Latex is a milky substance which dries to form a rubber. It is useful in make-up because it can be molded easily and also used to form realistic skin-effects. As an affordable material to work with, latex can also provide an ideal medium for new special effects make up artists to test out skills. This also makes it useful for the make-up departments of lower budget productions.
When working with latex as a make-up artist there are a few important rules to follow which will ensure the safety of all personnel as well as high quality work.
Health and Safety:
Make-up departments often deal with hazardous materials and latex should be treated as one of them. It is important to follow all health and safety guidelines when using latex as handling it the wrong way can result in personal injury, including blindness, and even death.
- If using latex products on other people, it is advisable to have undertaken professional training. Make sure that public liability insurance is in place and if considering hiring a make-up artist, check their references.
- A small number of people suffer from an extreme latex allergy which can result in anaphylaxis. For make-up effects, check with the subject to see if they have a known latex allergy before starting work. For anyone who has sensitive skin, a patch test is sensible.
- Always use latex in a well ventilated room.
- Latex is for external use only and should never be ingested or used around the mouth or mucous membranes.
- Buy latex from a professional make-up shop to ensure that it is safe to use on the skin: Some latex contains extremely high levels of ammonia and can lead to permanent blindness if used around the eyes so ever substitute cheap bulk latex for the specialist latex eyelash glue sold with professional lashes. In all cases take care not to get in the eyes.
Common Uses for Latex in Make-up Application:
- Ageing; latex has a skin like effect and can dry paper thin being a fantastic tool for creating soft wrinkles and puckered skin.
- Creating prosthetic pieces; these can be made in moulds and fixed to the skin with latex glue or spirit gum. Some latex pieces are re-usable if treated carefully. Basic liquid latex can be used to create many interesting prosthetics, especially for stage. Hot foam latex which requires professional production is commonly used for a range of masks and realistic wounds or monster effects for film and television.
- Burns; burned, torn and puckered skin is easily created using latex, often painted directly on to the skin and then coloured with cream make-up.
Basic Guidelines:
- Work cleanly and carefully: As latex dries to a rubber, it can be difficult to get out of clothing or fabric once dry. Spilled latex will make a nasty mess so make sure that the working area is clear and do not use too much product at one time.
- Latex dries to a translucent creamy colour which darkens to a yellow brown with age. Colorants and dyes are available but the best work often takes into account the natural ageing of this material for visual purposes.
- Latex can be colored and blended into skin after application with a variety of make-up products including cream make-up and airbrush make-up.
- Depending on how prosthetic pieces have been molded and applied, latex can be a little shiny so be sure to powder well for the camera.
 |
