This drugstore SFX makeup line is all you need for Halloween
Halloween is a pretty fun holiday! There’s no other time of the year when people can go all out, dressing up in crazy costumes or paying homage to their fandoms. It does get pretty intimidating though, especially since a crazier concept means crazier materials and some SFX know-how.
My training as a makeup artist involves SFX makeup. I thought only expensive brands have it and that I may even need to order abroad, but I'm so glad that there's a super affordable option locally!
We here at PV were pleasantly surprised to learn that BYS, a brand you can find inside Watsons and SM Beauty, has SFX materials out just in time for Halloween. We love that BYS took the effort to make this beginner-friendly: the products have straightforward names and helpful one-liners as to what each product does. Here’s a capsule review of a few of their items:
The BYS Special FX Blood Liquid (P399 for 18ml) is surprisingly nice! It’s not too watery, so you can comfortably wear it as a ‘drip’ without worrying about it sliding off completely while trick-or-treating. It looks neither like overly thick honey, nor overly thin water. Both consistency and color are close to real blood. The bottle also has a very thin nozzle, which allows you to easily squeeze out product into "wounds" and other effects. This also helps you precisely trace where you want the blood to flow.
Blood effects are also available in a bigger bottle (P649 for 45ml) and Clotted Blood (P549 for 12g.)
The BYS Special FX Colour Wheel in Bruises (P549 for 10g) is a four-color wax pan containing the most used colors in painting bruises: blue, green, purple, and yellow. You’re told to simply apply them over skin or latex to the desired effect but I find that mixing it with 99% alcohol hastens blending and does a great job of thinning the colors down to a skin-like tone.
The colors are truly what I’d pick up for bruise effects, though I would have preferred a red and black shade as well to help add dimension and drama to the bruising. The yellow is pretty spot on for peripheries and healing bruises, while I mostly mixed the remaining three colors to make them look realistic. The purple spreads pinkish/fuschia on the skin and was not something I could layer by itself, but overall the wheel is still great value for money!
There are also other Colour Wheel Palettes for Burns (black, various reds), Cuts & Scratches (violet, black, red, yellow), Fantasy (red, teal, silver, pink), Ghastly (red, black, lilac, white), and Zombie (moss, white, black, lilac.)
The BYS Special FX Liquid Latex (P499 for 45ml) is the backbone of special effects. It’s a ‘multi-purpose, clear drying liquid used to create fake wounds and textured skin.’ You can spread and dry it in thin layers for aging effect, use it with tissue for textured skin, or use it to adhere other pre-made effects.
I found the formula a little thick. It needs some care when using with tissue, but otherwise is comfortable on the skin; it doesn’t feel itchy nor overly tight. It’s also available in bigger 115ml bottles for P899.
The BYS Special FX Dirt Powder in Brown (P549 for 5g) is a tub of loose brown dirt powder. It’s great to dump over clothes and rub everywhere on the skin and clothes for that action star effect. It rubs well onto skin and over fake blood. The pigment doesn’t bleed, as is the problem if you try to make do with old eyeshadow.
Brown is great for a fainter kind of dirt and some shadowing effect. The red tones are quite obvious so it’s great for adding dimension to a dirty look. It’s also available in Black, which is ideal for more striking smoke, ash and burn effects.
The BYS Special FX Scar Wax (P499 for 10g) is ‘used to create realistic 3D scars, wounds and effects.’ Playing around with it for a bit, I found that it was difficult to create a false nose with it, as the wax was too tacky and either a tool or my fingers would just pull the wax away from the scar. It can, however, smooth over flattened brows thinly, and the orange tinge helps cancel out the black eyebrow hairs. I found it best for creating burnt scar effects when scraped over the skin. Here is how it looks unpainted, and you can see how the color can pass for actual scar coloring in light to medium skin tones.
Trying out everything got me all excited as I haven't had the chance to work on special effects again since makeup school! I decided to throw in a quick and simple, beginner-friendly Halloween look using some of the BYS Special FX products.
We here at PV love to talk about beauty, so it only made sense to play with the idea of a beauty nightmare, specifically, of surgery-gone-wrong. You have bruising from a failed eye lift, and an infected incision from a jaw reduction that just won’t heal. Friends, let this be a cautionary tale of what can happen if you consult with Drs. Google and Facebook, rather than actual licensed professionals!
Kidding aside, we’d like to make it clear that this is just a tongue-in-cheek take on a beauty-centric Halloween look. We here at PV encourage all expressions of beauty, and certainly don’t intend to knock down people who have gone under the knife. Beauty, much like Halloween, is all about individuality!
Are you excited for Halloween? What look will you be going for? We'd love to see your Halloween FOTDs! Make sure to share them with us in The Project Vanity Community page on Facebook!
This post is brought to you BYS Philippines. BYS SFX is in the SM Beauty section of Seaside, Megacenter Cabanatuan, Dasmarinas, Cauayan, Mall of Asia, Sta. Rosa, BF, Marikina, Megamall, and Makati.
