Fantasy Make-Up

Three fantasy films with interesting make-up is Roald Dhal's The Witches, Harry Potter & The Chambers Of Secrets & Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.


Majority of the make-up used in the Harry Potter films have now been replaced by the use of CGI special effects, however here is how I would recreate Hermione's cat look in the Chamber of Secrets film after she'd taken the polyjuice potion.

Prosthetics could be used to create the appearance of the prominent feline nose & mouth features which would be held onto the face by a special glue. The facial hair could be made on a malleable block, like that of a fake moustache or eyebrows, & applied to the face & held on using spirit gum to make it look like fur. Contact lenses could then finish the look to create the overall realistic cat appearance.


Jack Sparrow's 'Tribe Leader' eight eye Make-Up would be simple to recreate but is really effective as a make-up illusion.

The overall look can be recreated using greasepaints or face paints. The eyes are just an example of the illusions make-up can create on a person, although they look like real eyes they are infact painted on his eyelids - creepy! To create this look I would first use a foundation on the face. I would then block in the colour, like the green on his nose & the yellow on his cheeks, using greasepaints. To start the eyes I would start with the white, as drawing the outline in black to start could be smudged out by the white when it gets filled in. I would then mix some colours on my hand to make an eye colour which is natural looking & apply this ontop of the white to create the iris - once I have done this I could also add some subtle strokes of darker & lighter tones of colour to make the eyeball look more realistic - & finish with the pupil & some light reflections. Then I would outline the eyes in black & add the lines leading upto his nose. As I would use greasepaints for this particular look (as I can blend colours together easily, for example the eye colour) I would need to set this well using a generous amount of translucent powder - particularly on the eyelids as the colours may smudge & crease.


The Grand High Witch - from Roald Dahl's 'The Witches' - is transformed into her true appearance by prosthetics & special effects make-up.

A silicon mask was used in the film to create the Grand High Witch's scary apperance, however, I'm going to explain how I would recreate this look as a simplified version. I would apply a bald cap & blend this into the skin first. I would then apply the prosthetic pieces, for example her nose, chin & the stretched skin on her ears using a glue to make them stick. I would then use dermawax on the face to create her prominent cheeks & forehead & latex to create some extra stretched, hanging skin which I could fill with tuplast in some areas to make the appearance of warts. With all of this blended into the skin appropriately, I would then start her make-up - greasepaints could be mixed together to make her almost decaying looking skintone & also be used to highlight & shade any areas such as her cheek bones or temples to make them look sunk in. I would also use a purple on her eyelids & a red on her lips as shown in the picture. To finalise the look I would use some brown teeth paint to emphasise the disgusting, scary witch look.

The History of Make-Up

Make-Up has been used all around the world for thousands of years & defines numerous eras & cultures. A particular era that interests me is the Ancient Egyptians.

The Egyptians were renowned for their thickly lined eyes, & are apparently the creaters of khol eyeliner. Make-up had no limits in Egypt, both men & women lined their eyes to create the appearance of the Pharoes they worshipped & believed that their eye make-up would deter evil spirits. They were very particular about their eye make-up & popular shades of eye make-up colours were black & green. Henna was also used to color hair, lips and nails.


Egyptians believed strongly in cleanliness & considered facial or body hair a sign of neglect and uncleanliness. Tweezers with blunt or sharp edges were used to remove hair. Various oils & perfumes were used to protect their skin from the hot climate & prevent body odor. They were fond of strong scents & made perfume by extracting scents from flower, fruits and seeds.


Human hair wigs were also popular amongst the Egyptians. They would shave their hair & replace their natural hair with wigs. These wigs were precious to them & they kept them clean by washing them & keeping them in a box with cinnamon to keep them smelling nice.

The Egyptians used many different materials as make-up. Saffron & burnt almond were used as eyeshadows, chalk was used to whiten the face & wine was used to stain the lips like a lipstick. Cleopatra would also bathe in milk to keep her skin soft, many which could argue created the original 'body milk' moisturiser.


Although modern make-up contains different materials & there is many more different products available, Ancient Egypt created the fundamental make-up products which have been developed & redesigned through to the modern age - something that they should be eternally thanked for! :)

Favourite Make-Up Products

5. Rimmell Stay Matte powder - I've been using this powder for years. As my skin is quite dry, I use a liquid foundation which can leave my face appear oily & looking like a melted welly - I use this powder ontop of my foundation to mattify my complexion & make it look flawless.

4. Soap & Glory 'Sexy Mother Pucker'- This is my favourite lipgloss. I love the red tint of colour & the gloss is quite sticky which makes it stay on for a long time.

3. St Moritz fake tan - Because life is better with a tan :) I think this is a great product, I use the mousse because I find it really easy to apply & it lasts for days without getting patchy. The colour is very natural looking & can be built up over a few days to make it darker if desired.

 2. Eyelure 'Miss Kitty' false eyelashes - I love fake eyelashes & these suit my eye-shape really well - I have hooded eyes & I find that they make my eyes look bigger & make them stand out more. The length is perfect as they are not too short to the extent that you can't notice them, but not too long to look tacky or scary!

 1. 'Eyebrows-A-Go-Go' by Benefit - My favourite make-up product! I was given this as a birthday present & I've never looked back. I'm obsessed with eyebrows & this mini kit has all of the essentials. It comes in a cute compact with two eyebrow powders, a wax to keep your eyebrows in shape, a highlighter, a cream eye brightener, pencil eyeliner, an applicator brush & tweezers. Although it seems quite pricey, the product lasts for a really long time - I've had mine for nearly a year now & it's nowhere near done & I use it everyday - also the quality is amazing, definitely worth the money.

Three Fashion Icons

My three fashion icons are Lady GaGa, Nancy Spungen & Marilyn Monroe - I find all three have made a valuable contribution to fashion throughout the eras & inspire me by their individual fashion styles & make-up looks.


Lady GaGa inspires me as her fashion is a representation of her art form & creativity. Although she is a musician, her 'GaGa' persona is defined by her contraversial costumes & make-up - she is a character. I love her look as it is constantly changing. Through use of colour, false eyelashes made from unconventional materials such as feathers & glitter, wigs & even prosthetics, Lady GaGa is always in the fashion limelight; her make-up styles are so renowned & popular that she has launched a special edition lipstick & lipgloss for MAC Cosmetics & has been in numerous photoshoots to promote their products.   

Lady GaGa's look inspired me to experiment more with my own make-up, especially her defined eye-brows which were used in her 'Telephone' music video & playing card inspired false nails in her 'Poker Face' video which fascinated me to look more into her make-up styles. She also attracts me to make-up artistry as she shows how using unconventional looks have a part to play in modern make-up styles, completely transforming someone into someone, or something, else to cause shock & wonder, often like that of an artist. With her use of prosthetic horns, fangs & sharpened nails, Lady GaGa depicts that make-up has no limits & that character make-up is not just for film or TV.


Nancy Spungen is another fashion icon of mine as I like her trashy, punk style. As the girlfriend of Sid Vicious from The Sex Pistols, she inherited the Punk look which was seemingly created by the band manager, Malcom Maclaren's wife & business partner - fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. After the 'Free Love' era of the 60s, Punk developed from a divide in political opinion in the 1970s & created a revolution in music & fashion,- people wanted to rebel & express themselves & their opinions freely, particularly through image.

Despite being a Punk icon in London, Nancy kept some of her American Glam Rock styles & mixed leather with leopard print & accessorised simple outfits with studs & chains & instead of dawning a mohican or a shaved head, she was well known for her peroxide blonde perm. By mixing two completely different fashion styles together, she created her own look & therefore did not 'belong' to a particular sub-culture.


 Nancy's make-up reflects her personality portrayed by the media - brashy, loud & attention seeking. As a previous groupie of the New York Dolls, her make-up was very typical Glam Rock with dark red lips & magenta blusher on her cheekbones which she made more Punk Rock by lining her eyes thickly with black eye-liner & black eyeshadow - a look which was very popular with both male & female Punks & still is today. Many modern make-up professionals would argue that lips, blush & eye colours should compliment eachother & not clash, however Nancy, took this as an opportunity to rebel & used both her clothes & make-up to make a bold statement that she didn't care what people thought of her & that she could do whatever she wanted, which is one of the reasons why I admire her.

My final fashion icon is Marilyn Monroe. She attracts me to make-up artistry as her look was very natural & classy, yet she could transform  herself into a glamorous, sex-symbol just by the use of make-up. Her natural look is defined by her flawless skin, blushed cheeks &  highlighted features which gave her the sweet, flirtatious look she is renowned for. Marilyn’s 1950s make-up has influenced many women throughout the eras to the present, including myself, as it is a look that can be adapted to suit anyone: for example blushers & highlighters can matched to suit different skin tones & wearing an eye-shadow that compliments your eye colour can create a subtle yet striking look.

Marilyn is also very well known for her trademark red lips & beauty spot, which is now distinguished as the traditional ‘pin up girl’ attire, a look which Dita Von Teese & Paloma Faith are now famous for wearing.

The 50s theme is also a popular selling point for some make-up brands such as Benefit & Soap & Glory, often using retro, black & white images of natural, confident women which attract myself & many others to their products in order to re-create Marilyn’s look. The 50s is also still a popular theme for make-up shoots in majority of magazines all around the world – this shows how iconic her make-up style is & allows Marilyn’s classic image to be introduced to a new generation of people.

She is an ambassador for the abnormal which is why so many people respect her, as she is not afraid to push the boundaries & be herself. Which has inspired both men & women to experiment with make-up & not be scared to express who they are.