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SFX Makeup: Wounds, Prosthetics & Skin Safety
SFX guide 🩸 · Workshop crew · Nov 2026
Skin-safe or nothing
Every product that touches a face says so: cosmetic-grade, or it doesn't go on. Craft-store liquid latex is cosmetic IF labeled such; hot glue, silicone caulk and resin are never makeup. Patch test anything new on the inner arm for 20 minutes. Around the eyes: powder products only — liquids crawl.
The adhesives, ranked
- Pros-Aide (or equivalent medical adhesive): the prosthetic workhorse — waterproof, flexible, holds all day.
- Spirit gum: the classic for lace edges and light pieces; needs remover.
- Silicone bald-cap blend (two-part): the pro seam — needs a release on the skin and patience.
- Gelatin: cheap, food-safe, re-melts with heat — the friendly beginner sculpt material.
The wound formula (gelatin, first try)
- Melt gelatin in water to a pourable syrup, tint a little red-brown.
- On a barrier (petroleum jelly coat), build the wound's hollow with a spatula — rough edges look more real than smooth.
- Tint the inner hollow DARK (dark red-brown), rim the edges with a pale skin tone.
- Gloss syrup inside for the wet, fresh look — or a matte powder for the day-old look.
- Set with powder between color layers.
Scar wax is the flat-surface alternative: warm, press, blend the edges with a damp fingertip, seal, then color. Both read from the back row when the shadow is right — recess the middle, lighten the rim.
The bruise order
A bruise ages in a fixed sequence — paint it newest to oldest over the same spot: bright red → purple → green → yellow fading. Layer with a stipple sponge, not a brush; the stipple texture does half the realism. Powder between layers keeps the colors from muddying.
Removal, kindly
| Material | Off with |
|---|
| Gelatin wounds | Warm water + gentle soak, peel slowly (also feeds the floor, not the drain — bin it) |
| Pros-Aide pieces | Adhesive remover or isopropyl myristate — never rip |
| Body paint | Cold cream or oil cleanse, then soap — scrubbing red cheeks red is amateur hour |
Reads from the back row: the SFX makeup trick is contrast — recess shadows and lighten rims, and let the face paint go slightly TOO dark for a con's lights. The
build sheet keeps the product list and the patch-test notes together.