As an actor we have discussed plenty of things regarding your image: weight, health, teeth, height…etc. But one very important thing we yet have to address is SKIN. Yeah make-up can work miracles and we all know the magical wonders of concealer, but that’s not the point. The point is when you are up on a 12 foot screen at the movies, and your face is blown up for all to see and scrutinize, you dont want to look lumpy, or scarred, or painted with a coat of base so thick (in this case men always have more problems) you look like a drag-queen. And yes, a simple pimple can be covered, but when its an entire facial side with tiny lumps, you are basically giving the lighting team an extra half hour of work. Not good.
So some basic rules apply. Male or female. Young and old.
1- Dont go to bed with your make-up on. The old mothers saying about washing your face every night becomes a requisite for all actors, mainly because we tend to wear make-up 14 hours a day on shooting schedules and without the small “breathing” time at night, the clogs can turn UGLY…fast. I know an actor who carries baby wipes with him in the car so he can quickly take off the mask if he has to go somewhere after work.
2- Please dont overdo the tan! O.K. A healthy golden glow can be as simple as a few brushstrokes of bronzer. Or just the healthy habit of 15 minutes a day walking. But the whole 15 minutes a day in the “cancer booth” that makes you look like the old lady from “Theres Something About Mary” is the worst thing you could do for your acting career.Same goes for the streaky spray tans. Obviously if you just want to play the roles of tanned corpses on CSI Miami thats fine. But for the serious actors, remember you are a blank slate. Not an ORANGE one!!!!
3- SLEEP! I know its hard. I know that even after 16 hours on set, when you get home you still have responsibilities. But so do other people and they get paid alot less than we do. As actors its part of our job to show up rested and energized on set in the morning ready to give our best performance. And even just the late beers show instantly on those dark nasty circles under your eyes, the opacity of the skin tone, and worst of all, the dull and damaged skin from not being regenerated by sleep. So aim for as many hours as you can on the job. In between jobs also bear in mind the skin isnt as forgiving as we want it to be. And still keep up the rest, but its even more important when your face is going to be on thousands of screens in a couple of weeks.
4- Hydrate. OK. See here I used to have a problem. Whenever I would put on a facial creme to moisturize, I would do one of two things: sweat profusely or simply look greasy. But that is just because I hadnt found a creme for my type of skin prescribed by a dermatologist. It didnt cost me $500 and it worked wonders. So now instead of slathering on any old bottle I find in the bathroom or get in samples, I have a cheap miracle-worker designed specially for my skin AND my habits (I tend to forget to put it on in the daytime and only do it at night after showers). So find your formula and use it. No excuses. Dry skin can flake and even worse, can make the make-up cake which does NOT look good on screen.
5- For people with acute acne PROACTIVE has some very corny infomercials, but it has been tried and tested and proved to work by so many people I would definitely suggest making the investment. Its the only treatment I have truly seen work miracles (Im sure there are others but I never trust those before and after pictures because a friend of mine photoshops them for a living). With skin, its best sometimes to keep it simple and not lather on a dozen different products of different lines, and I think that might be why its also so good. They come with all your products: soap, lotion, cleanser, tonic…
P.S. Just so you know, when you are a big star, you can obviously pay or even just ask to have your close-ups photoshopped frame-by-frame which is VERY expensive and a little on the “too vain-narcissistic” side for my taste. Plus, the way technology is now a days, you can still tell when a part is being blurred out and airbrushed. Maybe in the future…
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