Beauty and stage 'directions' that will give you the winning edge!

Have you ever wondered what dance competition judges are saying about you as you walk off the stage? I interviewed several judges from a variety of dance competition venues and, starting with beauty, here's what they said.

1.    'What happened to everyone's eyebrows?' These need to be defined, arched and extended properly, especially for the very fair or dark skin tones.

2.    'Blotchy, uneven, shiny skin is not professional.' Skin should look even for all ages! Foundation should always be worn, especially where cheek color is applied to prevent overly flushed faces.  If foundation looks too light against the body try a darker powder shade instead of foundation to look more natural. Powder is a must to avoid excessive shine. Avoid light reflecting liquid make-up (like mineral) as they make the face look too fair under stage lights. 

3.    'Eye shadow isn’t paint.' Blend eye shadow and use neutral colors that do not fight with different costume changes. Avoid bright colors like blue, green, or purple eye shadow. 

4.    'Don't close eyes with black eye liner.' Unless the theme calls for that look, black eye liner should never be applied to lower lid ridge. Use white pencil there. Don't meet liner at corners of eyes, which can make them look closed and small.

5.    'Wear false lashes.' They do open eyes!

6.    'No more red stripes on cheeks!' Blend cheek color and apply correctly to avoid the look of red stripes along cheekbones. Use a contour cheek shade to define features if you want more definition.

7.    'Lips look small.' Bring out the whole lip! Use a lip liner to create full lips and blend onto most of lips to avoid showing the liner.  Don't forget: the most important part of the mouth is the sides. Keep sides of lips full for profile views.

8.    'Be cautious when using glitter.' Apply only to key light catching points, clean up messes over face with tape and never apply on male dancers.

9.    'Don’t get lost under a hat.' When wearing a hat, especially one with a brim that casts shadows, be sure to dress up lips using gloss, glitter or a dramatic lip color. 

10.  'Matte faces looks plain and dull.' When performing a classical ballet or any number that is ethereal, try to highlight cheekbones and eyes with shimmer powder.

11.  'Brighten bare areas.' When lots of skin is exposed on the back or midriff, add a shimmer lotion or powder over those bare areas.  For glitzy costuming, dress up your skin with glitter spray.

12.   'Remember the themes of your number.'  Numbers from the 1940s need strong eyeliner on the upper lid and strong lips; the 60s need white shadow and white lips and the 80s need bright shadow and lips.

13. 'Makeup should reflect the dance’s cultural origins.' Makeup for traditional or cultural numbers like Clogging, African or Latin should stay with the look of that culture.

14. 'Avoid too many rhinestones.'  Neck chokers, earrings, bracelets, hair jewels— choose two and keep it simple.

15. 'Don’t mouth the words.' When performing, unless it's part of the number, avoid mouthing the words. It's distracting.

16. 'Don't move music tempo faster than the song.' Need a faster tempo? Find one.

17. 'Watch your undergarments.'  Be sure they match yet do not show under costume.

18. 'Watch the facial expressions.'  Don't make faces (look strained, lips puckered)—instead make eye contact and smile.

19. 'Secure the costume.' Wear costumes that are secure to avoid embarrassing wardrobe problems.

20. 'Be confident.' Once you know you’ve taken care of all the little details above, you can focus all your attention on performing!