Fish eyes experiment (Napoleon wrasse eye markings)

[Theobromine]

So normally I don't wear any more makeup while mermaiding than I do in my everyday human life (read: absolute zero). I've never liked makeup other than for Halloween and I find it actually makes me more self-conscious...I feel like I look better without it, I hate how it feels on my face, it's expensive, and I just hate messing with it. I have tried wearing a little for photoshoots once or twice, but I just ended up freaking out because even the tiniest bit makes me look weird and just...not ME (ask Iona or Octavia, both have tried to put makeup on me for photoshoots, not very successfully).

However, I had a random flash of inspiration this morning while I was browsing pictures of wrasses (as you do). One of my favorite reef fishes, Cheilinus undulatus (known variously as the Napoleon wrasse, humphead wrasse, and Maori wrasse) has very cool markings around its eyes. I thought it might be cool to just try mimicking it to see how it looked. For some reason, makeup/face paint seems to freak me out a lot less when I'm doing animal markings than when just trying to do people-makeup. Go figure. Anyway, I have allllll this blue makeup leftover from my Aayla Secura cosplay from Comic Con, so I gave it a try just for funsies. What do you guys think?



I had to wash it off right afterwards, but at least I managed to get some doofy pictures without freaking out :P

[Winged Mermaid]

Nice! So proud of you, and it looks awesome!

[Princess Pearl]

That looks so neat!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

This looks beautiful! A very cool mix of animal/tribal and traditional beauty makeup. Maximum mermaidy-ness.

[Mermaid Cecelia]

That's so cool! Glad you shared it

[Theobromine]

Woo! Thanks everyone!!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Love it! My attempts at makeup always give me panda eyes! So I never bother with it either.

[Theobromine]

If panda eyes are what happens when it gets all smeary on your lower eyelids, that's also what usually happens to me when I try it. It's usually not worth it for me, but I thought this was a fun idea. I might try it for a photoshoot sometime. I really wish I had thought of it before Sunday, cuz I had my first professional photoshoot then :P

Hmm, I wonder if there are any other good fishy eye markings I could mimic...

[Mermaid Jaffa]

For me, it gets smeary under my eyes, where the eye bags are.

[Theobromine]

I learned a trick for eye bags recently!! I did a small music video shoot, and I got made up by a professional makeup artist (I was very brave). She said she'd put some stuff on my eyes to take care of the eye bags (was super tired that day) and I asked what she used and she said Preparation H (hemorrhoid cream). I was like "so....you're saying my eyes are buttholes?"

I really want to try it myself but thus far have been too sheepish to walk into a store and buy bunghole cream :-/

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I learned a trick for eye bags recently!! I did a small music video shoot, and I got made up by a professional makeup artist (I was very brave). She said she'd put some stuff on my eyes to take care of the eye bags (was super tired that day) and I asked what she used and she said Preparation H (hemorrhoid cream). I was like "so....you're saying my eyes are buttholes?"

I really want to try it myself but thus far have been too sheepish to walk into a store and buy bunghole cream :-/

AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

You could say its for your grandma...

[Ilyena]

Ohhh looks awesome ^_^.

I use a thick concealer for my eye bags then a powder foundation over my whole face. Stupid looking like a raccoon somedays lol.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ohhh looks awesome ^_^.

I use a thick concealer for my eye bags then a powder foundation over my whole face. Stupid looking like a raccoon somedays lol.

Yea, the whole, "Do I wanna be a panda or raccoon today?" made me stop trying with makeup!

[PearlieMae]

I love the wrasse markings! And the colors match your eyes!

Prep H works wonders for shoots, BUTT it can leave your face greasy. Sudden Change Eye Serum is a temporary fix that uses sterilized egg whites (serum albumen) to tighten undereye bags, but it doesn't work in water.

My eyes disappear when I smile anyway, always have, and I've always had undereye bags, even as a kid.

Not a lot of makeup options for this:

[MermaidAine]

I love the wrasse markings! And the colors match your eyes!

Prep H works wonders for shoots, BUTT it can leave your face greasy. Sudden Change Eye Serum is a temporary fix that uses sterilized egg whites (serum albumen) to tighten undereye bags, but it doesn't work in water.

My eyes disappear when I smile anyway, always have, and I've always had undereye bags, even as a kid.

Not a lot of makeup options for this:

I have the very same issue!

[PearlieMae]

I have the very same issue!

That's why we just smile a lot, right?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Thanks for the heads-up *wipes tear away* BUTT I'm not too worried as my face is already so greasy I doubt it would make much difference. I'd probably only bother with it for photoshoots anyway. Also...dude, you don't NEED a lot of makeup options. You're already gorgeous.

Mermaid Jaffa, saying it's for my grandma is a pretty good idea, actually! I thought of asking my mom to get some for me, but she'd probably just tell all the clerks "OH IT'S FOR MY POOR DAUGHTER, WHAT A TRAGEDY FOR ONE SO YOUNG" and then show them all my picture :P

Or maybe I just act like it's a prank and do that thing where you buy Prep H, condoms and lube, and a single banana.

Awww! Thank you! Now I know why all these years I get complimented on my smile...it's the only thing you can really see!

Ya gotta get Prep H, condoms, a banana, and a bottle brush. THAT'LL confuse them!

[Theobromine]

Prep H works wonders for shoots, BUTT it can leave your face greasy.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Thanks for the heads-up *wipes tear away* BUTT I'm not too worried as my face is already so greasy I doubt it would make much difference. I'd probably only bother with it for photoshoots anyway. Also...dude, you don't NEED a lot of makeup options. You're already gorgeous.

Mermaid Jaffa, saying it's for my grandma is a pretty good idea, actually! I thought of asking my mom to get some for me, but she'd probably just tell all the clerks "OH IT'S FOR MY POOR DAUGHTER, WHAT A TRAGEDY FOR ONE SO YOUNG" and then show them all my picture :P

Or maybe I just act like it's a prank and do that thing where you buy Prep H, condoms and lube, and a single banana.

[Mermaid Wesley]

You guys....smh.
the eye makeup looks awesome. I like doing makeup like... not people makeup too. lol. I like the wrasse markings for a more badass mermaid shoot or something like that, but this has me thinking about some sort of cool mermaid fantasy makeup for gigs. hmmmmmmmm....... *looks at makeup*

[Theobromine]

Many species of butterfly fish have vertical dark bars going through their eyes...that would look cool for a dark mermaid shoot....and then there's the copperband butterfly, which has black-edged gold bars.

[Kaila Mermaid]

Those are some kickass markings. I've been tempted to do markings in the past, but was never brave enough