Dressing up the Black Swan is a great costume for Halloween 2011! With its stunning and elaborate makeup, you're sure to have one of the most eye-catching costumes out there. Don't be scared by the dramatic makeup - it's not as hard as it looks! Here are step-by-step instructions to create your very own makeup for the Black Swan. Have fun!

Before you Start: Gather your Supplies We used: -Mehron StarBlend™ Cake in White -Mehron Foam "Hydra" Sponge -Mehron Blusher brush -Mehron 340 Stageline brush -Mehron Pro-Pencil™ Slim in Absolutely Black -Mehron Celebré ShadoBlend in Black Onyx -Beauty Treats International Sparkle Glitter in Blue -Mehron L.I.P. Cream in Cherry -Mehron L.I.P. Cream in Cherrywood -Cup of water

Step 1: Be sure to start with clean skin. If you have long hair, tie it back away from your face. Using the foam sponge dipped in a bit of water, paint a coat of the white cake makeup over the face and neck. While you do not have to use the water, it does help the makeup go on more smoothly and evenly. Leave the lips and eyelids un-painted for now. Use the blusher brush to help even out the base and wipe away any excess, and use the stageline brush to fill in the white base as needed. Let the makeup dry, and then apply more coats until you have an even, opaque coverage.

Step 2: Use the black Pro-Pencil™ Slim to create the winged outline shape over the eyes. Use the natural shape of your eyes and nose as a guide for the outline. Use the Stageline makeup brush with the Black Onyx ShadoBlend to loosely fill in the outlines. You want to leave loose stripes uncovered, especially towards the outer edges. Leave the outer edge lines jagged for a more feathery look.

Step 3: Add the blue glitter powder over the eye makeup. We also painted subtle strokes of the white cake makeup over the eyes, to bring in a hint of a silver color. We then painted a thin stripe of Cherry L.I.P. Cream just underneath the eye makeup.

Step 4: Use the thin makeup brush to add a base coat of Cherywood L.I.P. Cream. Then paint on an inner layer of the Cherry L.I.P. Cream over top. Then you can add any extra costume elements (we pieced together the costume using elements from our store and our sister store The Garment District) and you're ready to go!

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