Choosing a Signature Makeup Look for Your OC!
Makeup! Want to highlight your features? Try makeup! Want to cosplay your favorite character? You can use makeup! Want to add to your favorite aesthetic look? Makeup can be used for that too! …But that’s not what we’re talking about today! Makeup doesn’t just apply to the real world, it can be used for your OCs too! So how do you choose a fitting makeup look for your OC? Let’s talk about it!
And if you're looking for more ways to elevate your OC designs, try looking into outfits, hairstyles, and even accessories!
What’s your OC’s personality?
The first thing you can consider when choosing a style of makeup for your OC is their personality! The personality of your character can determine what kind of look they could go for, or if they even wear makeup at all! A more outgoing OC might go for a more extravagant look, while a reserved character might have a more natural makeup style or wear a minimal amount! A person who likes to be popular might wear what’s trending, and a person who doesn’t might wear something wild and fun!
The personality of your OC can be shown through their makeup, just like with other aspects of their design! This can be anywhere from how much makeup they wear, to the colors and style as well! It all depends on the type of character you have! Personality can help you figure out what your OC would be comfortable with wearing, and what they might shy away from. Here’s some questions to consider about your OC’s personality when deciding on makeup for them:
- Are they more shy, or more outgoing?
- Do they care more about what’s trending, or more about their personal preferences?
- Do they care what people think of them and their look?
- Are they a more heroic OC, or a more evil one?
- Are they more sweet and friendly, or more grumpy and aloof?
Questions like these can give you an idea as to the kinds of makeup your OC might wear! Do you have a friendly, bubbly OC? They might wear bright, pastel makeup! What about a mischievous and sly character? They could wear dark makeup with sharp details! How about a more quiet OC? They might stick to a light amount of natural makeup! There are plenty of things you can do with personality, and how it can affect the makeup your character might wear!
You could even use the kind of makeup your OC wears to trick your audience with something unexpected! Makeup that gives off a certain impression can be used for a character that’s the complete opposite! Maybe a villainous OC wears makeup that makes them look cute and innocent, and is revealed to be the true villain later on! A shy but friendly OC could have more dark makeup, that makes people think that they’re mean, when in reality they’re not mean at all! It’s not set in stone as to what kinds of makeup go with certain personality traits, so do some experimenting and see what you like best for your character!
A good example of using personality to decide on a makeup look would be Odd’s OC Multiverse Mania! They have extravagant makeup that matches their charismatic personality!
Another good example of using personality for deciding on a makeup look would be Kotohiime’s OC Giselle! Giselle has a warm personality that her light colored makeup matches!
What’s your OC’s aesthetic?
Another big part in the kind of makeup your character might wear is the overall aesthetic of their design! Different styles of makeup can go really well with different aesthetics, and other styles might not fit as well! While your OC’s makeup doesn’t have to match perfectly, utilizing aesthetics can make it easier to decide what kind of makeup you’ll choose for your character! Just like with other aspects of character design, aesthetics can help you out!
There’s plenty of aesthetics a character could have, and just as many styles of makeup that can match their aesthetic! An OC with a colorful cutesy design might wear sparkly baby blue eyeshadow and bubblegum pink lipstick, while a character with a more dark and spooky look might have smoky eyeshadow and a deep purple lipstick. If you need some ideas to help you imagine different kinds of makeup, try looking up makeup styles for different aesthetics! Here’s some concepts to get your creativity flowing:
- A goth OC with skeleton-themed makeup
- A cottagecore OC with flowery makeup
- A pastel OC with candy-colored makeup
- A cyberpunk OC with robot themed makeup
Using aesthetics can be a fun way to choose or design the makeup of your OC! You can utilize the aesthetic of your character for the makeup as much, or as little, as you want! It could be as detailed as having designs and facepaint, or as simple as the makeup’s color palette. It’s all up to you how extravagant, or how simple, the makeup is!
Along with aesthetics, you can also use motifs to help with the makeup look of your OC! You can add details that go along with the unique motif of your character! If an OC has a flower motif, you could give them flower themed eyeshadow! If a different character has a heart motif, you could make their lipstick have a heart shape! For more about motifs, check out this article about picking an outfit for your OC here!
A good example of using aesthetics for an OC’s makeup design would be Kayybee’s OC Kura! Kura has a goth aesthetic, with dark makeup to match!
Another good example of using a character’s aesthetic for their makeup design would be Elibi’s OC Celia! Celia has a pastel aesthetic, with colorful makeup that matches!
What’s your OC’s role or occupation?
The role your OC has in their story can play a part in the design of their makeup as well! Some jobs require a more “professional” look, and some jobs don’t! Different roles might be better for different makeup styles too! A friendly fairy princess and the boss of a shady insurance company probably won’t have the same kind of makeup.
The kind of occupation your OC has can be helpful to deciding the kind of makeup your character wears! You can find inspiration from your favorite stories and such to help as well! What kind of makeup do the characters wear? Does it go along with their role? You can also look at the characters here on Unvale too! Here’s some ideas about for roles and makeup to get your creativity flowing:
- A fairy OC with sparkly, floral makeup
- A businessperson OC with natural, professional makeup
- A wizard OC with magic symbols as part of their makeup
- A clown OC with clownish makeup
There’s lots of different ways you can show off an OC’s role through their makeup look! A magical character could have sparkly or shimmery makeup! What about a sci-fi cyborg OC? Maybe they have neon makeup! An internet influencer OC could have fun, crazy makeup!
The opposite can be used as well! The makeup an OC wears doesn’t have to reflect the role they have, especially if it’s a part of their character! The makeup your OC wears can say a lot about them, without truly saying anything at all! Maybe a character in a private school purposely wears colorful makeup as a form of rebellion, or maybe a time traveler ended up in the wrong time period!
A good example of using a role for an OC’s makeup look would be SmartfoodPopcorn’s OC Philip! Philip is a jester with circus makeup that matches!
Another good example of using roles to choose an OC’s makeup look would be Shelf’s OC T! T is a robot with sharp, angular makeup that matches!
What’s the setting of the story your OC is in?
Setting? What in the world does setting have to do with makeup?! Well, it has more to do with makeup than you’d think, actually! You won’t find the makeup trends of today in medieval times, and unless it’s for aesthetics you won’t find the opposite! Similarly, an OC in an office setting probably won’t be wearing mermaid makeup and an OC surviving a zombie apocalypse likely wouldn’t wear much makeup at all!
You’ll want to consider the time period and place your story takes place! If you need ideas or inspiration, you can look through your favorite pieces of media! You could also look at current trends in makeup for a modern day story, or old pictures and paintings for a story in a different time period. Here’s some questions you can ask about your story’s setting to give you an idea as to where to start:
- What time period does the story take place?
- What kind of area does the story take place?
- What genre is the story?
- Is the story fantasy, realistic, or something else?
The kind of makeup your OC can have is impacted by the setting just like any other part of their design! If you want your story to be more believable, you’ll definitely want to do some research on the kinds of makeup worn in that area or time period!
You don’t have to be perfectly accurate though, and you could have a character with makeup that doesn’t fully match the setting too! Maybe your OC isn’t where they’re supposed to be, and they’re hiding in secret! Maybe a magic mermaid is hiding in secret on land, or maybe a robotic cyborg from the future wanted a chance to see the past!
It may seem difficult at first, but there are plenty of ways you can choose a signature makeup look for your OC! Thinking about your character’s personality, aesthetic, role, and the world they’re in can all be ways to help you decide. And as always, don’t stress too much over it! Make sure you’re having fun, and choose what you want for your OC!