins, emerging from her skin, making her literally cold-blooded, never warm. And then here I am, filming it, freezing and very uncomfortable but upholding a RAWR IMMA KILL YOU expression in the video. Sometimes you really have to turn into your character to be convincing eh?
