Review of Making Faces

This review is in response to the review of Ironclaw. Near the beginning of said review the reiewer said that anthropomorphs were almost as close to the uncrossable line as gender bending and larping. Whiich bring us to Making Faces.

This glossy book is all about makeup and how to turn the application of it into an art. As such it can help when getting into costume for larp, and some parts of it are clearly meant to be used to gender bend. In any case it is fun stuff.

The question of course is, "should I buy it?"

The answer depends on what use you possibly could have for it. If you just want to know how to put on makeup the first chapter gives you a rundown of the techniques, some of which may be a little advanced, and one of which is essential (the eyebrow mods without plucking) for modern day larp. There's even a tip for making your eyes appear larger for all you cosplayin' anime fiends.

In the next chapter specific makeovers are given. These are normal people given makeovers that enhance how they look. The vital part of the chapter is Jay as his makeover shows how to use makeup artistry to change a male image without going into gender bending. In fact the two pages dedicated to him will be most useful. Some of the makeovers are fairly standard things. They're done very well, but there isn't really anything to really use.

Finally comes the styles section with a demonstation of verious different images and how to present them through cosmetics. Sadly there isn't that many of the styles that work for males. There is the punker style which is more of a 70's Brit punk than anything I've seen as a late 80's/early 90's punker. It could be used by man or woman if you're playing a Brujah that doesn't mind coming off as an anachronism without exuding an aura of ancient power. Which is to say you won't be using it in your larp. There is one extreme example of gender bending near the end, and a way to do eye makeup in a sultry yet still masculine way. Aside from that this section's for the ladies, though guys who know their stuff could adapt some of the styles (the eyebrows would have to be different than the femme versions and there isn't much on masculine eyebrows to help you along).

So is the question of why you should buy it answered by the analysis of the first three parts? If so you probably don't need to go any farther. If not keep in mind that many of the larp books talk about makeup but use stage makeup techniques meant to convey something from a distance. The tips in this book are for closeup stuff and little details in the eye area. The effect is a bit different, and this is the makeup book I prefer. Still if you don't do larp or cosplay this book is little more than a coffee table book suitable for holding up the beverages you drink while gaming (which we probably won't see reviewed on rpg.net ever again).

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)