balthazars band of beauties

DIY – Crystal Ball Prop

Yesterday, I shared a DIY makeup tutorial for how I do my makeup when performing as Simza Vadoma Luminista in Balthazar’s Band of Beauties. Today, I thought I’d share how I made my own prop crystal ball. It’s really quite simple and lots of fun for a halloween decoration or theatre prop.

What you’ll need:

Old, round light fixture. (Or a new one, whatever)
Wood circles of various sizes (& small trinket box)
Gold spray paint (optional: glitter spray paint)
Super Glue
Wood Glue
Small battery powered light

1.) Spray your wood pieces and allow to dry completely. You can find these at any craft store. I also purchased a small, plain cardboard trinket box found in the same craft aisle that fit the light fixture perfectly and holds the light. Spray that too.

2.) Using both super glue and wood glue, I stacked these pieces. Allow to dry completely.

And thats really it! Super easy!

3.) Add battery powered light and then pop the glass sphere from the light fixture snuggly on top (trinket box fitting inside bulb).

*for extra security, I use double sided tape around the top tier (trinket box) to hold the bulb in place when performing. Its still easy to remove to turn the light on and off and can easily be replaced if needed. It’s also hidden so nobody sees the tape.

BONUS DIY: I didn’t want to use any of my real tarot decks during performances so I purchased some sparkley poster board and found a free tarot deck download online. I had the tarot images printed at Staples and then just glued them to the board and cut to size.

Thanks for reading!

Love, GK

DIY – Hollow Eyes Makeup

Earlier this year, as Ive posted, some friends and I from the Treasure Coast Cosplayers hosted a Creep Walk at a local Horror Con. My original character is a Gypsy Fortune-Teller named Simza Vadoma Luminista and she gauged her own damn eyes out, ya’ll. I wanted to share a step-by-step on how I do my makeup for this character, so here goes:

You will need:

Window Screen
Liquid Latex
Tissue
Fake Blood
Foundation/Concealer
Powder
Black eyeliner jumbo pencil
Black eyeshadow

1.) Using liquid latex and strips of tissue/paper towel/TP/whatever really, I attach the strips around my eye. This is the most time-consuming of the process but after a few rounds, you can slap it on pretty quickly. I make sure to go above my eyebrow so I avoid ripping out my eyebrows when I remove the makeup. I extend down along/just below my cheek bones.

2.) Once the tissue strips are attached and the latex is dry, I use cream foundation everywhere including the tissue so it’ll look like ripped skin. I used stage makeup whenever I’m doing special effects stuff because I trust it and it lasts the entire time. This foundation/concealer is by Ben Nye. You can order it online. It’s a very recognizable stage makeup name. (Masquerade and Kryolan are two of my other favorite brands and can also be purchased online)

3.) All inside the tissue circle, COVER your eyes using a black jumbo eyeliner crayon/pencil. I’m using one by NYC. it was super cheap at the drug store and works just fine. You’ll want to also seal the black using a highly pigmented black eyeshadow. (I forget what brand this is here but its of higher quality and provides great coverage.) I also used a regular size black eyeliner pencil for the details and getting every bit of my eye area.

4.) Use a brush to apply stage blood all around the edges of the tissue. Smudge it in the crack where the tissue attaches to your skin. This doesn’t need any precision; it’s supposed to look like your eyes were ripped out so you can just squish that stuff all around.

5.) You can purchase window screen by the roll at any home improvement store for relatively cheap. I used a circular cotton pad to measure out a good sized circle and cut a few pairs out. Apply more liquid latex around the edges of your screen circles. Let the latex dry just a bit and then apply INSIDE the tissue. The ripped, bloody looking “skin” should still be hanging ragged around the edge of the screen. Allow to dry completely.

*One of the annoying bits of this makeup is that your eyelashes, depending on how long they are, may rub against the screen and it just feels weird but you deal with it for the sake of having awesome gorey makeup.

6.) Finish up by adding more stage blood. And some more stage blood all around the “ripped skin”, inside the lip where “skin” meets screen, and allow some to drip from the “wound”.

Bam! There you have it. In well-lit areas, your friends can see the whites of your eyes behind the screen but in photos, close your eyes, and in dark areas you can get the effect perfectly fine.

I hope this inspires some of you to explore horror and special effects makeup. Its something I’ve always loved and totally need to dive back in. Thanks so much for reading!

Love, GK

Balthazar’s Band of Beauties Photos

March 5th & 6th, I participated in a one-of-a-kind Creep Walk with some of my Treasure Coast Cosplayers buddies at the inaugural Treasure Coast Freak Show 2015 Horror Con. Balthazar’s Band of Beauties is an original idea invented by one of my best friends, Steve (President and founder of The Treasure Coast Cosplayers). Back in October (during my blog sabbatical), we first brought this gruesome side show to life at our Halloween party. After that, the Horror Con organizers and promoters asked us if we would make a larger version as featured entertainment at Treasure Coast Freak Show. We were stoked. The original Band of Beauties only included a few of us, so this time around, we brought together more than double the amount of characters. All of us created our stories, costumes, makeup and sets. It was a group effort that showcased all of our individual talents and passions. It was truly an awesome experience!

We were quite the hit and the focus of lots of the media coverage for the con. We were even asked to give a private show to all the celebrity guests! Here’s a look at some of the fantastic photos a couple of truly talented photojournalists, Christopher Arnold and Molly Bartels, captured over the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Love, GK