What is a bruise?
A bruise is a mild case of internal bleeding, it is coursed by trauma or damage to the body. The blood capillaries then burst under the skins surface this tends to change the colour of the skin as the blood seeps to the surface. Bruising can also occur on muscle and bone which can be extremely painful.
New or fresh bruises tend to be a lot more pigmented as the blood is fresher and darker as there is still oxygen in the blood however the blood loses this oxygen eventually as it is not being pumped through the heart therefore it is not being refreshed. As the blood loses its oxygen it begins to rot under the skin resulting in a colour change from reds, blues and purples to yellows, greens and browns. Having knowledge on bruising can be very helpful to a makeup artist as it allows the artist to track and follow the changes to the colours of the bruise over time so they are able to make it more believable for example on a TV series the bruising may have to fade away slowly over time as the episodes progress as bruises don’t heal overnight.
Creating a New Bruise with Bruise Gels
To begin I started with the light red bruise gel and gently blended a small amount onto the skin. Once I was happy with the shape and depth of colour of the red I then added a small amount of blue to really make the bruise have more depth making it look that little bit more painful. Again I blended the colour into the skin and tried to keep the shape abstract. Next I added a little bit of the purple bruise gel to add even more depth to the bruise, this gives the appearance of broken capillaries when not blended too much. Once again I used a wet wipe to clear away some of the outer blending to make it look more abstract and realistic. The texture of the bruise gels is totally different to the bruise wheel as it has more of a stick consistency and it goes a lot further as you only need little amounts applied at a time. Personally I preferred using the bruise gels for the new bruise as I felt it sunk into the skin making it look more realistic.
Creating an Old Bruise using Bruise Gel
For this I began with the yellow bruise gel and added it onto the skin building up the colour. Next I introduced the brown gel which toned down the yellow making it look more realistic. Then I added the green on top to blend in with the other colours giving it definition. Once I was happy with the blending and depth of the green I added a tiny amount of blue and purple to give it more depth. Overall I am happy with the outcome of the product as I fell it works well and is it looks believable when applied.
Kathren Elizabeth 