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In order to succeed at getting the older look of your costume and aging in a realistic way, it takes a little bit of extra preparation beforehand. You will need to have the face of an old person, the right wardrobe, and a few key props. But don't worry--looking like an old person can be as easy as taking out your dentures. Follow these steps and you'll look like a spiffy old person in no time.
Steps
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Research. Get pictures of old people. Find them on the Internet, or go through family albums. If people say you look like your grandmother, get a picture of her. Here are some places to look for inspiration:- Look at your favorite old people from movies or television shows.
- Check out what people are wearing in the brochures for senior citizen centers.
- If you want to do some field work, go to a local community bingo game and see what people are wearing.
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Create a game plan. Decide what you want your old self to look like. This will make it easy for you to gather materials and dress properly when the time comes. Draw an old version of yourself for inspiration. Having the image of your costume in your mind can help you bring it to reality.- Once you've done your research, you can decide what kind of old look you want to achieve. Do you want to look classy old, old old, or scary old?
- Decide how much time you have to achieve your look. Will you have time to shop, or only to look through your wardrobe?
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Wash your face. It's very important to wash your face before you go on your makeup adventure. Your face must be as convincing as possible for the rest of your look to succeed.- It's important to wash your face as thoroughly as possible. If your face is oily, the makeup won't stick as well. Wash and dry your face completely.
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Apply a base. With a makeup sponge, apply a thin, even coat of base on your face, neck, and ears. Don't just stop at the chin, because everyone will see that your neck is a different color from your face. The base coat shouldn't be your own skin color.- Usually older people are a bit paler. Just go two or three shades paler than your normal base. You may also consider going one shade darker, if that's what your character might look like.
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Create wrinkles. Look in the mirror as you wrinkle your face. Scrunch your forehead. Notice your natural wrinkles. You should add highlight and shadow to these. With a dark brown makeup pencil or small brush, draw a thin line just above each wrinkle .
- Start in the middle and work outward. Just like the wrinkles on your head, your shadow line should be thicker in the center and fade out at the ends.
- Do the same thing below the dark line with a lighter brown color. When you're done with your forehead, make crows feet at the outside corners of your eyes.
- Scrunch your mouth and nose, and highlight and shadow those wrinkles as well.
- Gently run your finger around the wrinkles to blend them in.
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Apply a shadow to your eyes. Take a darker brown or purple and gently brush in a shadow above your eyes. Then add another shadow below your eyes, in the area where you'd have a black eye.
- These should be as subtle as your wrinkles, and nicely blended out on the edges. You can add a highlight under your eyes, and in the corner of your eyes to help them stand out and Outline with darker color bags under the eyes.
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Color your lips. You can paint your lips with your base color if you want, or go lighter or darker. Many old people will not have any pinkish color in their lips.
- Once the base is applied to the lips, take your shadow color and add several vertical lines on your upper and lower lips, to make them seem wrinkled. Purse your lips to get an idea of where to put them.
- These lines can extend past your lips if you want to look really old, but don't make them go more than 1 ⁄ 4 inch (0.6 cm) past. Be selective and don't make an even pattern.
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Add extra things to give your design real character, such as spots, scars, apple cheeks, or jowls. With everything you do, remember that to make something three dimensional, you simply need to apply the appropriate highlight and shadow.- Remember that light usually comes from above, so highlight accordingly. Wrinkles are highlighted on the bottom because that's where the light would hit them. At the same time, a wart would have highlight on the top.
- You might also want to use a darker or lighter color on a stipple sponge or brush to give parts of your skin a little more texture.
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Set your makeup. Use powder on a puff to apply a light coat of translucent powder to your entire face and neck. After that, splash cold water on your face and blot dry with a paper towel or cloth.
- Do not rub your face dry . This will set your makeup and let it last a bit longer without coming off on your clothes or hands as much. It will still come off, so be careful.
- If you want to look like a woman, after you're done, put on bright lipstick or purple or blue eye shadow, as well as some blush.
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Take care of your new face. Now that you look like an old person, take care of your old face while you put the rest of your outfit together.- Try not to smile or laugh too much until you're ready to bring your outfit into the world.
- When you put your clothes on, be careful not to smear your face. If you're wearing something tight that won't easily wear over your face, put it on before you do the makeup.
- For the most part, though, putting on your clothes afterwards works best because you won't accidentally ruin the clothes with your makeup.
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Remember a few key rules before you find your perfect outfit. Before you put together every aspect of your outfit, there are a few rules of thumb that will help you achieve the right look.- Remember to bring lots of layers, whether it's a on old sweater for men, or a long cardigan for women. Old people are always cold and love their layers.
- All of your clothes should look like they've been through the wash about a hundred times. Achieve a convincing and faded look for your clothes.
- Either gender should wear a white wig or sprinkle baby powder in their hair to achieve a gray look. Men can consider getting a "wig" that makes them look bald. You can at least add highlights to the roots of your hair by rubbing white/gray eyeshadow.
- You should think thoughtfully about your outfit, but it should have the appearance of just being thrown on.
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Know where to get appropriate "old people" clothes. If you want to look like an old person, you'll have to dress the part and to know where to look. The right clothes will make the difference between people loving your outfit and asking what the heck you're supposed to be for Halloween. Here are a few tips:- Ask your grandparents. The first and most obvious place to get the right clothes will be to raid your grandmother or grandfather's wardrobe. A real old person will have real old person stuff.
- Only ask your grandmother or grandfather if he or she has a good sense of humor about you wanting to look old. And even if they only let you look and their clothes, the clothes you see can give you inspiration.
- Check out thrift stores or garage sales for "old people" stuff. You may be able to find a real treasure for almost nothing.
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Dress like an old man. Dressing like an old man can be easy, but it will require some work for you to find the perfect old man outfit. To look the part, you'll have to think carefully about everything you're wearing, from your hat to your shoes. Here's what to do:- Put on a thin white t-shirt or a t-shirt that mentions their retirement community or bingo league.
- The right knitted vest will tie your old man outfit together.
- Wear tan, gray, or brown slacks that are way too short, and hike them up even further with a pair of suspenders.
- Wear a hat such as a fedora, worn baseball cap, or straw hat. Just a pair of loafers or orthopedic shoes will look great on your feet. Wear brown socks.
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Dress like an old lady. To be the best old lady you can be, you have to have the right outfit, shoes, and accessories. Here are a few things to wear to make your outfit come together:- Wear pants, skirts, or dresses that are a size too big. Their tops should be a little loose and should not fit perfectly. Look through your old house dresses to see what fits.
- Wear pantyhose, and shouldn't expose their legs, even if it's ninety degrees outside.
- Put on orthopedic shoes or old sneakers. Or if you're going to be a "spiffy" old lady, wear a pair of low high heels with a thick heel. Lots of velcro will do the trick.
- If you're a woman, wear chunky jewelry and an old reasonably-sized purse. Put foods like muffins and bananas in your purse and periodically offer then to people.
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Don't underestimate the power of the right accessory or prop. Your clothes will help you achieve your old person look, but the right accessory or prop will tie your outfit together and will help people recognize your costume quickly. Here are some tips for finding the right props or accessories:- Wear thick, clear glasses.
- Bring around a walker or a cane if it doesn't annoy you.
- If you're really ambitious, consider getting a hearing aid, or making an earplug look like a hearing aide.
- Carry around a bottle of vitamins and offer them to people.
- Old people love gardening. Carry around an empty watering pot.
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Finished.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do you do old man makeup on a kid?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerYou’d do age makeup on a kid the same way you would on an adult. If you’re worried about how the makeup will affect the child’s skin, look for products formulated for sensitive skin.
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QuestionWhat do old ladies wear?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerThat depends on the lady! If you like, you can look for pictures of older women online, or look to a woman you know in real life for inspiration. If you’re going for a stereotypical “old lady” look, pastels are a good bet. Try wearing a floral dress with a shawl or loose cardigan. For a more glamorous old lady look, go with simple, classic pieces, a la Coco Chanel.
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QuestionHow can I dress like a 70-year-old man?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerThis depends on how fashionable you want your 70-year-old man to look. To keep it simple, go with a button-up shirt and khaki pants. You can also try throwing on a cardigan or sweater vest. For a dressier look, spruce it up with a tie and blazer. Wear comfortable shoes, like simple sneakers or loafers.
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Tips
- Depending on what is the goal of looking old, some wrinkles and highlights to the hands might be appropriate.Thanks
- Make sure that when you dress like an old person, make it believable. Wear neutral colors (not neon) and wear fake glasses.Thanks
- As you get more advanced, you might look into using latex. Latex can be applied to stretched skin, and when dry and the skin is relaxed, it will wrinkle the skin even more.Thanks
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Warnings
- Test each kind of makeup first to be sure you're not allergic to it. Make sure to test it on your forearm or somewhere that's more sensitive like your face is. Testing it on your hand or finger might not be accurate.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Base, shadow and highlight makeup. Try Ben Nye or other theatrical makeup companies
- A thin brush
- Makeup pencils (in your shadow and highlight color)
- Makeup sponges
- A stipple sponge
- A puff
- Translucent face powder
- Pictures of senior's and older relatives.
- senior clothes
- senior props
About This Article
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