mortuary make up artist

Aug 12, 2011

ashley h.

so somehow a conversation between my bff & i led to her saying how being a make up artist at a mortuary would be a good job for me. my first thought?
*omg i have to ask around on beautylish* haha.

i just didn't know if anyone is/was one or know anything about it? figured if anything, it'd spark some interesting converstion! lol





(totally irrelevant to this: TGIF!)

Aug 12, 2011

Angelique D.

That would be interesting, but I don't think I can handle doing this on the deceased. 

Aug 12, 2011

ashley h.

i think it would be neat to like "job shadow" one for a day! i don't have too many issues with deceased bodies. my relatives lived in a house attached to a mortuary when i was in kindergarten & had full access to it. i remember us going over there all the time. we never saw the bodies, but i remember never really being scared.

as for the eyes opening & such, i know that naturally happens & it would probably scare the flip out of me, but it's something you probably get used to! i think my biggest thing would be the..."victims of a severe death" for lack of better words if you feel what i'm saying. & kids. ):

buuuuut the general idea of the career is still neat!

Aug 12, 2011

Michelle D.

Hmm, I hope they're not the ones who have to clean their fluids and junk as well haha. What if the person got in a really bad accident with a face just destroyed...I know they like mold a new one, but would the makeup artists have to do that? Ahh seems so scary.

Aug 12, 2011

Drea L.

I would DEFINITELY do it!
Well... not definitely, because I know my significant other would be very weirder out & would have no idea how to handle it - but I feel like I could handle it. It would be a very depressing job, especially when young people come in - especially children. But.. idk... ahhh, I'm suddenly not so sure. >_< lol

Aug 12, 2011

Yasmin K.

Here's an interesting read on the topic.

http://gregstacy.wordpress.com/2006/10/29/its-a-living-mortuary-makeup-artist/

From that article:

What sort of training is involved?

You study anatomy, chemistry, law, pathology, ethics—everything you might encounter in a mortuary. Most of the class drops out after the first month. Makeup is part of the curriculum. You practice on plastic beauty shop heads, or yourselves. That part is really fun! You study color theory, and learn about non-thermogenic makeup . . . .

Non-thermogenic?

Thermogenic makeup is makeup for live skin; body heat breaks it down so it applies properly. But on dead skin, it just crumbles or blots. Non-thermogenic is what we use for the decedents; it’s specially made.

I’d imagine doing makeup on a dead person, there’s a lot of, uh, reconstruction involved.

Oh, yeah. We use plaster of Paris, wire mesh, cardboard . . .

Cardboard?

Yeah. If there’s been an autopsy, and they removed the trachea, we’ll put in a cardboard tube, like a paper towel roll, to reconstruct the trachea and give men back their Adam’s apple.

Edit to add: The person who posted the article did NOT write it and has no other information on the field. The woman who was interviewed for the article is Carrie Bayer and she worked at O’Connor Mortuary in Laguna Hills at the time the article was written (2005/2006). 

http://www.oconnormortuary.com/
https://www.facebook.com/OConnorMortuary?v=wall

Aug 12, 2011

Kimberly M.

I say go for it. Illamasqua actually offers post-mortem services, and I think it's great. Try taking a theatre makeup course first - the methods and products used are pretty similar.

From Illamasqua's website - The Final Act Of Self-Expression: http://www.illamasqua.com/news/123/

Aug 12, 2011

Lex R.

The first thing that popped into my mind when I read this thread was Bruce Willis' character in "Death Becomes Her". Pop culture strikes again.

Don't know if I can handle a job that has me around dead people all the time. I'm not too weirded out by them but I think I'll be really affected if I encounter a child or someone who's been through something violent.

Speaking of their eyes opening, I was told by a friend who works in a hospital that sometimes the bodies will sit up, exhale/moan and/or fart due to the trapped gasses escaping. Think I'd truly, TRULY freak out if that happened while I was doing my job alone at night.

Aug 12, 2011

Jackee M.

I don't think I could ever do that job, but more power to those who can handle it.  

Aug 12, 2011

Lex R.

*nodnod* I have to agree with Jackee M. & Mandy K. It is an honourable profession and hats off to those who've answered that calling.

Aug 12, 2011

Alyssa R.

I'd be interested in doing makeup for mortuaries. But like Andrea said, my interest would be altered once children become involved. I have such a soft spot for kids and don't think I'd handle it well. And I totally figured you'd have to take more than makeup classes to advance in this career. I can only imagine how long you'd be in school, considering there is some relation to Anatomy and Medicine in there.

@Mandy K: What a great way to put it. It SHOULD be an honor to make the deceased look their absolute best one last time before the family says their goodbyes. 

Aug 12, 2011

ashley h.

i never thought about the reconstructive part! thanks for posting that article yasmin. they're sort of crafty when it comes to that stuff i guess! my bestfriend passed away in a car accident 8 years ago & i remember her mom telling me they did a closed casket because there was just so much damage. i guess it can't all be fixed.


i also never took into consideration the make up might be different! now that i'm thinking about it, i've seen numerous tv shows/other things where they talk/reference it. that would be neat using make up most make up artists won't ever use!

Aug 13, 2011

Heather H.

In Canada you actually have to be a mortician to do makeup for the deceased. 

Aug 13, 2011

Anna W.

It would be a tremendous honor and responsibility to be in that profession.

Confession: My first thought when seeing this thread was the movie 'My Girl.'