Lore Olympus Minthe Makeup Tutorial

Hi all! I thought I’d share how I do my Minthe makeup since a few folks have messaged me about it! It’s fairly easy- this was my first time trying out body paint and it turned out much better than expected! Huge thanks to my friend Camie for her help!

Before getting into any makeup, I had to find a red color that could be cohesive throughout the whole costume. My gloves and tights came from We Love Colors, in the color “Red” and I tried to match my paint to them.

Next step was her ears. Camie was generous enough to give me some ears she had, but you can find similar ones by going online and typing “latex elf ears” and finding a pair you like, depending on your budget. I used FolkArt Matte Acrylic Paint in the color 437 Lipstick Red. It’s very inexpensive for a small 2 oz bottle, around $2. Give your ears a few coats and bam, you’ve got some Minthe ears.

Now, before I start any makeup look, I always develop a checklist to follow, which helps me keep track of what step I’m on so I don’t forget anything. I’ll share the condensed version at the end, as well as the supplies needed for this look. Now for the actual tutorial!

1. Protect your costume from stray makeup

Something important to note is that you MUST put your costume on before doing your makeup, unless you’re wearing a button up. In my case, I have a turtleneck dress, which I physically can’t fit over my ears once they’re on. You also run the risk of smearing your makeup or getting it on the collar while you’re putting the dress on afterwards.

Because you have to apply your makeup in costume, you might get makeup on the front of your dress during application. Drape a towel over the front of your chest and attach it in the back with clothespins. This protects your chest from any drips or powder. I also tucked paper towels around the collar for some added protection, which is especially useful while you’re doing your neck paint.

2. Attach ears with Pros-Aide

I used Pros-Aide to attach my ears. Pros-Aide is a kind of SFX makeup glue. You can also use spirit gum. Just use a q-tip and dab it on the inside of your prosthetic ears. Wait about 30 seconds until it becomes tacky, stick them on your actual ears, and hold it for a second or two while it bonds.

3. Apply false eye lashes

That is, if you’re wearing them. If not, skip this step.

4. Apply a layer of face primer on/around your eyebrows

Any face primer will do- you might have to test a few until you find what works best for your skin type.

5. Fill in eyebrows with black eye shadow

I have a tendency to mess up my eyebrows and have to remove stray lines and loose color with a wipe, which us why I do them first. I filled in my eyebrows with a matte black eye shadow. Really pack the color on and don’t worry about making it look “natural,” just very neat, with crisp edges.

6. Apply a layer of eye shadow primer on your eyelids and apply eye shadow

If you don’t have eye shadow primer, face primer can work too. I have to do my eye shadow before my face makeup, just like my eyebrows- I always have terrible fallout that’s impossible to remove without a makeup wipe (and thus removes the makeup underneath). I took a dark maroon color and blended that all up on my eyelids, bringing it up to my brow bone. Then I blended black into my crease and outer corner, and finished with a brighter red on my lid. Wipe off any fallout under your eyes. Make sure to really pack the color on, you don’t want any opacity or it’ll look odd against your (soon to be) red skin.

7. Apply a layer of face primer to your face, neck, and ears and apply the first layer of paint

Use the same primer you used for your eyebrows and smear it all over yourself. For paint, I used face paint from Snazaroo in the color Red. It’s what was readily available at my local craft store, and cost about $10. Instead of activating my paint with water, I used setting spray (any brand will do, just make sure it’s long lasting and inexpensive, you’ll be using a lot.) Camie shared this tip with me from her, quote, “Homestuck days.” This makes your paint more resistant to sweat, food, and general movement at a con or photo shoot. I used a sponge brush I bought from Michael’s to apply the paint, and a thin paintbrush for finer edges and lines, like my nostrils, around my eyebrows and mouth, and ears.

When you get to your eyes with the paint, dab gently at the edges of your eye shadow with the smaller brush and blend/swirl the paint into the shadow. This creates a seamless transition between your eye shadow and face paint. You might have to go back in with some eye shadow to touch up afterwards. Just be delicate as to not drop any residual eye shadow dust on your face.

Drag your paint down to your neck. You want to go as far as the collar of your shirt plus about an inch and a half to compensate for movement. I’d go about halfway around your neck, plus a little extra (your wig will cover the back of your neck.) I was fortunate enough to have Camie available to help me, so I held my collar down while she applied the paint for me. If you’re on your own, simply roll the collar down and be extra vigilant with your brush strokes. While you don’t need to paint inside your ears, my general rule of thumb is, “If I can see bare skin, so can everyone else.”

8. Set with translucent powder and then spray with setting spray

Wait for your paint to dry. It should become less shiny and more matte in color. I don’t recommend touching it to see if it’s dry, but fanning it can speed up the process. Get yourself a big fluffy brush and dust yourself with powder- make sure it’s translucent and NOT skin tone colored. If you’d like, you can mix some matte red eye shadow in with it to give yourself some more color. Give yourself a nice spray with some setting spray, and wait for it to dry. Treat your neck the same way you treat your face in terms of sealing the paint. Same goes for your ears.

9. Repeat

EVEN IF your paint “looks fine” and is fairly even in color, do it again! The key to body paint is consistent layers. Apply another layer of paint to get a smooth color and set again with powder and spray, following the steps I mentioned before.

10. Contour and set with setting spray

Get a brush and load that up with a dark red color. Body paint looks weird if it isn’t contoured, because it eliminates all the natural shadows on your face. Minthe has a strong jawline and cheekbones, so it helps if you accentuate them. Slap some color on there and blend! If it gets too dark, take some translucent powder and buff it out. Use a mist of setting spray to seal.

11. Apply eye liner and mascara

I used a black liquid liner and a black pencil eyeliner. Just do your eyeliner like normal on the top, give it a nice wing, and line your waterline with the pencil. Then, you guessed it, seal with some setting spray.

12. Put on your wig

My wig is a lace front. If yours isn’t, just make sure it’s pinned in place very well and covers your natural hairline. If your wig is a lace front, however…

I first put my wig on and got it situated where I wanted it on my head. I then applied a thin dotting of Pros-Aide using a q-tip to the lace of my wig and pressed it down against my forehead until it stuck. Doing this will make sure your wig doesn’t slip back and expose your natural hairline, as well as mixes in with the paint and ensures that the lace matches your now red skin (opposed to being flesh colored.) If needed, you can apply a dotting of paint over it as well.

13. Set with a final dusting of powder and spray

Pay special attention to your neck area, as this will see the most movement and rubbing from your clothes. Some powder on your dress collar is unavoidable, but some gentle dabbing with a makeup wipe should remove it.

14. Check your eyebrows and eye shadow

After all is said and done, check up on the state of your eyebrows and eye lids. Some translucent powder could have gotten into them and made them look ashy. Take a spoolie brush and brush out your eyebrows, and you might have to apply another layer of black to the middle of your eyebrow. As for your eye shadow, just make sure it still pops and hasn’t become muted.

15. Apply lipstick

This step is last to so you don’t get lipstick in your wig. First, carefully wipe your lips off to remove any stray paint or powder. Apply some Chapstick and leave it set for while (I’d pack my makeup bag during this time.) This will ensure your lips are nice and soft for application. Line your lips with a dark lip liner, either in black or dark red. This will create an outline for you to fill in and avoids any stray marks beyond your lip line into the paint. You can then go in with a dark colored lipstick. I recommend using a liquid lip because it’s more opaque than a cream lipstick.

Whatever you do, DO NOT mush your lips together to spread the color. It will smudge beyond your bottom lip and into the paint below. Apply the color on each lip and let it dry. You might have to do another coat. If you do need to fix any stray lines, use a bit of paint on your thin brush and cover it up. Don’t try to remove it with a wipe, or you’ll ruin the layer of paint below. Bring the lipstick along with you to the event so you can touch up as needed.

There’s a few things I’ll change and do differently next time:

· I didn’t prime my latex ears, so some of the paint cracked a little bit. A coat of paint primer should alleviate that problem.

· When painting my face, I did miss a line of skin right underneath my eyebrows. It’s not noticeable if you’re looking directly at my face but in pictures taken from a lower angle, especially in direct sunlight or close up, you can see a faint line of skin. Just pay close attention while you’re painting and check your angles to make sure you’re getting every areas.

· Next time, I’ll also be smoothing my hairline back with some hair gel. A few baby hairs peeked out from underneath my lace, though again, it’s not noticeable unless you’re close up.

Final thoughts…

When I say this stayed on my face all day, I mean it. I put it on at about 10 am and it stayed until 1 am the next morning. I had to touch it up a few times, but never anything major. Just bring your paint, setting spray, powder, brushes, and lipstick in a bag to the event and sporadically check yourself in the mirror.

To remove the makeup, I gently peeled the ears and wig off before showering like normal. It’ll take some scrubbing and a few rinses but you shouldn’t have any staining (either on you or in the bathtub). You can go in after your shower and remove paint in hard to wash places like your ears or around your eyes.

Condensed makeup checklist:

1. Protect your costume

2. Attach ears with Pros-Aide or something similar

3. Apply false eye lashes (optional)

4. Apply a layer of face primer on/around your eyebrows

5. Fill in eyebrows with black eye shadow

6. Wipe off any fall out

7. Apply a layer of eye shadow primer on your eyelids

8. Apply eye shadow

9. Wipe off any fall out

10. Apply a layer of face primer to your face, neck, and ears

11. Apply first layer of paint

12. Set with translucent powder and then spray with setting spray

13. Apply another layer of paint to get a smooth color

14. Set again with powder and finish with spray

15. Contour and set with setting spray

16. Apply eye liner and mascara and seal with setting spray

17. Put on your wig

18. Set with a final dusting of powder and spray

19. Check eyebrows and eye shadow

20. Apply lipstick

21. Revel in all your trash goblin glory

General Supplies List:

· SFX glue like Pros-Aide or spirit gum

· Snazaroo body paint in Red

· Setting spray

· Face primer

· Eye shadow primer

· Translucent powder

· Black eye shadow

· Red eye shadows in various shades

· Makeup wipes

· Chapstick

· False eye lashes

· Dark red or black lipstick

· Dark red or black lip liner

· Hair gel

· Q-tips

· Black liquid and pencil eyeliner

· Sponge brushes

· Thin paint brushes

· Makeup brushes

· Makeup wipes

· Latex elf ears

· Red acrylic paint

· Towel and paper towels

· Clothespins

If you do end up using my tutorial for your Minthe cosplay, please credit and tag me on Instagram I’d love to see and share your work! Please also shoot me a message or leave a comment if you have any questions or need clarification. I hope this was helpful to you in some way! Stay crafty!

Photo credit: Ryan James