Excerpted from the book HIGH PERFORMANCE BEAUTY
A junior performer usually is a preteen, and can be as young as four years old. They have smaller, more delicate features than their teen/adult counterparts. A lighter application is necessary to keep them looking their age and not overpower their features. In most cases juniors do not apply their own makeup. A mother or an assigned makeup artist will undertake this task, which can sometimes prove quite challenging. Juniors are not accustomed to having someone poke around their eyes, and hate sitting still for any length of time! Mascara, liner and lipstick can prove particularly difficult. Here are a few easy techniques that have worked well for me to keep your juniors looking great and feeling more comfortable.
Just as for any makeup application, it is important to prepare the skin. Clean with a face wash (soap is drying and can sting eyes) and follow with an oil free moisturizer. Teaching good skin care is important even at the youngest ages especially for those who perspire more heavily.
Shape and define brows to frame the eyes. The look of the brows is extremely important for the young performer. Most juniors have messy brows because they are not yet old enough to tweeze. Complete brow color before eye color. Fill in along the center of brow with brow cake on a pointed brush or use a brow pencil.
When you begin color application on the junior face do the eyes first. Any debris or smudging that occurs can be easily cleaned up after application. Powder eyelids with loose face powder so shadow goes on smoothly. If lids show veins or freckles, cover first with foundation and set with powder. With the juniors eyes open: Define outer corner of eye with matte brown shadow, blending just above eye crease, up and halfway into the eye bone. Applying with eyes open helps you see the stopping point, slightly above the crease, at the end of the eye, toward the end of the eyebrow.
Next, fill in an outer corner lash line and then up across the outer half of eye bone, just above crease with eyes closed. Make sure to keep three-quarters of the inner lid free from the brown eye shadow. Balance eyes with a peach or red/brown color eye shadow. Blend across eye bone just above crease, stopping just before the brow begins. Blend in edges to soften the color. Highlight eyelid and under brow with cream shimmer shadow. Open eyes with a sparkling shimmer powder just at the center of eyelid, at inner eye corners and at arch of brow. If arch is not apparent, this will create one. This can really make a difference when seen from a distance.
Line eyes using a firm pointy liner brush with brown wet/dry cake eyeliner. (Liquid liner takes too long to dry, so younger performers can easily smudge it, and pencil liners dont last through long performances and can be rubbed off easily.) Begin under lower lashes. Wet brush with water or eyeliner sealer liquid (good for teary eyes). Stir into the brown shadow cake liner until creamy, tap off excess and begin at the outer corner of the lower lash line, blending out just beyond the eye crease at the end of the eye. Instruct junior to look up towards the ceiling and focus on something. While lining her eyes tell junior Almost done! See how easy? Juniors like to know the end of the ordeal is near (even if its not). Avoid saying things like Dont move! Hold still, wait a minute! With her eyes wide open, use black shadow cake liner, starting at outer corner of upper lid, sweeping liner up towards end of brow, stopping just beyond eye crease. Do not let the brown and black lines meet. Do not line upper lid. To make it easier, try a dry run this way: before wetting brush, swipe dry liner brush across cake liner and try to get perfect lines. If it looks good, wet brush and follow your dry lines.
Be sure junior sits up straight, lifts her chin slightly and looks away from the direction youre working. Apply a soft white pencil between the brown and black lines at the outer eye corner to open the eyesmaking sure pencil is freshly sharpened. If white pencil is too hard, run tip under warm water to soften, then dry and apply to eyes.
Use black mascara on lashes even for those with blonde hairit really opens the eyes. Mascara can be very difficult to apply on a junior. First, clean off excess mascara from the wand with tissue. Ask the junior to look up to the ceiling, place your little finger under lower lashes then wiggle the mascara on lower lashes and your finger. Quickly say Done! (That way, mascara gets on your finger, not her face.) Next, have her look straight ahead and slightly down. Suggest something for her to focus on. Tilt her chin slightly and place your thumb gently on eyelid, slightly lifting lid to clear the lash line. Apply mascara at inner corner then outer corner, from roots out, wiggling from side to side as you go.
False eyelashes can be applied to juniors, but it is best to cut them in half, applying the small side to the outer half of the lash line.
Creating the canvas: even a young dancer with perfect skin needs to apply a light foundation. Facial skin flushes while performing, especially down the front of the face, which affects the cheek color. A thin cover of oil-free foundation (over moisturizer) keeps the red in check and the face looking polished. After foundation, use concealer in a golden tone to cover dark circles under eyes if needed, then set makeup with translucent face powder.
Lips: To keep lips still, have junior close her lips. Line lips with a red/brown lip liner. Keep lips rounded at the top and wide at the sides. Be sure that lips can be seen in profile. Fill in with lip liner. Juniors have small lipsand lipsticks are too large to apply directly. Using a sheer red tone, apply lipstick with a lip brush, shaping lips and blending into the lip pencil. Highlight lips at center of lower and upper lip with a little glossy or shimmery lipstick to soften the red tone and create fullness.
A flush on the apples of the cheeks with a sheer red cheek tone is just enough to warm the face. Have junior smile wide to find the rounds of the cheeks. Before applying, tap off excess cheek color from brush on a tissue so the application is softer. Using a contour color to define cheekbones, nose line and chin on a junior is optional and should be done sparingly. This is best used for a large theater production, where features can become washed out.
When performing in a large theater, eyeliner can be applied across half of the upper lid and below lashes. Lipstick can be darkened to opaque red. Facial contouring and slightly stronger cheek color can also help enhance facial features.
About Christine Dion. Christine has more than 25 years of international experience in the beauty industry specializing in makeup for fashion, commercials, television and dance theater. She has directed modeling schools, judged beauty pageants, owned Mode Dion Image Center in Los Angeles and contributed regularly to Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher and American Cheerleader Magazines. She created MODE DION Cosmetics for the special needs of performers and her website modedion.com is a full beauty resource for the industry with a great beauty shop and wonderful tips. She currently teaches makeup application and skin care nationwide at conferences and conventions as well as tours educating performance teams. Christine is the author of several self-improvement books including High Performance Beauty (a studio must have) and the producer of helpful stage makeup DVD's, each one focusing on an aspect of makeup and skin care covered in this book. Christines book, DVD's, products and upcoming tour schedule are available at www.modedion.com
