So this is the entry I guess some people have been waiting for. To see what my costume for the Nuffnang Halloween Silent Party looks like, and whether I can come up with a scarier look than my Joker effort during the Dark Knight premiere.
Ok, so here's a mini tutorial before I reveal my look, as I show what techniques I used, so hopefully you guys can some up with something like this too in the future, cause this is the last time me doing effects make-up and I'd love to see more people experimenting with effects make-up.
So after collecting everything I needed, including a last minute acquisition of a wig I wanted to destroy to become my prop and accessory, I was ready to rumble! Had to make up and get ready in a friend's place in Pandan Mewah and drive the distance in my costume, so was praying takde orang mati terkejut tengok my look on the way to the venue.
Ok, now on to the process. If you guys wanna recreate this look, contact me ok. I'm no professional effect make up specialist, but I think even though I've done it only about three times now, I have the basics pretty tight already - and since I'm never going to another costume party like this (story below), I am more than willing to share the secrets on how to get the look. Which by the way arrogant as it may, I think is better than some stuff we see in local TV dramas or movies.
Here's some of the basic stuff you need.
And yes, that's all you need!
Pretty easy huh? And cheap! Grab one of those cheap ass masks you can find in any Uptown site. Can cost you anywhere between RM4 to RM20. I chose the RM20 one cause it had the surface I needed with the holes and all to recreate my character's gunshot wounds. So instead of making or looking for expensive prosthetics, here's the cheapest way to have latex effects.
Also, a pair of scissors (that's free unless you don't have scissors at home), a bottle of spirit gum (RM13,90 in costume shops like the one I recommended in entry below) for sticking on the prosthetics, liquid latex (RM14 from costume shop and the most important ingredient you need), a roll of toilet paper (steal this from a hotel or something to save money - though I just brought one from home - can use also if you don't win for best costume) and finally a cheap ass make-up palette (am not going to use MAC, Bobbi Brown or Make Up Forever for this, so steal your mom's or get one for RM3.30 like I did from Giant).
Total cost? RM31.20. The wig cost the most at RM70 since I couldn't get one to destroy. Topeng murah tuh RM20. The t shirt was RM5 from bundle and the jeans my own. Cheap eh? About the same price as a rented outfit (cheaper if you have some of the stuff already like I do) and still more eye grabbing cause it's original and unique.
The actual cost for reproducing this look will depend entirely on what exactly you want, and what you already have.
Now see how it looks.
My character for Halloween this time around? Kurt Cobain, former lead vocalist of Nirvana, who committed suicide by blowing himself with a shotgun (though conspiracy enthusiasts will hear about how he was murdered). Being a Gen-Xer, the Seattle based band has always been one of my big bands I look up to, so I guess it's a fitting tribute that I pick him as my character.
Since I picked Kurt Cobain as my character, I had to do a little research. A lot of people thought he shot himself in the mouth. He didn't. It was from the lower jaw point, and penetrated the top part of his skull. So I had two major wound areas to simulate. One at neck, for the entry point of the bullet, and one more at the top of my skull for the exit point.
Hence... this is my effort... note this is with basic make up touch ups minus the blood so you can pretty much see it's not as realistic still.
Wanted to pose a time lapse video, but not possible cause I was doing it all on my own, plus didn't have the luxury of time since I started preparing pretty late at 3.30pm, with the event to begin at 6pm. Total prep time for this look - under two hours.
The first pic if my neck wound - which was a piece of cut-off from the cheap mask I bought to make a bullet hole. Use spirit gum to apply, and dab the the edges with liquid latex to blend. Using normal art brushes is enough.
Colour the whole appliance with skin tone, using a stipple sponge (or just any dish washing sponge, but make sure firm) then from the outer edges outwards with a dark shade of purple to lighter tones to simulate bruising. Use also specks of green and yellow to show rawness of the skin. Colour the inside of the hole black and dark purple for illusion of the depth of the hole.
The second pic is of my forehead, where I wanted to show how easy it is to do a torn skin effect. Just dab liquid latex on your skin, slap on slightly scrunched tissue paper and slap on more liquid latex. When it dries, cut open a hole, and voila, you have torn skin. Colour the insides like the above wound for depth, and foundation and some colour later, you have torn flesh.
If you want living dead skin, all wrinkly and all (though some people already have that), repeat the slap on liquid latex, and then tissue and more latex. Some foundation and you have yucky skin, which you can also peel off when bored, and gross people out.
The head wound was easiest. Cut a hole in the wig, and stick in a piece of the mask with a decent sized hole, and use spirit gum to make it stick. Applyliquid latex about the edges, and colour it the same manner with shading of bruising. Check out how bruising occurs for real (some scientific research helps make it more realistic). A little homework goes a long way. And when I say colour or application, apart from the use of brushes, I mean dabbing it with a sponge and not painting it like a wall tau!
For blood - senang gila! Please don't use ribena or poster colour. That's just silly. I use more organic stuff. Get red and blue food colouring, plus campor tepung sikit. It should not be too watery, so more flour. If you can't get blue, to darken the blood, I added oyster sauce, black kicap, a little tomato and chilli sauce, and here you have one yummy cocktail for blood.
Pop on borrowed contact lens of a friend (thanks Kie) and the effect put together should look like this. I forgot to hollow out my eyes and cheeks more for the effect of clotting and blood gathering around those areas like for a real corpse. Boo me!
I love my I Survived t shirt, ironic isn't it? RM5 je kat bundle - but the whole joke aspect of it was priceless!
Breaking the law and smoking outdoors of a premise - the undead are not bound by silly laws
Wanna touch it?
It was itching, but here's why you never scratch it
So with that, I was ready to flaunt my new looks. As you can see, it didn't take much for me to prepare, and I think a few people could have done more with their efforts.
The venue
The counter bunnies (they said they were supposed to be the Powerpuff Girls)
The very dark, but gorgeous interior of the club
I don't know why, but I like
Celine Yap's little one-eyed mummy that looked cute but scary, and I definitely don't know her, so am not supporting her for any reason but the fact she looked good. Have no idea why she was not a finalist in the female category, but am not going to bitch about those who don't deserve it, so I'm pointing out those I noticed and liked.
A slutty joker nurse sucking on her milk carton (that just sounds so wrong!)
Other characters worth noting, were Phua Chu Kang (funny!), the milk carton (ultra funny with the missing person ad on the side), Hitler... and...
Wait a freakin' minute!!! There's another Kurt Cobain walking around the Borneo Baruk Club, and it's Tim, the head honcho of Nuffnang. But then since I'm Kurt Cobain, he must be Courtney Love going through a Britney moment! What can I say, Tim. Great minds think alike?
Here we are going through a cam whore moment!!!
Tim 'Kurt gone Courtney' Tiah, Josh of Jabbawockeez and me, back from the dead
And then back to the party... there were various games and all like the mummy wrapping bit with lotsa toilet paper strewn everywhere (not very environmentally friendly), a balloon popping thingie (very violent) and of course, the much awaited for silent dance.
Now the silent dance was worth noting, cause every played the same three tracks on their mobile, or MP3 device, and dance to it. In other words, the only thing you could hear in the club was foot stomping (from those who danced with two left feet) and the giggles of those who didn't dance but chose to laugh at those with two left feet.
Not very enviromentally friendly lor
But the best part of the night? Cam whoring!!!!!!
You see, despite not winning best costume (I was top three finalist in the male category), because of some reason that since I had already won before in the Dark Knight premiere as the Heath Ledger's Joker (wish someone had told me instead of making me finalist and making me think I stood a chance.. sigh) - I had lots of groupies!!!
Yeay!! Everyone loves Kurt Cobain!!!
I had so many people coming up to say I should win, and so many people asking me how I did my look, and complimenting me, that I was blown away that something so simple could be so praised. Aww... shucks! If onlt the undead could blush... I think I might be, under all the wounds and blood.
The angel and devil were both my fans too! So now I can say I have cool and hot fans!
So like whatever.. it was a fun party (and no Robb and Tim, no sweat about it all, me had massive fun anyways) and the night for was all about being idolised (macam sial kan so arrogant!) Can't wait for all the cam whoring pictures to come up on blogs everywhere! Some have started popping up in Nuffnang family blogs, and here are a few I found.
This is one of my favourites from
Deb's blog. Also another from
Karena's blog. Thanks for the comment, babe, even though you didn't know who I was. Not only was it one of the best pics,
Deb also said
"But personally, I thought this dude should have won Best Dressed. Just check out the realistic wounds and HIS EYES. That's just hardcore".I'm sure more pics to come in the next few days. I took so many pics, now I know everyone loves Kurt Cobain (so perasan and berangan kan?)
With Deb and some friends of hers
With Karena wondering if I bled on her shoulder
Also thanks to my blog readers who came up me and said hi!!!! Love you guys! And thank you to everyone in Nuffnang for the party!
I won't be doing this again since me done it already and kind of becoming known for it, and time to go into other aspects of costume. Perhaps I'll open up a fake blog, and show up with a different identity so I can win again.
PS - Tim, keep your promise for a big 'do every three months!
