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A Kryolan Makeover, aka Adventures in Theater Makeup

by 125 Comments



Every girl deserves a makeover from time to time. My last one was ages ago. I’d been itching to try a new look, so yesterday I made the short trip into San Francisco hoping to find inspiration.

I hit my usual haunts — MAC, Dior and Chanel — but I was in the mood for something, well, kinda different, so I kept looking.

I was almost ready to throw in the towel when a sign on a building caught my eye: Kryolan Professional Makeup. Curious as ever and not wanting to head home defeated, I decided to check it out.

Jake, the Kryolan showroom manager, gave me a tour of the place and described their products and services.

The company offers a full line of professional and consumer beauty products but specializes in theater makeup and makeup education. I was immediately drawn to their Aquacolor wet cake makeup — pans of highly pigmented, glycerin-based face and body makeup available in 250 different shades ($6 each).

Once I spotted their beautiful brushes (high quality, and generally more affordable than department store lines), body paints and, um, fake blood, I knew I was in for a different kind of makeover. Sign my booty up!

Dominic, Kryolan’s director of education, got me ready for my makeover, sitting me down beside a counter covered in Aquacolor pans. I told him to go nuts! I didn’t know what to expect, but I got a little suspicious when he glued a prosthetic cat nose to my face.

That’s when it dawned on me: homie was probably not going to do a simple smokey eye.

After all, Kryolan is known for extreme movie and theater makeup. You’ve probably seen their makeup at work in Hollywood films, and their credits include the makeup for The Chronicles of Narnia, Collateral and Pirates of the Caribbean.

With my new prosthetic cat nose in place, Dominic started layering different colors to develop the look. “The painting process is fun,” he said. “This is the most time consuming part of the whole process.”

The entire Karen-into-cat transformation took about 45 minutes, but here’s the condensed version…



Dominic really knows his stuff. While he can do dramatic transformations, turning girls into cats and whatnot, he spends most of his time teaching makeup application and working with makeup in a more traditional beauty sense.

There is quite a bit of method to the transformation madness.

Step by Step

  1. Dominic began by referring to a photograph of a cat to determine what shades to use.
  2. Next, he applied the prosthetic cat nose with adhesive (spirit gum) and used eyelash adhesive to smooth out the edges.
  3. Using a light color, Dominic covered my entire face to create a neutral canvas upon which to work.
  4. Then, he applied a yellow (slightly darker than the base color) to my cheeks and chin for contour.
  5. He outlined and filled in the shape of my new cat’s eyes with a dark brown using a fine-tip brush.
  6. To add contour to my forehead and to darken my lips, he used progressively darker colors as he went along.
  7. He used a fine-tip brush to paint my whiskers and fur.
  8. With progressively darker colors, Dominic smoothed out all the harsh edges and the outline of my face.
  9. To bring my hair into character, he teased it with a comb and hairspray and then applied two shades of spray-on hair color (a yellow and a brown) to create my feline mane.
  10. Finally, he used a fixing spray to set the makeup, ensuring it would last throughout the afternoon.

I was so pleased with the results!

Happy with my new makeover, it was time for lunch. I turned down several offers from Kryolan staff members for a plate of milk and some kibble and decided instead to fend for myself.

I ended up at a local bakery and learned that one can rather easily cruise the city made up like a cat in the middle of the day without being asked if you’re 1) starring in CATS or 2) just plain nuts.

If you’d like to learn how to do theatrical and extreme makeup, Kryolan offers a two-day theatrical makeup workshop for $490. For more information on classes and reservations, call (415) 863-9684.

Kryolan’s Two-Day Theatrical Makeup Workshop Includes…

  • A continental breakfast
  • Basic knowledge of theatrical makeup and how to transform an actor into a character
  • A theatrical makeup kit (included in the cost of the class)
  • Certificate of completion

Kryolan also publishes a 150-page Makeup Manual ($15), which gives a good overview of extreme makeup. It’s got lots of glossy pictures, too! Call 1-800-KRYOLAN for details.

More about Kryolan…

Founded in 1945, Kryolan has a presence in 80 countries and boasts more than 1,000 professional beauty products. They’re one of the world’s top sellers of makeup and special effects items for theater, film and television.

BERLIN
Kryolan GmbH
Papierstr. 10 D – 13409 Berlin
Telefon +49 30/499 892-0
Telefax +49 30/491 49 94
info@kryolan.com

LONDON
Kryolan UK Sales Office
22 Tavistock Street
Covent Garden
London WC2E 7PY
Telephone +44 20/72 57 61 52
Telefax +44 20/73 79 34 10
info-uk@kryolan.com

SAN FRANCISCO
Kryolan Corp.
132 Ninth Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone (415) 863-9684
Fax (415) 863-9059
info-usa@kryolan.com

A big MEOW to all my ladies on this fabulous Saturday! Let me know what you’ve been up to today.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I found your blog about a week ago, and have been catching up since then. WOW – was not expecting this! Dominic does awesome work.

    Knowing what I now know, I had to laugh at your “cat nap” comment from yesterday. Thanks for sharing this with us!

    Reply

  2. Hi Crystal G.!

    You’re welcome! I always knew I was destined to become a CCL (crazy cat lady). I just never realized that it would come so soon. 🙂

    Yes, Dominic is an amazing makeup artist, and everybody I met at Kryolan was very cool.

    Hope you’re having a great Saturday. I’m off to the gym, yay, and a movie!

    Reply

  3. hahah That must have been a random experience! Boy makes my Saturday seem very tame. Just crocheting and waiting for friends to get out of work.

    How did you get all that stuff off, by the way?!

    Reply

  4. Oh thank you so much for making me laugh today. I’m still laughing!

    Karen, you’re brave for going in public like that. I am absolutely not that brave. I couldn’t do it.

    Reply

  5. That was absolutely hilarious. I love how the people at the bakery weren’t even fazed by the strange cat lady.

    Reply

  6. Karen – you rock. I must say I was completely surprised by this entry – but it was so entertaining and I ended up reading much of it aloud to my hubby. He didn’t get it, but I loved it.

    I absolutely love the lady next to you in line at the bakery. She sooo wanted to stare at you and was trying to play it off like everyone in SF walks around looking like a cat while ordering a sandwich. Funny.

    Was there anything at Kryolan that you could wear/use for everyday?

    Reply

  7. Omg! This has got to be my most favorite fotd so far. You’re gorgeous even as a cat! That’s one amazing makeover. The funniest part is where you walked around with that makeup on. I can’t stop laughing.

    Reply

  8. Oh, Karen, that is fantastic! You make a hot kitty! I love how you went and played with the cat toys! How lucky for us that someone was following you around with a vid camera! And yeah, that lady in the bakery was a crack-up! So studiously casual! 😀

    I’ve helped my friend do prosthetic makeup for halloween before, usually she applies and then I paint her up! She did a pretty wicked lizard face last year, maybe I’ll do a kitty face this year!

    Did Tabs like it?

    Reply

  9. That’s awesome! You look like you could’ve been in Cats for real. The slightly messy hair made the look totally fierce. Haha!

    Reply

  10. Only in SF could you walk around like that and people think it’s normal. That is why I love SF. The lady in the stripped sweater kept looking at you funny… she should have just asked you rather than keep looking.

    Where did you get that fabulous black purse? I love everything about it.

    BTW, this totally made me laugh out loud – That’s when it dawned on me: homie was probably not going to do a simple smokey eye.

    Marisols last blog post..I want to be la belle avec le bad boy

    Reply

  14. i so love it! i also really love how you played up the look to the fullest, going around town with it on as if it not there. what did your husband say when cat woman arrived home? you are so funny?

    Reply

  16. Karen! You’re so ready to join the CAT broadway show. What will your cat name be?

    I LOVE Kryolan.

    In Jakarta, Indonesia, a big percentage of makeup artist swear by Kryolan cover-up products to use for foundation. My mom has a palette of shadows and blushes. fantastic colors.

    Pias last blog post..In Search of Nude Lipstick

    Reply

  20. ME-YOW! LOL! That’s awesome Karen!!!! In the video, when you went into that pet store I totally lost it!! You should have grabbed a cat toy and started rolling on the floor playing with it until someone working there saw!!!! AHAHAHAHA! Awesome!

    Mariahs last blog post..IRON MAN = AWESOME!

    Reply

  24. Hey Karen!
    What a fun post! You make a great cat, you look a lot like my Chloe! 🙂
    I walk past Kryolan show room here in London most days on my way to work. Don’t they have gorgeous feathery false eyelashes! Love ya! 🙂

    Reply

  26. Wow – that looks amazing! I always think I’m not bad at applying make up but when I see something like that I feel like such an amateur! 🙂

    I’ve only just found your blog, Google Reader recommended it to me and what a good choice!

    Today, I’ll be trying to catch up on some of your old posts and I’m looking forward to some new ones. I’ll also be planning my blog post for tomorrow (yep, I’m a planner!) and playing with some new Laura Geller goodies that arrived yesterday – how exciting!

    Beths last blog post..Transportational Perjury

    Reply

  29. Wow, karen you look soo cute and Meow…very feline !!!!!

    Your voice is soo cute too, I had a completely different idea of what you sound like !

    Reply

  34. heee-Karen you look awesome! Like others have said I was totally not expecting this type of makeupover. 🙂 love it.

    I’m off on my big makeup shopping spree in a few, yay!

    Reply

  35. Karen,

    I just wanted to let you know how amazing this blog was and I can’t believe that I hadn’t stumbled upon it sooner!

    This was an amazing entry!! Like comment #3, how did you get that stuff off at the end of the day???

    I found it hilarious that the lady who was ahead of you in line at the bakery kept looking!! HA!

    More power to you, Karen!

    <33 Lesley

    Reply

  36. This is pretty much the greatest make over EVER!

    You have some mighty mighty cahones to go out in public like that. Props to you girl!

    Reply

  37. LOL Karen… that was too funny. Seriously I love that you walked around as a cat lady!!! No wonder your hair was dirty from your trip to the city. Did el hub get to see you in your feline face? What did he think?

    Reply

  38. Karen, that is so entertaining and funny (love your video btw)! I bet you didn’t expect that when you started out huh? I wish they had the same thing in Toronto!

    Reply

  39. Hi Bridget,

    Crocheting on a Saturday sounds like fun to me! What project are you working on? I don’t know how to crochet but want to learn how. I can knit (only very basic things though) and I really enjoy it. I love how it’s creative. Choosing the yarns and colors and designing the scarf is my favorite part. It’s also very relaxing to me, too.

    It’s been a while since I busted out my wooden knitting needles! I miss them. 🙂

    Anyway, I removed the prosthetic by using a Q-tip drenched with 99% Isopropyl alcohol (because the glue is very strong). To remove the rest of the makeup I just used a makeup wipe!

    Reply

  40. Hi Melissa,

    Glad I could get you to laugh today, hon! Aww, I bet of we both dressed up as Crazy Cat Ladies you could totally do it!

    Reply

  41. Hi Temi,

    I know! I was expecting at least one person to make a joke (“Want some milk with your sandwich?”) but everybody tried to play so cool. All I know is, if I saw somebody dressed up like a cat in line at the bakery I’d be asking a ton of questions. But I guess I’m nosy that way, ha!

    Reply

  42. Hi Tuprnut,

    I know! I was really expecting her to say something, too. I stared right at her and smiled back a few times, which you can’t really see in the video, LOLOL.

    Glad you enjoyed this entry girl! Okay, so your hubby didn’t get it, but that’s still cool.

    Hope you had a great weekend so far! Whatcha been up to? Right now I’m drinking some coffee and then I’m going out for a run. It’s cold out but I promised myself I’d do it because I am going on vacation in a month and need to get into a swimsuit, oy. 🙁

    And yes, Kryolan does have a ton of products for everyday use! They are well known for their more traditional beauty stuff too in the professional makeup artist world. Right now one of their newest lines is a high definition makeup line, which includes foundations and powders!

    Reply

  43. Hi Jiejie,

    Thank you my dear! I never thought I’d ever get to do a cat FOTD but hey… you never know what’s in store for you when it comes to makeup! That’s one thing I like about it… it opens up a world of possibility.

    Reply

  44. Hi Glosslizard,

    LOL, I *think* Tabz liked it. The poor thing recognized my voice but wasn’t quite sure what to do with the nose. When he climbs into my lap he usually puts his face right next to mine and tries to touch his kitty nose to mine. The fake nose threw him off though — he seemed a touch confused when he couldn’t find my regular one.

    That’s so awesome that you can do face paint makeup! I didn’t know that. 🙂 Have you ever painted the Imps up for Halloween (my fave holiday, btw!).

    Reply

  46. Hi Marisol,

    I know, right! I looked straight at her and smiled a few times too!

    That black purse is from Lululemon Athletica. It’s a really great, very functional bag that’s supposed to be a gym bag, but I use it for travel and day to day use. It’s very light, holds a ton and you can throw it in the washer cause it’s made out of PVC. I wrote about it in the fall, you can check out the deets here.

    Reply

  52. Hi Pia,

    Hmmm, I dunno! Maybe “Tabs” as a homage to my favorite non-pet.

    Ya, the Kryolan brand seems to have a LOT of devotees. What colors does your mom have in her palette? If I were you I’d “borrow” it and forget to return it! J/K!

    Reply

  54. Hi Gracie,

    Thanks! That nail color was the winner of last weeks Essie poll – “Guilty Pleasures”! Are you a pink polish kinda girl too?

    Reply

  56. Hi Mariah!

    Nobody said anything to me in the pet store, believe it or not, but I did hear some giggling though a few rows over. I wanted to actually buy that toy but I already got Tabs a whole bunch of stuff on Friday (he’s a spoiled brat for not being my cat).

    Hey, I saw Iron Man last night, and I LOVED IT!

    Reply

  58. Hi Susanne,

    Thanks girl! It’s makeovers like these that give me a fresh look on the transformative power of makeup. It was a lot of fun being a cat for a day. 🙂

    Reply

  59. Hi Eru,

    Thank you my dear! I like that picture too. I think it’s whimsical!

    Yes, Tabs saw me, but he was very confused, I think. His poor kitty brain couldn’t process what had happened to his food provided/tummy scratcher/human servant. Sigh…

    Hope you’ve had a great weekend so far!

    Reply

  60. Hi Medina,

    Awww! I hope to see a pic of your Chloe some day! 🙂 I love cats and think they bring a lot of joy (when they aren’t clawing you to death out of ecstasy).

    Yes, Kryolan’s eyelashes are amazing… they have a wide range of really neat products! Do you have any of their stuff?

    Reply

  61. Hi Rowena,

    I totally did! It was a little strange but fun. The prosthetic was a bit hard to breathe it if I thought about it too much. (I have a little bit of claustrophobia.) Gotta say it was probably one of the most memorable days in my life! 🙂

    Reply

  62. Hi Beth,

    It’s good to meet you, girl! Like you, I am a planner too — but only when I can get it together. I wish I could do it consistently but that is my challenge in this life!

    Are you a makeup artist?

    Reply

  65. Hi Anna,

    LOL, I had no idea I sounded like that either, to tell you the truth! What’s funny is it’s weird for me hear my voice on camera, but for some strange reason it’s NOT weird for me to see myself in full cat makeup! Go figure! 😉

    Reply

  67. Hi Dana,

    The only powder foundation I’ve used is MAC Mineralize loose. For that I’ve used their 187 Duo Fibre skunk brush. Are you using a loose or a pressed powder foundation? What kinda coverage do you want?

    Reply

  71. Hi Lesley,

    It was pretty easy to take off… the prosthetic came off with some isopropyl alcohol and the makeup came off with a wipe! Took a few wipes though, LOL.

    I know, right? I wish she would’ve said HI of something!

    Reply

  72. Hi Kirsty,

    LOL, thanks! I was a lil’ nervous at first because I though honestly that people would point and say crazy things but nooooo… it was like it was totally normal for people to walk around in cat makeup!

    Reply

  77. Ha! I actually used to buy teeny-tiny paintbrushes and paint those little D & D figurines too! I didn’t play D & D, I just liked painting the little guys! 🙂 Turns out the texture work transitions well to painting prosthetics! Who knew?

    I haven’t painted the imps up for Halloween yet (too squirmy and I can’t mess with stuff too close to their eyes, not to mention the removal nightmare) but I anticipate having some serious fun as they get older! This last year, my older imp wanted to be a knight, so we bought him a costume… when he put on the hat (which had a little crown over a scaled hood) he declared that he was King Arthur (from Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and that dad had to be his lackey! LOL! So Hubby puts together a Patsy costume, dons a giant backpack and follows the little guy around all night clapping a pair of coconut halves together! It was fantastic! 😀

    Reply

  81. Karen, my favorite are the Kryolan concealor palettes — Light, Medium, Dark — love them!!! I also love their metallic cream eye shadows — even though I use them all over the face — especially if I am doing anything theatrical! Gorgeous! I have various other products like highlighters I mix with liquid foundation and some lipsticks — for me their “old school” stuff is the best! I love to get back to my “roots” from make-up school and it always seems to be the best route if I am in need of a certain color for a shoot — Kryolan will always have it!

    Reply

  82. Hi Karen, thanks for replying. I’ve seen MAC 187, its very nice and soft. I’m using pressed powder foundation, and I would like light or medium coverage. So you use 187 to apply your Chanel Teint Innocence Compact Foundation? Have always been using the sponge with the foundation but ends up looking very patchy! Now I make up my mind to buy a good brush for it!

    Reply

  83. KAREN! that was hilarious and wonderful all at the same time. i have no idea what’s up with the sound on my comp, but i was hoping you purred at the lady at the bakery!

    fantastic! thanks for giving us in depth info on kryolan. i’ve been wanting to try their stuff for a while!

    kias last blog post..Yummy411: Consume Consciously + FOTD!

    Reply

  84. Did you asked for a cat-eye makeover and got a cat transformation instead? Girl, you looked fierce! How did Tabz react when he saw you? Did you get to keep the cat nose?

    Reply

  86. Karen,
    I hope no one has already said this to you but I think you look Purrfect!!Even as a cat lady your the cat’s meow!!

    Reply

  87. Hi Glosslizard,

    OMG… too cute! That must have been hilarious to see. Any time you’ve got a lackey in the mix it takes the costume to the next level. It’s going to be hard to top that next year!

    There’s a store up here that sells a ton of D&D stuff, and I get dragged in their by El Hub on occasion (long story). Those figurines are tiny, girl! You must have good, steady hands. I bet you kicked booty playing “Operation” as a kid!

    Reply

  89. Hi Jeanne,

    Oh cool! I did theater too a long time ago. I played in the pit and did a brief stint on stage as Misc. Shark Girl #7 in West Side Story. What plays have you done? Do you have a favorite?

    Reply

  90. Hi Melissa,

    Next time I head to the showroom I will look for those goodies. I swear my makeup is growing exponentially… I need more days of the year to wear them or I’m gonna have to start changing it halfway through the day, like how stars wear multiple dresses during awards shows.

    That said, I am all over those cream eyeshadows!

    Reply

  91. Hi Dana,

    If you’re used pressed powder you might want to try the MAC 182 Kabuki brush. I love that brush for both liquid foundation and regular pressed powder application.

    The Teint Innocence Foundation is more like a cream, so I either use a sponge or a foundation brush. I’ve discovered that I like using it more with a sponge because the foundation brush takes too much time to blend the product.

    Reply

  92. Hi Kia,

    I didn’t purr at her but maybe I should’ve (and then asked for a plate of milk!). I think you’d really like the Aquacolor pans… they were really interesting products and the range of color was staggering. Happy Monday!

    Reply

  93. Hi Dao,

    Yes, I got to keep the cat nose! It’s sitting on my drawer at home! Poor Tabz, I love him, but honestly I dunno if he’s the smartest cat in the bunch. He usually likes to get really close to me so he can sniff my nose and rub against my neck but the fake cat nose really threw him off. He recognized my voice but had some difficulty processing the nose, for sure!

    Reply

  102. Yes, it all paid off when I got into the genetics lab and got conscripted to do microdissection! I credit my manual dexterity entirely to playing too many video games! 😉

    Reply

  103. Yeah. She’s the “cat lady” who had cosmetic surgery to look like a cat, but she looks a HOT mess.

    This would be great for a costume party. I’ve always wanted to get done up with special effects make up.

    Reply

  104. Kryolan makeup is amazing! and their new HD foundations are a must have! I just wish it was easier to find the products in the US instead of purchasing them by catalog. They should enable online shopping at their website. Amazing quality of products, great results, affordable prices!

    Reply

  106. Hi Glosslizard,

    Wow! Now that you mention it, I remember watching a bit on the news a while back where a surgeon talked about how he believed that playing video games as a child and as an adult helped him do his job! Amazing. I bet you’d be a most excellent piano player.

    Reply

  107. Hi Baby Girl,

    Wow… a real-life CCL! That’s nuts! Kinda reminds me of the Comcast commercial where the guy goes and gets tattooed with tiger stripes!

    You could totally do this for a party! Kryolan sells specialized makeup kits with all the paint and whatnot!

    Reply

  108. Hi Brenda,

    I haven’t tried the HD foundations (yet) but they look really amazing. Do you have a favorite product from the line?

    Reply

  111. A friend of mine had a link to the video; I love that Kryolan store! They are wonderful at answering all sorts of questions for the amateur make-up artist (I do bodypainting on my girlfriend on occasion).

    If you want a different make-up outing, you should visit some of the neo-burlesque shows in the area. If you love the retro or rockabilly look, you’ll see it in spades.

    Reply

  112. Hey there! Im into makeup that involves making people/things look like animals and wow, thats awsome! Just have a few questions, im planning to go to SF during this summer and i might stop by there. But did they let you keep the mask, how much was it to get made into a cat person, and is that Kryolan building a store? Im always looking forward to making halloween special and im so totally to checking it out for fx stuff =O

    Reply

  113. I would like to purchase the make up,.where can I purchase the kryolan make up in Manhattan NY city .I’m staying in Manhattan .Hear from you soon.thank you.

    Reply

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