Halloween prosthetics for dummies: The bullet wound

Halloween, the one night a year you’ll go to town in a freakishly good costume.

But if you’re a typical student, it’s likely Saturday 31st is not the only night you’ll be out this week. Juicy on a Thursday? Heebies on a Friday? Here lies your awkward predicament: do you dress up on these nights or not? It’s effort to spend money on multiple costumes, but no effort at all leaves you looking a right scrooge. Wrong holiday?

Your solution? Prosthetics. Totally cost effective if bought between your flatmates, and seeing as a little product goes a long way, this stuff will last you years.

Here’s the easy-peasy guide to a shot-wound. Although this tutorial is done on the forehead, you can replicate this anywhere on your bod, à la zombie 50 cent.

What products you’ll need (pictured in guide):

1. Flesh coloured liquid latex (prices vary due to size, but under a tenner fo’ sho)
2. Synwax professional wax (Mehron branded wax is £7.99)
3. Matte black eyeshadow
4. Cajoled, scab effect blood (£7.75 for Kryolan fresh scratch, 15ml)
5. F/X liquid blood (can pick this up dead cheap online, in large supermarkets, fancy dress shops, etc.)
6. Purple/blue/red face paint or eyeshadow

What tools you’ll need to apply:

1. Small make-up brush (whichever brand/sort you have will do)
2. Tweezers
3. A tissue

(Pictures of products shown below)

Step 1:

Using flesh coloured liquid latex, apply a dot to the middle of the forehead to whatever size you want your bullet wound to be, then wait for it to dry.

Step 2:

Using tweezers, scrape and pinch at the middle of the dot, opening it up to give a broken skin effect.

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Add liquid fake blood to your scab wound. Don’t worry if this runs, if anything it’ll add to the effect.

Step 8:

Using a tissue, dab at the blooded wound to give it a “splattered” effect.

Step 9:

Taking your black eyeshadow once again, add small flecks around the wound to give definition and a sort of gun-powder effect, then blend.

Step 10:

Apply purple and/or blue/red face paint or eyeshadow around the outside of the gun-shot wound to give a bruised effect. Then, in the wise words of Peg Boggs (Edward Scissorhands, anyone?), you blend, and blend, and blend. Blending is the secret.

Et voila, the finished result:

Ouch

Credit to Laura Griffin for make-up and Lucy Granton for modelling as victim.