Basic Rules for Straight and Corrective Make-up— Screen and Stage.—You first determine the shape of your face, which may be one of the seven basic types. They are--oval, round, square, oblong, triangle, inverted triangle, and diamond. Never accentuate any of these types. For example, do not accentu ate the roundness of a round face; the length of an oblong; the square jaw-line and forehead of a square; the narrow forehead and broad jaw-line of the triangle; the broad forehead and pointed chin of the inverted triangle; or the narrow forehead, broad cheekbones, and narrow chin of the diamond type, unless you are creating a character role. In straight make-up, always attempt to create the illusion of the oval contour, which is perfect.
The following make-up application for the six remaining types is known as corrective make-up. This method of application, through the use of high-lights and shadows, will create the illusion of the oval contour. A full head close-up on the motion picture screen of today magnifies the human head two hundred times its normal size. Shape and contour, therefore, are very essential. The vast change in lights and film made in the past i o years has caused great advancement in the artistry of make-up and a highly scientific trend in application, effects, and colouring. The old types of heavy pink, yellow, and orange make-ups are out of date.
Make-up today contains all the basic colours of reflected light, such as red, green, blue, yellow, and white—making it possible to wear the same make-up for interior and exterior photography. The make-up is technically termed "colour-filtered." For in stance, if the reflected light were red, heretofore the cheek rouge, lip rouge, and pink colouring in the foundation would wash out giving the face a very ghostly appearance. Today there are five colours that are combined to create natural skin tones. This com bination prevents a masky appearance and obliviation of any of the above mentioned colours. These five colours, being combined into one, create the basic pigment colour of brown which, added to make-up foundation base, give the arrangement of colour in io shades, ranging from I z to 21. The first shade, No. I 1, is the lightest and its appearance is tan or beige. One-tenth the amount of pigment is added to each shade proportionately, up the scale to 21, which is dark brown or a healthy sun-tan.
For application, first determine the ground colour, such as 16 for women. To reduce the roundness of a round face, apply No. 19 at the temple and down over the fullness of the cheek to the jaw-line, extending it half way between the nose and the centre of the cheek, blending the two colours carefully together. The
cheeks are now in shadow and the face will reflect the illusion of the oval contour. The same process is followed for the square face and the triangle. For the oblong face, use the same procedure and area, using two shades lighter than the basic colouring on the cheeks. This also applies to the inverted triangle. To reduce width in the upper part of the inverted triangle face, use one shade darker, or No. 17, on the forehead to accept overhead light and stop accentuation of the width. With a diamond face, use two shades darker, No. 18, on the cheekbones. Use two shades lighter, No. 14, on the cheeks of the lower half of the face down to the point of the chin. Also use No. 14 in the hollows of the temples, up and over the forehead. When using two shades darker than the foundation colour selected you create shadow, reduce width and fullness, and absorb light. When using two shades lighter than the selected foundation you create fullness, width, and reflect light. Remember that all make-up effects are illusion. What the eye sees three feet from the mirror is what the camera will reveal. Any lines or cheek rouge application obvious to the eye at this distance will be evident on the screen. This also per tains to street make-up. It should be kept in mind that general conversation and approach between two persons is three feet.
The extreme accentuation of make-up is only used in the appli cation of stage make-up because the perspective is lost at about the fifteenth row. Naturally all high-lights, shadows, eye, and lip make-up and application of rouge should be extremely accentuated and defined.