One of the most basic SFX injuries is a cut! There are SOOOO many ways to do this, with latex, scar wax, or silicone (3rd Degree), but I’m going to show you how to create your cut injury using an easy to make gelatin prosthetic gel, made with items you can find at your local grocery store. If you would like to see how to use the first three methods I mentioned, head over to Glam & Gore’s video, as Mykie is an SFX GOD.
SFX Makeup 101: Basic SFX Cuts Makeup Tutorial
To make the SFX gelatin, you can find it here. (Also, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to my channel to see these videos before they are posted on the blog!)
You can find the Ben Nye Bruise Wheel here on Amazon, as well as this little tub of scab blood, which will last you a surprisingly long time! Please note these are affiliate links to the actual products I used (learn more), and if you do purchase using these links, you help support this blog at no additional cost to you!
Also, a fun little warning in there with happy music, puppies, and kittens, since some people can be a bit grossed out by these pictures! Believe it or not, I actually get extremely queasy with real blood or needles, and even some slasher movies. But for some reason, when I do my own SFX Makeup, the gorier the better!
Some key points for this tutorial:
- Burns are bad for you. This gelatin prosthetic is HOT. You need to wait about a minute, then TEST a small dab on the back of your hand, or inside of your wrist, to make sure that it is not too hot for you. If it is too hot, give it 20 seconds and try it again. Its an awesome tool, but as a cheap and super DIY tool, you need to be more careful.
- Be smart with sharp objects. No matter where you put this cut on yourself (or someone else), but super careful with whatever you use to make the “cut”in the gelatin. These are fake cuts! We don’t want one for real.
- Lift up and away from your skin. In my video, I am using small manicure scissors, and I very carefully slide the bottom of the scissor under the gel with ABSOLUTELY NO PRESSURE downwards into my skin. I then very gently lift up before closing the scissors. The only part of this that hurts is that it was pulling on my arm hair! Yike!
- Think about placement and movement. When placing these cuts, think about how much movement the area will have. Gelatin prosthetics are much better for their ability to move with you than scar wax, but don’t always have the staying power that you get with latex or silicone.
- Gelatin moves with you. So if you DO put it on your mouth and plan to be out for hours, it may start peeling off. That said, you will get a good 4-6 hours out of it at least, and it doesn’t fall straight off, more that it starts to gently separate from your skin in places. When I was a Zombie Prom Queen, it actually added to the overall effect!
- What do you prefer to use for your SFX cuts? Do you have pictures of your own fake cuts? Share in the comments!
Hi! I'm Alyce. 
