Wear wolf Forget about simply donning a mask for Halloween. The holiday, getting more elaborate with each passing year, has gone Hollywood. Those with about an hour to spare can have their faces -- and for those who dare to step out in the buff, their entire bodies -- turned into masks.
Not only can you paint the
town on Halloween, you can
paint yourself, as wellBy Nadine Kam
nkam@starbulletin.comProsperity Corner in Kaimuki has turned into a ghoul factory as resident makeup artist Bryan D. Furer turns out one camera-ready creature after another, blood, whiskers, warts and all.
"Even though Halloween falls on a Wednesday and people can't stay up late, you're gonna see a lot of people going out to party. It's just been so frustrating since Sept. 11, with one worry after another," he said. "I think Halloween allows them to vent their frustration. I think people are ready for this."
"This" means overcoming powerlessness to play the part of the bogeyman, monsters and creatures a la horror films and "Planet of the Apes."
"I think the reason why we're so fascinated by the monster movie and horror genres is because they take our minds away from the real horrors," he said. "Movies like 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein' came out in 1931, at the peak of the Depression, and they were big successes."I don't think people are going to necessarily be into gore and blood. I think that's too real right now, but fantasy characters -- apes, werewolves, devils, demons and strange things, those are the kinds of characters people can get into."
Basic face painting at Prosperity Corner starts at $35. Simple children's designs are also available, although Furer recommends against giving children a total prosthetic make- over.
"Unless they're involved in theater they squiggle and squirm and it's hard to work on them."
Getting into character is easier though when you've got the works -- prosthetics, makeup and hair. Add $17 to the basic makeup price if you want demon horns, $20 if you want a widge or witch nose with matching ears. A full Frankenstein or werewolf look can cost $225.
Do-it-yourselfers can purchase any one of the bags of nose ($9.80), eye ($14.30, for the third eye or hunchback looks), horns ($4.40) or troll ($28.70) available at the shop. The body parts are made of slush or foam latex and are best used by those with artistic leanings, according to Furer, who's toyed with special effects makeup since the age of 10. While the other kids were watching afternoon cartoons, he was watching "Mission Impossible" and painting his skin with third-degree burns and cuts.
He began working on the "Hawaii Five-O" series at age 19, and has worked on Hawaii-based TV series ever since."There's a lot more to this than sticking it on," Furer said. "Once you've done the application of the appliance, a lot of the work is in the coloring. If you don't do a good job coloring, it can look really terrible."
Easier to use are the fake blood, bruises and cuts available at Prosperity Corner, and not everything they have embraces the ugly. There is also rhinestone face jewelry for those who prefer more glam, movie star looks.
Perhaps the ultimate glam look is the airbrushed body painting also offered at the shop, starting at $65. It was 1992 when Demi Moore caused a stir going nude save for paint on the cover of Vanity Fair. Now there's nudity for the masses with women opting for "Moulin Rouge"-style corsets in body paint, complete with lace glued on as ruffles.
Others want to be snakes or tigers, and "some of 'em just want to walk around naked," said Furer, who's accustomed to working with bodies up close, having applied many a tan to "Baywatch Hawaii" cast members.
Don't worry about finding yourself paintless at the end of the evening. Furer says the coverage will last for two or three days and can't be sweat off or rinsed off, except with a brisk scrubbing with a high-alkaline soap like Ivory.
Furer prefers creating ghouls and demons to prettier creations and draws the lines at clowns. He has fond memories of one client last year, an elderly Blood Bank employee who "wanted pustules, blood, the works. She came in early in the morning and caught the bus to work with her face that way.
"I thought that was so nice. I mean, it may have been in poor taste, but that's how you stay young, you know, doing stupid, silly things like that."
>> Prosperity Corner is at 1151 12th Ave. To book Halloween appointments, call 732-8870.
>>Sephora, at Ala Moana Center, will also be offering free specialty makeup looks, including Harry Potter lightning bolts and "Moulin Rouge" eye makeup from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 31, on a first-come, first serve basis. They will not be doing full-face makeup, and because they don't know what the demand will be like that day, it's recommended that you have a backup plan.
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