Recipe 10 : Latex Prosthetic for Beginners - Makeup Application & Removal
- Koji Ohmura
- Oct 28
- 5 min read
Are you ready for Halloween? Walking Dead Zombie? K-Pop Demon Hunters? Wednesday? Or maybe you got a latex prosthetic from Halloween store but do not know how to apply? This blog will help you to apply prosthetics!
This is a step-by-step guide on how to create fake injury prosthetics. It will be a 4-part blog series this time. Part 1 was about designing latex prosthetics, Part 2 was molding them, and Part 3 is casting in latex. This Part 4 shows you how to apply the prosthetics and remove them. Maybe you can make zombie makeup or Chucky makeup for Halloween? Or you can even make Harry Potter's scar on his forehead!
Makeup Application
Materials you need...
Latex Prosthetic (If you want to learn how to make it, Check Recipe 7, 8, and 9)
99% Alcohol
Pros Aide
RCMA No Color Powder (or Baby Powder)
Powder Puff
Makeup Sponge
Bondo (Pros Aide mixed with Cabosil)
Cream Pros Aide
Aqua Sealer (Or any makeup sealer)
RMGP - Rubber Mask Grease Paint (Or Grease Makeup mixed with Caster Oil)
Alcohol Based Makeup Palette
Chip Brush
PPI Fleet Streat Blood
Reference Book1 & Reference Book 2
Material links are here.
Lesson Video
Prep Skin & Prosthetic
In the last 3 recipes, you learned how to make a latex prosthetic. Now, you might be very excited to apply this latex prosthetic. But wait! Make sure the prosthetic and your skin are very clean. Otherwise, it will not stick well.
Wipe both the skin and the prosthetic with 99% alcohol and let them dry.
Removing mold release from a latex appliance. Glue Prosthetic
Place the prosthetic where you want it to be. Then, use a powder puff to press RCMA No Color Powder (or Baby Powder) on the edge of the prosthetic. Lift up the prosthetic. You will see a registration mark.
Registration Mark (Outline of the prosthetic) Pour a small amount of Pros-Aide in a cup. (Keep the container lid closed. It will dry up easily.)
Use any cheap brush or Q-tip to brush Pros-Aide on your skin, just inside the powder registration mark.
Brush Pros-Aide on the backside of the prosthetic as well. Keep in mind that Pros-Aide is a contact adhesive and needs to dry before you put them together.
Paint glue only inside of the outline. Place the prosthetic on the skin. Press it down from the center to avoid any air gaps.
Add more glue on the edge and let it dry. Use the bottom tip of the brush and roll it as you press the edge down. This will create a smooth blending. If you bend the edge and it curls inside accidentally, you will see a hard edge. Then, use 99% alcohol to uncurl the edge. Let it dry and stick it back on the skin.
Press powder on the edge.
Be careful not to bend the edge! 
Rolling motion
Blending Edge
Smooth edges are very important for special effects makeup. If you see edges, it is not believable.
You will need Bondo for this. Bondo is Pros-Aide paste. You need to add Cabosil into Pros-Aide. Peanut butter consistency is my favorite style. Do not breathe in Cabosil while you are mixing it. It will hurt your lungs.
Stipple Bondo on the edge of the prosthetic with a makeup sponge. If you have a rough skin texture, use a rough sponge.
Creating skin texture with a red sponge. Once it dries, put powder on. It takes off stickiness.
Now, take a look at the edge. If you see any imperfections, add more Bondo. You can use a makeup spatula or wooden stick and taper the edge and let it dry again. Then, stipple more Bondo or Cream Pros-Aide to add textures.
Add powder once again after it is dried.
Coloring
Now, you are ready for painting. You need to get rid of the powdery look first. Stipple Aqua Sealer (or any makeup sealer) on the prosthetic and powdery skin areas.
It is a good idea to look at pictures of real injuries as references. I put two good reference books in the material list. Also, you can look for it on the internet.
Rip a latex makeup sponge to show some rough texture. You do not want a straight line for painting. Use this to stipple RMGP (Rubber Mask Grease Paint) on the prosthetic. If you do not have it, regular makeup grease paint is good. Add a tiny amount of Castor Oil to the grease paint. It will stick to latex better.
I picked 3 colors as a base: one regular skin tone, one darker tone, and one lighter tone. Stipple on both the prosthetic and skin. You can add a small amount of 99% Alcohol to thin it down if you like.
Regular tone and 1 shade darker. Lighter shade on top. Powder over the grease paint. It will set the makeup and remove the shiny look.
The next step is alcohol-based color. Use 99% Alcohol to thin it down. Then, cut a chip brush at an angle and dip it in the paint. Flick the brush with your finger. It will create a spattering effect. I start with pink color, followed by brown, olive light brown (#7), and rice paper color.
Tiny dots like rain drops Use an orange stipple sponge and stipple red color where regular skin gets a reddish tone.
Paint blood tones on the cut. I used two tones to create some depth.
Blood colors before fake liquid blood
Fake Blood (Optional)
Once you are satisfied with the skin color, add some blood. You can make your own fake blood with corn syrup and food coloring. You can also add cocoa powder to it. For this makeup, I just used pre-made blood, Fleet Street Drying Blood.
Add fake blood on the cut first. Use gravity and let it run a little bit. If you like the look, keep it as is. If you prefer some messiness, use a finger or sponge to adjust the look.
Let gravity to do its own job. Many people tend to put too much blood. But if you have a good blending edge and nice coloring, less blood is better. Not sticky anymore! And you do not want bees and flies around you!
Finished look! Yikes!!
How To Remove Prosthetic Makeup
First of all, do NOT rip off the prosthetic. No Mission Impossible removal! It will ruin your skin. Make sure to use a makeup remover. I will show you how to remove it properly.
You can either use Isopropyl Myristate or 99% alcohol for removal. Isopropyl Myristate is gentler on your skin. Use the powder puff and massage the makeup.
Once you see the edge coming off, use a brush with remover to lift up the prosthetic from its side.
For blood stains, use Non-Alcohol Baby Wipes and regular shaving cream like Barbasol and massage your skin.
If you have any skin irritation or dryness, add EDAP cream.
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