Little Red Riding Hood Makeup Tutorial: A Dark Twist

By Anita Alex

Everybody knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood but not everyone knows the true history of this tale and the dark horrors within the forest. Many variations of this folktale have been developed throughout the years but none as frightening as the true account of Little Red Riding Hood.

Long ago, there was a small village with a vast forest on the edge of it. There were rumors about the forest sheltering deadly creatures and unforgiving curses; there was no evidence to support this, though. It was just that, rumors. In this small village lived a girl who always wore a red cape. Little Red, they called her. Though small, she was brave and never seemed to fear what others feared most.

It was Winter and many people were falling ill, but not to just any common cold. It was something much deadlier and nobody knew how to cure it. It was only a matter of time before even Little Red’s own grandmother fell into the disease’s hands. Tending to her only guardian, she listened closely as her grandmother whispered of something that would help her—a hopeful cure to this awful, deadly disease. But it was dangerous, and far too risky for anyone to try and get it. This supposed cure was a blend of only the rarest of herbs, planted deep within the forest, in the parts where no one ever dared to venture. As soon as she knew her grandmother was asleep, she threw on her scarlet cape and headed out into the forest, determined to find this cure.

Shivering from the icy wind, each step slower than the last, she hiked through the snow stopping only to catch a breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something dark moving through the trees. Brushing it off as branches flowing through the wind, she gritted her teeth and kept forward. She felt for the knife she kept in the pockets of her dress. She had brought it to cut the fruits and herbs needed for the cure but it also served the purpose of protection.

The low growl is what stopped her cold in her tracks. She turned around and what faced her was an image one could never conjure up, even in the most creative minds. It was a wolf; or what seemed like a wolf, if a wolf could stand upright as tall as the trees. She noticed remnants of ripped fabric that this creature was wearing. She could almost visualize what they used to be—clothes! This wolf wore clothes.  The creature stared at her but it wasn’t the fur, the hideous claws, or even its enormous size that made her forget to breathe. It was the face. It was the face of nightmares. It was like a wolf’s face with human-like features; as if this creature had once been a human. She shook her head in denial. Its mouth was too wide with sharp fangs stained dark red protruding at each side. But the eyes were its most frightening feature—bright yellow with hints of fiery orange.  It was as if were a flame, ready to set fire to anyone who glanced him.

Brave as Little Red was, she knew she that if had even a chance of survival, she would need to run. Fast! But the cold wind and a fear that she never knew existed, glued her in one spot. The creature emitted a low growl that sent shivers up her spine. She was then released from whatever hold fear had her on and started running.

She took off as fast as she could, not daring to look back even once. She didn’t have to know that this creature was right on her tail. There was no outrunning it. She took out her knife, turned around and slashed the creature. For a brief second, the wolf stopped to let out a whimper as its hands reached for its stomach. Blood stained its hands. It was only a brief second, but it was enough to know she inflicted some damage, hopefully enough to slow it down.

The wolf roared so loud, it was the only thing she could hear. This creature was only hungry before but now, it was angry. Little Red took off again. Only once did she turn back, but it was the worst mistake she ever made. The wolf leaped at her and Little Red pulled out her knife. Unable to avoid his attack, she stuck her knife straight out in front of her, bracing herself for the impact. Striking her neck with its long, sharp claws, Little Red fell to the ground, the wolf right on top of her.

A second passed. Then a minute. There seemed to be no movement coming from the wolf. Blood pooled around her and she got up hastily. The knife had struck its heart. The creature was dead. Relief flooded through her only to be struck with pain searing from her neck. She yanked the knife out of the wolf and in the reflection, she saw parts of her own flesh on the side of her neck torn from the claws of the wolf. But her horror wasn’t her own disfigured flesh. It was her eyes. For they were not the familiar brown eyes she was born with, but rather a light yellowish ember, with a hint of fiery orange. As if with just a mere glance, they could set aflame anything she wished.

Based off this rendition of the classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood, I transform into Little Red who begins her transition into the fearsome werewolf.

For this look, you will need:

• •Eyeshadow (colors discussed below)
• •Eyeliner
• •Liquid Latex
• •Fake blood
• •Sponge/brush applicator
• •Red/brown, black, purple face paint
• •Contacts (optional)
• •Tissue paper
• •Wolf nails
• •Costume

I’m going to start off with the eyes. Take a light peachy eyeshadow color and apply the shade all over the lid.

Then take an orange shade (1) and apply that right over the peach color to amplify the color. With a fluffy brush, take a deeper shade of orange (2) and apply that on the crease, blending it with the lighter orange. With a more defined blending brush, take a brown eyeshadow color (3) and concentrate that on the outer crease. Take the fluffy brush again, and go over all the colors to seamlessly blend the shades together so that there are no harsh lines. Don’t forget to apply a mix of the dark orange shade and the brown shade underneath the eyes.

Next, I used a liquid liner to create a wing.

Use a shimmery golden shadow to highlight the inner corners of your eyes.

For the face, put on a base layer of makeup with your regular foundation. For contouring, use a dark grey/black shade to emphasize the hallowed areas of your face. Focus below the cheeks, jawline, and down the neck.

Go back in with the black eyeshadow and with a smaller brush, apply the color on the bottom of your nose, and sides of your nose all the way up connecting to your brows.

Now with the red/brown/black/yellow face paint quad from “Woochie’s Crash Course FX Kit”, use the red, brown, and black face paint to make lines to create the “fur” on top of wherever you contoured.

Take a white liner and line your lower lid to create bigger, brighter eyes.

Next, take a stippling sponge or any textured sponge and press over the areas in which you contoured just to further create the look of fur. Apply the sponge down your neck as well. If you don’t have a textured sponge, you can create one by taking a regular sponge and cut out pieces of it to create an uneven surface. The sponge I used came in the Crash Course FX Kit.  The link where you can find it will be at the end of this tutorial.

For the ripped flesh, take the liquid latex which is also provided in the kit and apply a layer across several places down one side of your neck. This will be the area in which the wolf “scratched” you.

With some tissue paper, peel off one layer of the tissue. Then carefully rip off a long strip making sure to leave the edges jagged so that it will blend more easily into the skin. Apply the strip to each spot. With the liquid latex, apply to the edges of the tissue and blending out into the skin.

After you stuck the tissue into the desired area, seal the glue with some translucent powder to create a base layer for any color that will be applied on top.

I dabbed some red face paint onto the latex with a sponge just to give it a little color. Then, carefully rip open various places on the latex.

Fill in the holes with some dark red face paint.

Blend in the latex with some brown, red, and some brown or “flesh” colored makeup to match the skin.

Add some fake blood, which is included in the FX kit, to the wounds and on the edges of the rips as well. Spread some blood around the wound also to make it look a little more realistic.

Add your costume, some wolf nails and optional colored contact lens, and voila! Your look is complete.

Products used that you can find at Wondercostumes.com:

• •Woochie Crash Course FX Kit - Product #: WC3596
• •Liquid Latex - Product #: WC10786
• •Werewolf Nail Accessory - Product #: WC44878
• •Red Riding Hood Costume - Product #: WC53504