We've got a special little treat for you today in the way of a tutorial on creating realistic scarring for cosplay from our Brown Bag Dublin Head of Character (Assets) Siobhan Doyle!

Siobhan: I dressed up as a vault dweller from the game Fallout for Halloween this year.

As the game is set in a post nuclear war apocalypse, I figured I could use it as an excuse to experiment with some scarring makeup effects. 

Getting a realistic look from scarring makeup is really easy with the right products. If you like the look I achieved, follow the steps below and try it out for yourself!

Before you start with this, it helps to have freshly cleaned, dry skin, so the makeup will stay on all day.

Layer 1 Colloduim

I discovered this product through LARPers who tend to use it in their costumes for a few wounds.

It can be purchased from online FX and costume shops.

I went for a messy approach, loading on as much collodium as I could without letting it drip down my face. This gave me a really nice deep gash on the cheek.

Layer 2 Liquid Latex

Be careful to use latex specifically formulated for skin. 

This is where it gets really gross. 

I tried a few approaches to applying this, but since I wanted a peeling skin look, dabbing it on with my fingertips ended up working the best.

Layer 3 Facepaint

I used snazaroo facepaint in red, grey and black for a burnt look. 

If you want to be really gross, blues, purple, yellows and greens can give you a really good rotted appearance.

Start with the red, pressing it into the wounds and basically covering the whole area and applying to some clean skin too. 

Grey and then black then gets dabbed on lightly around the deeper wounds to make it look burnt or necrotic.

Layer 4 Blood

You could skip this step entirely if you’re going for healed or just a more realistic look. 

I didn’t have fake blood handy, so I used a red lip liner to brighten up the scars and make them look more fresh.

There you have it, give it a try next time you’re in need of some scarring!