Theatrical Makeup

If you want the coolest, most unique mug on October 31, forget the mask. Grab some theatrical makeup, instead. When you forgo the pre-manufactured look for an original creation, your alter ego will shine through. If you're not satisfied with the crummy kits from the discount store, you'll want to check into a real honest-to-goodness theatrical makeup kit. Sure, they're not cheap, but if you want to be the star that you are, theatrical makeup is the way to go ...

Use a good brand of theatrical makeup, like Ben Nye (one of the more popular lines), and you can turn your face into just about anything.

With theatrical nose and scar wax, you can make your nose bigger, add a scary scar or two, and give yourself a face full of wrinkles. A snappy bald cap will turn you into a beefy Vin Diesel look-alike. Carefully applied latex rubber can help you pull off that old hag effect with grizzled glee. And you surely can't grow a beard faster than you can glue one on.

Theatrical makeup lets you alter the hue of darn near any body part. Changing your hair color is old hat. What about changing the color of your teeth? A careful application of tooth color will make your pearly whites fade into a wild choice of patinas, like nicotine, zombie rot, and good old decay.

If you're not sure which goodies to buy, you can pick up a ready-made kit. Ben Nye sells kits to turn you into a Ghoul , Cat/Lion, Old Geezer, Skeleton, Witch, Clown, or Vampire. But my favorite is the Deluxe 3-D Special Effects kit. Just the thing for that really messed up look.

Looking for blood? How about a tattoo?

At Reel Creations, you can find a variety of fake blood (of course, they call it "Reel Blood"). And don't forget the temporary tattoo kits. It sure beats getting drunk down at the docks to get the real thing (in either case)!