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Costume makeup: A fashionable and fantastical trend
Fashionable with a dash of the macabre, “costume makeup” is becoming more common among fashionistas. And there's more to it than just slabs of latex.
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Inspiration: Pupu often collaborates with celebrities, muses and dancers. (Courtesy of Pupu GLS) (Personal archive/Courtesy of Pupu GLS)
C
ostume makeup has been here all along, but it was the early 2020 Lathi Challenge that paved its way to a broader audience. The challenge saw TikTok personalities putting on makeup to the viral song “Lathi” while changing their appearance from a somewhat traditional, Javanese-inspired look to something more animated and bold – and often slightly horror-infused.
Now, others are trying their hand at costume makeup.
While not a new artform, costume makeup has developed alongside technological advances. Today, people have access to a wider variety of prosthetics and chemicals, expanding the possibilities of the craft.
Philips Kwok, a professional makeup artist from Jakarta, explained that there was still a certain balance to be achieved in the field of costume makeup but that the creativity it allowed was limitless.
"In character and costume makeup, we have to match the costumes, and the clothes [the model] wears," the artist noted.
According to Philips, finding the balance of the overall makeup and its harmony with the costume is part of appreciating the character. "For example, the [Disney character] Maleficent. The smokey eyes, dark lips of the character [must be balanced] to suit her stern face," said the current makeup and hair director of Jakarta Fashion Week.
Pupu, a makeup artist from Bandung who prefers to be called by his nickname only, has done his share of costume makeup, from the Jember Fashion Carnaval to various collaborations with national celebrities. The latest was with the Onsu family for their Halloween celebration.
