Instructions on How to Apply Mime Makeup

Are you thinking about miming but just don't have any idea on how to apply mime makeup properly? Let us help! Coming up with a mime look is actually very simple. Of course you would need to prepare those red and white striped shirts and suspenders, that red hat and all those mime accessories to liven up your look. But the single most important thing that makes a good mime look is the mime face painting.

Before Putting on Mime Makeup

Mime face makeup is one of the easiest stage makeups to apply. However, you would have to go slowly but surely when applying them onto your skin. You should have enough time to put all those mime makeup on. It can be very difficult to correct mime face paint, so make sure you put extra care into it and have enough time in case something goes wrong in the application. After you have completed the makeup, you would also need to allow it to settle for about 30 minutes.

Steps for Applying Mime Makeup

With much ado, here are some mime make up instructions to liven up those mime techniques you have come up with.


1. Start clean. Begin with a clean, shaved (for men) and dry face. It is best to apply some moisturizer before applying so that the cake makeup or the grease paint base will spread easily onto the face. Also, make sure you pull your hair back up to keep the face neat.

2. Put on the white base. All mime faces rely heavily on white canvas that comes alive with highlighted facial expressions. Thus, this is the most important step in putting on mime make up. You can opt to apply water-based cake makeup or choose the regular grease-based clown white makeup for this, using your fingers or a good brush. You can start out by outlining your face in white then drawing a line at the jaw. From there, continue up around your cheeks and finish up at about an inch from your forehead hairline.

3. Powder. If you choose to apply grease makeup, powdering is the next step for you. (Applying powder is no necessary if you use cake makeup base.) Powder your face lightly until you the sticky feel disappears.

4. Put red and black marks. After the base makeup has settled, you can now put on the mime markings. You can use pencil, paint or your regular eyeliner. You can use a black liner for the eyebrows and a more dramatic layer right above it. Grease pencils are best to put on the face, while charcoal pencils are recommended right around the eyes. Outline the eyes and the lips carefully, and then apply red lipstick to fill the lips.

5. Powder to finish. Allow the markings and the lipstick to dry, and then finally finish with a light layer of powder. Use a powder puff or brush so that the lines are not disturbed.

The way you paint your face before your mime stunt will definitely impact your character and your performance. Try to be as creative and as you can, practice applying as you think you need to. We hope that these tips on how to apply mime makeup will give you the performance of your life!