How to master a bruise and cut makeup look

If the look you’re going for this Halloween is that of a sustained injury from a fist fight, then you’re in luck! Fierce League's makeup professionals have concocted a special effects bruise and cut makeup tutorial that will make even the harshest critics do a double take when you finally make an entrance on fright night.

What’s best about this look is that you can re-create it without ever having to stand in a long line at a costume shop. Here’s a dermal tip: Steer clear of low-quality bruise makeup kits because they might irritate the delicate skin on your face. Instead, opt for an FDA-approved, nontoxic kit to get the best bang for your buck.

Materials
For the bruise
- Bruise wheel (has all the colors you’ll need: red, yellow and purple)
- Sponges (large and small)

For the cut
- Pros-Aide adhesive (can substitute this for latex)
- Sponges (large and small)
- Scar wax
- Spatula
- Translucent setting powder
- Brushes (large and medium blending brushes, small brushes)
- Alcohol-activated paint palette
- Fake blood
- Small bandage

Instructions
1. Wherever you want bruises to appear, such as around your eyes and lips, dab the red, yellow and purple shades with a sponge. For best effect, stipple the colors onto your face one at a time so they don’t look like a muddled mess.

2. Pat a small amount of Pros-aide adhesive or latex onto a small patch of skin near your right or left cheekbone with a sponge. This is the beginning step to creating the appearance of a small facial laceration.

3. Scoop up some scar wax with the spatula, and apply it on top of the pros-aide adhesive or latex. Play with the mixture until it resembles a raised mass. Take the tip of the spatula, and create a line in between the mass – generating a gaping scar wound.

4. Apply the translucent setting powder on top of the scar with a large facial sponge. Bend the powder onto your skin with a large blending brush to create a more natural look.

5. Take the alcohol activated paint palette, and dab the yellow shade onto the scar with the medium blending brush. This gives the scar more depth.

6. Take the small brush and fan the bristles with your fingers. Dp it into the red shade on the activated paint palette, and stipple the hue onto the scar to create the appearance of mild scratches.

7. Fill in the scar with the red shade from the activated paint palette with a small brush. Afterward, add a layer of yellow on top of the red shade, and pack the scar with the fake blood. Don’t forget to add a tiny bandage onto the scar for a nice finishing touch.

8. To create the cut on your upper lip: Dab the setting powder onto a small patch of skin on the outer corner of your lip using another clean sponge. Be sure to use the pads of your fingers to blend it onto your skin for maximum absorption.

9. In a perpendicular motion, swipe the Pros-Aide adhesive or latex onto your upper lip area. This is the beginning stage of creating an outline of the cut on your upper lip.

10. Take the small brush, and draw a straight line using the red shade on the activated paint palette on top of where you applied the adhesive or latex. This step adds more dimension to the cut. Fill in the cut with the fake blood.

11. Dab the red hue from the bruise wheel on your knuckles to create the appearance you were in a fistfight.

12. Lastly, use the bruise wheel to refine your masterpiece by going over the bruises if necessary.

You should look like you’re ready to go for a second round!