Wellness

WONDERFUL PAINTED MASKS

Anya Goy. Courtesy of Rainbow Haircolour. Sugar Skull Mask.

Anytime you wear makeup, you are wearing a kind of mask. You are changing the way you look to the world. Of course, you can push it, and do a total transformation, like the Sugar Skull masks we featured yesterday, in Beautiful Mask Destinations.

You can go to a salon in Mexico, as many women do where they can apply the complex face paint for as much as 1,000 pesos (about $80). Or you can do it yourself. We’ll show you how.

Photo: Courtesy of Neo Geishax. Medusa's Makesup.

First, you need to get in touch with your darker side, or maybe get in touch with the “other” side. To start, paint on some white “sugar” to give yourself a blank canvas. You’ll need some iconic floral eyes.

Makeup artist Anya Goy created a beautiful jewel-colored version of the mask, including a shock of turquoise, sapphire, and amethyst hair. She went all Tim Burton with the mouth. She explains her technique here.

Photo: Courtesy of NatashaKudashkina.

And check out this gorgeous video by artist Natasha Kudashkina, for a fascinating demo.

Photo: Courtesy of Wonder How To. Sugar Skull Mask.

This year, Hollywood special effects makeup artist Rick Baker teamed up with MAC cosmetics to create a very special Day of the Dead sugar skull mask. Baker painted flowers, a spider, and a tear to give his mask more expression. Baker, whose work appears in movies like Star Wars, Men in Black, Videodrome, Wolfman, and An American Werewolf in Paris, for which he won an Oscar. Watch him in action here.

Photo: Ambah. Lacey Mask.

Painted masks can, of course go way beyond Sugar Skulls. Check out this delicate lace mask by Ambah. Watch her demo here.

Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Montgomery. Mardi Gras Mask Face Paint.

Makeup artist Jennifer Montgomery creates elegant, intricate painted masks for Mardi Gras. With jewel studs and sophisticated colors, these masks are works of art.

Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Montgomery.

Like Tibetan sand paintings, painted masks are a bit of a zen experience. You must take great care, have unflappable patience, and spend considerable time to create your mask masterpiece. And then, after you fully realize your glory, you have to wash it away.

Photo: Courtesy of the Macomb Daily. Pumpkin Facemask.

Then, you can pamper your face with a wonderful pumpkin mask. It’s loaded with alpha-hydroxy acids that help exfoliate dead dry skin. And it’s rich in vitamin A, C, and beta carotene. Here’s a great recipe, from Macomb Daily, to try:

PUMPKIN MASK

1/4 fresh pumpkin

2 eggs

2 teaspoons olive oil (for dry skin and combination)

1 teaspoon honey (for dry skin)

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (for oily skin)

Mash the pumpkin. Add eggs, stirring until blended. Then, mix the other ingredients, tailoring it to your skin type. Apply the pumpkin mask on your face. Leave it rest for 15 minutes while you take a cat nap. Rinse with warm water. Then apply your regular moisturizer.

Read about Beautiful Masks all this week, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact, including The Top 10 Most Beautiful Masks, Is This Really Happening?, Behind the Masked Fruit, Incredible Mask Art Now, and Beautiful Mask Destinations.

Get busy and enter the BN Competitions, Our theme this week is Beautiful Masks. Send in your images and ideas. Deadline is 11.03.13.

Photo: Courtesy of InterActiveMediaSW.

Also, check out our special competition: The Most Beautiful Sound in the World! We are thrilled about this effort, together with SoundCloud and The Sound Agency. And we can’t wait to hear what you’ve got!