Tim Burton inspired Vampire Makeup with Nebula and Kryolan professional products

Airbrush Makeup with Nebula by Kryolan

Kryolan is one of the most famous brands of professional and theatrical makeup in the world. As Halloween approaches we were super excited to have another opportunity to try products from their catalogue to realize the Tim Burton inspired look you see in these photos and in the Video. My long time collaborator Angela had this long held dream or a vampire look that would include prosthetic cheek alterations in reminescent of Maleficent. The challenge was not an easy one, and now we're going to describe how we did it in a step by step tutorial, starting with the airbrushed beauty makeup and then revealing the process behind the proshtetics.

Step by step guide to our Vampire look:
The beauty makeup application can be recreated regardless of the prostethics. If you are curious about the prosthetic process you can find the relevant description at the end of this post.
Skin Prep: apply a light layer of Kryolan HD Micro Primer on the face, and then Kryolan Eye Shadow Primer on the eye area. Allow a couple of minutes so that these products can be absorbed. 

Foundation: mix 10 drops approx of Nebula Complexion Fir (the lightest shade in the Nebula foundation range) with as many drops of True White from the Nebula Vivid color group. You can mix the colors directly in the cup of your airbrush. Be sure to regulate the pressure of your compressor on the lowest usable setting, layering light passes until the desired consistency is achieved. For contouring you can use a mix with a darker foundation shade or a light gray achieved by mixing True White and True Black from the Nebula Vivid Range. As our prosthetic already cast a sufficient shadow we decided to enhance only the highlights by dabbing on a few drops of Liquid Brightness in Silver. As the Nebula base is totally waterproof we could apply this highlight without fear of compromising the foundation. 

Airbrushed with Nebula by Kryolan

Eyes: layering the red and black eyeshadow was super easy. Remember to keep the pressure as low as possible. Mix five drops of Nebula Iridescent in Luxurious Red and tre drops of Nebula Vivid in Fiery Red to obtain this beautiful red hue. After the main eyeshadow is applied blend Nebula Vivid in True Black on the mobile lid. This will enhance the contrast with the amazing Kryolan Contact Lenses n. 811. These lenses are perfect for a vampire look, and Kryolan's reputation guarantees their quality against cheaper but less safe alternatives available on line.
Lips: our Kryolan 18 Color Lip Palette already contained LC404, which the perfect shade of lipstick for this look. Angela added depth to the lips design by adding two different types of artificial blood by Kryoan, Transparent Blood and HD Blood.

A question of cheekbones...
The cheekbones are one of the most difficult features to alter with a partial prosthetic. The edges of the application are especially difficult to hide in such a mobile and exposed area of the face. We proceeded as follows.

Prosthetic Preparation:
Luckily Angela had a full cast of her head that I could use to sculpt the new cheekbones with sulfur free Chavant clay of medium consistency. I heated up the clay in the microwave for a few seconds to render it more pliable before sculpting the application on the cast. Once done I carefully detached the clay and I laid it on a tablet where I reconstructed the edges and blended them further. I used some tongue depressors to build sides to the tablet and sprayed the positives with Kryolan Mold Release Spray, then I poured silicone molding material and waited for it to set. Once the silicone mold was ready i washed and dried it to get rid of any residue, then sprayed it again with Mold Release, and once this was dry I spread a thin layer of Glatzan. This bald cap plastic material is Kryolan's own alternative to Baldiez, and it is useful for encapsulating the prosthetic creating a thinner edge that will be easier to melt on the face using acetone.

Airbrushed Makeup with Nebula by Kryolan

Foam Gel: in order to create our prosthetic applications we used Kryolan Gel Foam, a foam gelatin that comes in blocks that are ready to be cut up and melted. I but half a block in a small see through plastic bowl, then I heated it up in 15 seconds increments in the microwave oven. It is crucial to do this carefully and to stop after each increment to check the status of the gelatin. As soon as it starts to raise you have to remove it from the oven and pour it in the mold, using a spatula to level it and remove the excess. The melting and cooling process is very fast, so you will have to work quickly, and you'll have to make sure that the gelatin doesn't reach boiling point or it will be unusable. After pouring it will take 45 minutes or less for it to be completely cured. Once dry I applied another thin layer of Glatzan (see above) and then waited for another hour for this to be ready. A light dusting with clear powder will help to keep the edges from folding over themselves and sticking together.

Prosthetic Application: first of all I applied Pro Shield Foam primer to Angela's face in order to protect her skin from all that was to follow. Then I spread a thin layer of Kryolan Special Adhesive B (equivalent to the famous Pros Aide glue) on the area of the face that was going to be covered, and I applied a thin layer on the back of the prosthetics as well. I waited until the glue became clear and then I applied the cheekbones. After the application I melted the edges away using a q tips and acetone, which worked well on Glatzan. In some spots a little more Special Adhesive B was necessary to further fill remaining discrepancies. After a light dusting with clear powder I proceeded to airbrushing the base coat of the makeup.