Alright, let’s talk about makeup and hairstyles for your characters. My last post was about what clothes to wear so this seemed only too fitting for a follow up post. You either want your characters to look their best or show their hard ships.
~~ Makeup~~
Both woman and men could wear makeup. Depending on occupation of course. But mainly depending on preference. There are many who feel as though makeup makes them look better but little do they know, that they are beautiful without it. Confidence in ones appearance can make a difference between whether they are comfortable without wearing makeup or not.
Many woman are pretty adamant about makeup for everyday use or at least for work or an event. But there are others who are not. So your character can be either way. My biggest issue is when woman are depicted as always worrying about how their makeup looks, or their makeup is always flawless. Under stressful situations, or rough weather conditions, etc. I’m sorry but their, what may have been a masterpiece earlier, is no longer perfect looking. It may be smeared, running, faded slightly but I like reading a more realistic version of a makeup scenario. That may just be my preference though. However, I like imperfections in a storyline because it’s more like reality…no one is perfect. That’s what makes us all unique and wonderful in our own ways.
Sometimes you may even, like I said, describe men wearing makeup. As an everyday choice or it may be for a job. It’s a well known fact that most musicians, movie and tv stars wear some kind of make up. Even news anchors do. So if it’s a requirement for their job or a choice it could be an optional way to include it in your story.
Ways to describe makeup should be kept simple. Don’t over describe it. You will read that statement a lot through my posts. To be careful of over explaining something. Makeup can be described as easily as… ’she applied light makeup‘, to going into detail as the color of lipstick or colors in total that were used. However, an entire makeup routine can be left out. Your readers aren’t reading your novel to learn how to apply the makeup, so keep it to the point and what makes sense to give an insight to a personality or add a visual aspect to the scene.
~~ Hairstyles~~
I know, there are so many options, from colors to styles, updos, straight hair, curly hair, long hair, buzz cuts etc. But picking a said style can be based on many different things. Much like clothing (as stated in my last post), a hairstyle can be determined based on….
Personality
Career
Social life/Family life
Mood
Budget/circumstances/Availability
Time period
Maybe they just like an easier hairstyle to deal with because they spend a lot of time at work or socializing and would like something low maintenance.
Maybe they have long hair because they believe their hair is their best feature and are determined to continue to stick to the same style.
Maybe they choose a certain color, like some actresses/actors do, that they’ve kept up their whole lives and not even, they remember exactly what their original hair color was like.
There’s also the possibility that being a mother, or a father would determine the difference in their hair style.
Their mood can determine whether or not they try a new crazy hairstyle/color. Whether or not they feel bold.
Budget can determine how often it’s kept up and what styles they choose as well.
Time period says a lot. Depending on the era It will determine what styles were popular in your story.
***In my next YouTube video on my channel I will give some examples on types of makeup and hairstyles that you can describe. The link will be below the next image in this post.***
There are many ways to describe the appearance of your characters. Many things that you can do to tell a little bit about their personality. A persons appearance tells so much about them and what they have gone through in life. Sometimes it’s a teenager acting out or a mom wanting to feel like a teenager herself again. Sometimes it’s a man whose completely comfortable with wearing makeup and also dyes his hair because he’s unhappy to see any grey hair. Sometimes it’s someone who is proud to show their age and looks great with their grey hair and no makeup.
Details don’t have to be boring. They can be incredibly important as well as entertaining. What matters is how you describe it. Each sentence and each description can be used as a tool, per say, to enhance and drive your story forward. Embrace those details, make them show who your character really is. Think about your style and why you either choose to wear makeup or not…or why you style your hair the way you do…then think of your character under the same detailed microscope. Why do they look the way they do? What does it mean to them, as well as what might it mean to a reader who’s reading it for the first time?
Thank you for reading my blog…Until Next Time…JUST KEEP WRITING.
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