How to do special effects burn makeup

If you're interested in doing something out of the ordinary for Halloween or you just want to try your hand at special effects makeup, this tutorial will help you get started. Burn makeup is a creative way to advance your skills, especially when applying it to your arm. You'll have more precision here, and it's a good way to practice before doing something on your face.

While you'll find YouTube tutorials that utilize gelatin, we recommend using a professional silicone compound to create this look. Begin by doing a patch test on your arm at least 24 hours prior to working with these products to ensure that you're not sensitive to silicone or latex.

Achieving the right effect means doing a little advance planning because the silicone sets within five minutes. The alcohol-activated paint palette is super important too. Since you may be spending your spooky night some place where you might come into contact with water, you need this type of paint palette because it lasts longer. You can easily remove it with alcohol as well.

Looking gruesome is an art. Ready to give it a try? Let's get started!

Materials
- 3rd Degree Silicone SFX mixing compound
- Wooden spatulas or Popsicle sticks
- Small palette or dish for mixing silicone
- Toilet tissue (single ply or separated double ply)
- Petroleum or KY jelly
- Alcohol-activated paint palette
- Translucent setting powder
- Matte eye shadow in black, brown and red
- Liquid latex
- Cheap, disposable brushes
- Sponges
- Tweezers
- 99% isopropyl alcohol

Directions
1. Prep the skin by making sure it is clean and dry.

2. Mix Silicone SFX A and B together in a small dish. Tip: Be sure to use a different spatula for each jar because you want to avoid cross-contamination.

3. Apply to skin on your inner forearm. You can use the same spatula to spread it, then remove some small circles of product to create the effect of unevenness. This gives the finished effect more texture. Let it “cure” (i.e., dry and set) before proceeding.

4. Dab on some translucent setting powder to remove any shine from the dried silicone.

5. Now you're ready to paint. Dip a small brush into the isopropyl alcohol and then into the alcohol-activated paint palette. Fill in color by color until you achieve the desired effect. Tip: Begin by filling in the "burn" holes with the lightest color and then outlining them with a darker shade.

6. Brush the entire area with liquid latex and lay a single ply sheet of tissue over the area. Dab more liquid latex around the outside edges to ensure the tissue adheres to the area completely.

7. Let the area dry briefly, then lift a few patches of tissue to create an uneven peeling effect.

8. Once the latex dries, layer black eye shadow all over the design and speckle brown and red shadow throughout and around the outer edge.

9. Use your tweezers to detach part of the tissue, and then brush it back slightly to expose the underlying color.

10. Add additional paint if needed, then apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to the "wound" to give it that gruesome, weepy look.

Now all you need is a good story and some friends to spook!