January 7th, 2016
To kick off the New Year we’re starting a new range of posts. Top Five will be a look at some of our favourite brands and our top picks from their product ranges – first up is prosthetics powerhouse PPI. Creating medical-approved and science-led products has been their trademark for 25 years. With a range clearly designed to make lives easier for SFX artists on set, PPI have made a home in artists’ kits across the world.
Telesis is PPI’s range of adhesives and paired solvants for removing prosthetic appliances. But one of their most useful products in the range comes in the form of their DRY spray – a topical spray to be used before applying prosthetics to help minimize perspiration and ensure better adhesion. It can be used all over the face and neck, as well as combed through hair to help with bald cap applications. It’s a handy product to keep stashed, ideal for when you’re in high humidity climates or working under strong lighting.
The inimitable Skin Illustrator pigments are trusted by some of the best MUAs in the business to colour their creations – whether that be skin, wigs or specially made prosthetics. These long-lasting alcohol-activated pigments are available individually or in handy palettes, curated by both the PPI team and the top artists who use them. Depending on your specialities and what you’re tasked to create, you will quickly ascertain which shades you reach for most frequently – but for value-for-money and usability when it comes to realistic make-ups you can’t get much better than their Kristyan Mallett On Set palette. “I often do make ups that are more realistic than creature based and the colours in this palette are able to contend with all these needs,” says Kristyan. “The palette contains everything required for scars, aging, bruises, cuts, broken veins, disease, high lights and shading.”
PPI’s blood and grunge range contains blood in every format and shade you might need and various powders and liquids to help you achieve a sooty, grimy aspect to a character. It’s also home to their Tooth Lacquer range, products which showcase their much-needed FDA and medically safe credentials. Their Tooth Lacquer Kit contains the shades Coffee Stain, Rotted, Black, T’bacco and Nicotine – and even better, remove easily by brushing teeth with toothpaste.
The classic PPI product has to be the Green Marble SeLr spray, touted by many as the most durable make-up sealer available. Created by award-winning make-up artists Richard Snell and Kenny Myers, Green Marble was originally designed to seal make-up and prevent it from rubbing off on costumes. A unique feature of Green Marble is its resistance to alcohol when dried, which allows you to overlap make-up products for complex layering effects. It’s also possible to mix Green Marble with powders and pigments to create tanned or dirtied skin effects. For more sensitive skins, or those allergic to alcohol, try the water-based Blue Marble SeLr.
Our final pick would be the brilliant Glazing Gels, and their recent Glazing Sprays which can be used with airbrushes. Ready to use right out of the bottle, they are a collection of water-based transparent gels which allow you to do bruise and injury work directly onto the skin. Designed for extreme close-up work, Glazing Gels wear exceptionally well for the demands of HD film and television work. From subtle to over the top, they allow you to create realistic sunburn, freckles, shadows and injuries that look like they’re truly a part of the skin.
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