How to Apply Wound Makeup: 3 Types of Useful Techniques for Cosplaying Fighting Anime’s Characters Including Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) and Jujutsu Kaisen

When you apply Zombie’s makeup in Halloween or cosplay something in genres that contain many battle scenes, such as Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) and Jujutsu Kaisen, you would definitely need the skills of 『wound makeup』.
In fact, there are various kinds of the makeup techniques, depending on what kind of wound you want to make it look like.
This time, I will introduce 3 types of them by the uses and the kinds of wound.

※ Eyecatch：MIDORI（Twitter：@midori_s_k）

Bloodshed Makeup with Fake Blood

To begin with the easiest technique, let’s try bloodshed makeup using 『fake blood』.

Fake blood can be available in a small bottle at the 100 Yen Shop in Halloween season, but it may not be in other times. In this case, go to online or a specialty shop for theater makeup.

舞台屋 ドレッシーレッド R-04 100ml

ブランド: 舞台屋

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This product is the most popular one, and I do recommend this for its good quality.
There are a large and a small size each, however, the small one would be enough if you do not use a large amount of it or use it repeatedly.
Three reds with different vividness are available so you can choose any one that meets your preference, the lighter one for fresh blood, or the darker one for dark red blood.

Before using fake blood, it is better to dilute it with water in a plastic bottle.
The undiluted liquid would be too sticky and is a waste to consume, but diluting too much would results in less reality as well.
Check the thickness by adding water little by little.

When you use fake blood, please apply the glue on your face or body first, before wearing costumes.
Make sure to check it is dried well, so it would not make a mess.

In case your costume gets messed with the glue, moisten it as soon as possible before the glue gets dried.
It can be easily taken off if the costume is made of a slick material. If it is embroidery or a delicate material, however, it is difficult to remove, so please treat it carefully.

In addition, some people feel itchiness after a certain period of time of applying the glue.
If your skin feels itchy, stop photo shooting and take it off cleanly with wet wipes.
I would recommend using sanitizing wipes or makeup remover ones.

Graphic Wound Makeup by Applying Tissues and Gelatin

The next technique is 『a graphic incised wound makeup』 using tissue and gelatin, which makes one as if it has been cut just now.

How to Apply Graphic Cut Makeup

1. Melt gelatin by hot water

2. Peel off a paper of two-ply tissue and tear them into pieces

3. Apply the gelatin on an area where you want to apply the wound makeup, then put the tissue on it

Tissue makes an image of an injured and chapped skin.

4. Apply foundation on the area covered by the tissue to blend the color with the skin tone

It is better to gently tap foundation into your skin with your finger, then spread it with a makeup sponge.
The foundation can be too diluted easily with the gelatin. In order to avoid that, choose a cheap one, which is available at 100-yen shops, and apply plenty of it.

5. Cut the tissue with an eyebrow scissor after blending the color with your skin tone

Make sure to cut it into a shape like a wound on the area where you want to make it.
After cutting, spread it up using tweezers in order to depict the wound opened up.

6. Put a red paint or lipstick on the wound

For the good stretchiness and shine, I also recommend using Lining Color from Mitsuyoshi, the long-established theatrical cosmetics brand.

三善　ライニングカラー　4C

ブランド: 三善

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After applying the red color on the wound, put a blackish paint or lining color on the edge of it before the red gets dried.
This makes it dark red, so that the wound looks more realistic.

7. Once the colors get dried to an extent, apply a dark brownish eyeshadow around the wound

Using a makeup brush or an eyeshadow chip would make it look better!

As the last process, apply fake blood on the cut using a swab

To avoid the fake blood dripping from the wound, mix it with Vaseline before applying it.
This can depict the luster of bleeding as well as the thickness of blood from drying out.

Bruise Makeup by Applying Alcohol-Based Ink Colors on Stockings

Using this technique, you do not have to apply paints directly on your body.
In addition, your costumes would definitely not get messed, and the stockings can be reusable for a long afterward.

Draw a bruise on stockings using alcohol-based ink, such as Copic.
This makes the areas of your body, including arms and legs which are uncovered from the costumes, look wounded.
Mix up red, brown, and purple ink, and apply them to make the color look like a bruise.
Even a rough drawing can realistically make a painful one.

The technique also enables tattooing makeup as well!
When you are worried about a line between the stockings and your skin, Photoshop would be useful to erase it.

Summary

So how do you think?
When you use fake blood, it’s highly possible anyway that your costume gets messed.
I suggest you to have another costume if you frequently apply wound makeup or use fake blood!
I appreciate if you can find out a suitable wound makeup technique for your own purpose!