Nikki's Party Makeup from Obsession: Fake Blood Tutorial

You don't need a costume store for this one. Nikki's party look makeup from Obsession is 7 steps, about $20 from the drugstore, and the whole face takes 15 minutes. Here's exactly how to do it, plus a homemade fake blood recipe if you'd rather skip the store-bought bottle.

1. What to buy, about $20 total

• Fake blood, seasonal aisle, around $5.
• A translucent setting powder, or a foundation 2 shades lighter than your skin.
• A black kohl eyeliner.
• A dark brown or burgundy eyeshadow.
• A setting spray.

That's the whole list. Everything here is in the makeup aisle at Target, Walmart, CVS or Walgreens.

2. The 7 steps

1. Start on clean, dry skin. No moisturizer right before, or nothing will stay put. The blood needs a matte surface to run on.
2. Go 2 shades paler. Use a light foundation, or just press translucent powder over your normal base. Nikki is lit by a flash in a dark house: the paler you are, the more the red reads.

Step 6: pour it from the crown, not the face.

3. Smudge the eyes, don't line them. Black kohl on the upper and lower lash line, then rub it out with your fingertip until the edge is gone. Press the dark brown or burgundy shadow into the socket and under the eye. It should look like a long night, not eyeliner.
4. Keep the mouth quiet. A nude or soft brown lip, blotted with a tissue. The mouth is where the blood is going to sit, so it shouldn't compete.
5. Wet the hair. Water or a little gel through the roots and pushed back. Wet hair is half of the look, and it's what makes the blood run instead of soak in.
6. Pour the blood from the crown, not the face. In the movie, the bottle broke over her head. Tip a small amount onto the top of your head and let it find its own way down through the hair, over the forehead, along the nose and to the chin. Add a trail down the neck and onto the collarbone, and a smear on one hand. Don't paint a pattern, gravity does it better than you will.
7. Let it set, then spray. Give the blood 2 to 3 minutes to stop moving, then setting spray, held far enough away that you don't wash it off. Photograph it before it dries completely, that's when it looks the most real.

One thing to skip: the drawn-on tattoos (a treble clef on the shoulder, 2 hands shaped like a heart on the chest) belong to Nikki's other look from later in the movie, the floral dress with the brick. Leave them off here, or you're two costumes at once.

The tattoos and the brick belong to the other look, not this one.

3. How to make fake blood at home

Store-bought works fine, but homemade looks more real and costs almost nothing. Everything below is in the baking aisle.

5 ingredients from the baking aisle.

You need:

• ½ cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 drop of blue or green food coloring
• Optional: 1 teaspoon cornstarch, for a thicker blood

Make it:

1. Stir the red food coloring into the corn syrup until the color is even.
2. Add the cocoa powder and mix until there are no dry lumps. It takes the red from candy to real, and makes it less see-through.
3. Add a single drop of blue or green and stir. Fresh blood is darker than you think, but stop there: a second drop turns it purple.
4. Test it on a white paper towel. Too bright, add a pinch more cocoa. Too thick, add a few drops of water. Too thin to hold a drip, add the cornstarch.

Putting it on: for drips, keep it thin and let it go from the top, thin blood runs on its own. For a thicker look right at the hairline, use the cornstarch version there and thin it out as it runs. Is it safe? It's made only of food ingredients, so it's fine around the mouth, but everyone's skin is different: try a small dab on the inside of your wrist first and keep it away from your eyes.

4. A warning about your outfit

Red food coloring stains. It can leave a pink tint on skin for a day, and it marks fabric. The faux leather shorts wipe clean, the zebra top is fabric: keep the blood off it, or test it first on an inside seam. If it lands on the top, rinse in cold water right away, never hot.

5. Where to get the look

The makeup on the Nikki Party Look Costume.

Fright Kit sells the zebra party outfit this makeup is made for. See the full Nikki costume collection, the guide to all of Nikki's looks, or what's in her other, more dramatic look.

Fan-made costume outfit inspired by the movie Obsession. Fright Kit is not affiliated with or endorsed by the film's studios.