Please make sure to put foundation on your dancer’s face for competition – don’t forget the eyelids need a base to hold the eye shadow – especially as your dancer sweats!
Foundation is used to even out the complexion and reduce shadows from stage lights. Always apply foundation to a clean face. Choose a shade very similar to the color of the face.
Foundation for all dancers: M.A.C. Studio Fix Fluid Foundation SPF 15 Foundation (or similar – please have a consultant match the dancer’s skin tone.)
Blush adds color as well as definition to the face. Smile and apply blush to the apples of the cheeks, sweeping up and out toward the hairline. Common mistakes in applying blush include:
- Applying “stripes” of blush from lower cheeks to beyond eyes – blush should NOT be applied past the outer corner of your eyes.
- Not blending. While your blush should be applied with a heavy hand in order to show effectively under the lights, you still want to make it blend to the foundation.
- Applying blush too high – you want to apply blush on the underside of the apples, not on top. Otherwise, your dancer will look like their cheeks puff out at a strange angle.
Blush color for all dancers: M.A.C. “Pinch Me”
Apply eye shadow over the entire eyelid. The goal is to make your eyes stand out on stage, as stage lights tend to make the eyes appear smaller. The lightest color is to be applied under the eyebrow to open eyes – The brown shade is to contour the eye. Dark charcoal should be used at the very corners, like in the picture below. Gently blend the colors together.
Eye Shadow colors: M.A.C. Satin Eye shadow “Print,” “Shroom,” and either “Espresso” or “Cork” for framing the eye.
Lining the eyes with black eyeliner makes eyes stand out. Use liquid eyeliner on the top lid and a pencil liner on the bottom. (Use a pencil liner for both lids on Mini dancers.)
To line the upper lid, apply a thin, straight line starting from 1/8 of the way out from the inner corner, where the lashes begin (look at the picture above). For a dramatic effect, allow the line to extend beyond the natural eyelid. To line the lower lid, start at the outer corner of the eye and draw a thin line under the lower lashes. Liner should start where the lashes begin and stop where they end on both eyelids.
Don’t forget the eyebrows – we suggest powder that matches brow, applied with short strokes starting at the middle of the brow and working outward, then filling in center (thicker part) of brows.
Minis Use black mascara to gently sweep two coats on upper and lower lashes.
Impact, Senior & Starstruck: Ardell #111 false eyelashes on upper lashes, mascara on lower lashes.
We strongly suggest moisturizing lips, then lining the lips with a lip liner to form a barrier for lipstick and keep it looking fresh. After lining the lip, apply lipstick and gently blot with a tissue. Don’t forget Miss Carene’s finger trick to ensure lipstick doesn’t get on your teeth…
Lipstick colors: Impact, Seniors, Juniors, Starstruck, Starlettes: M.A.C. cosmetics “Dubonnet”
Minis: M.A.C. cosmetics ”Fresh Moroccan”
Don’t forget, once your make-up is applied, you should apply loose powder to the whole face to ‘set’ the look and keep it from “wilting” under the lights.
**Pack Q-tips and/or cosmetic sponges in your cosmetic bag. They allow you to quickly correct mistakes and, if someone needs to use some of your make-up, a clean Q-tip can be used to keep your make-up free of bacteria. Q-tips can be used for lipstick, eye shadow, blush, everything!