How to Look Like Lady Gaga in “American Horror Story” for Halloween
Lady Gaga in American Horror Story: Hotel. (Photo: Frank Ockenfels/FX)
There are few shows on television (if any) that top American Horror Story in the consistently spine-tingling, terror-inducing niche. And after several seasons of Jessica Lange’s bone-chilling characters, the Ryan Murphy-led show is switching things up this season with none other than Lady Gaga, who plays the blood-sucking proprietor of Hotel Cortez. That Gaga is no stranger to out-there costumes certainly bodes well for AHS: Hotel (Season 5). There’s also sure to be plenty of blood, gore and sex to go around — so downright perfect for Halloween. Here’s a primer on how to the get Gaga’s AHS look.
Lady Gaga’s The Countess
The pop star actually pulls off several creepy looks over the course of the season — all of it originally conceived by Murphy but tweaked and delivered to perfection by her longtime makeup artist Sarah Tanno in collaboration with Eryn Krueger Mekash, the makeup lead for the show. Mekash notes that Gaga’s look is based on period looks and high fashion (perhaps you can even see a bit of Alexander McQueen in there). But it’s Tanno who really nails the musician-actress’s signature look onscreen, which she describes as modern yet with references to older decades.
Tanno first started with super pale skin — “almost Victorian light,” she says — which goes with the monochrome look: The Countess’s eyebrows are bleached white and her hair is platinum. Tanno uses Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #2 ($62) and then MAC’s Studio Face and Body Foundation in N1 ($36), which she blends into the rest of Gaga’s body. “I always contour her skin with Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate in #2 ($80) to give her a very chiseled angles and highlight her skin with the white side to really make everything beam and stand out on camera,” Tanno says.
Lady Gaga as The Countess in American Horror Story: Hotel. (Photo: Suzanne Tenner/FX)
For eyes, Tanno really switches things depending on the episode, but the signature Countess eye actually relies on neutral browns. Tanno favors Charlotte Tilbury luxury Eye Shadow Palette in The Sophisticate ($52). When it comes to liner, “I always start with MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy ($17) on the outer lash line and inner lash line about half way then blend out into a wing,” Tanno says. “Then, I shade a very deep crease all the way to the nose. I top off with gloss on the lids. No mascara.”
To get the blood-red lip? Tanno relies on this devilish duo: MAC Lip Pencil in Burgundy ($) with Kevyn Aucoin Matte Lip Color in Eternal ($).
Also, better believe Gaga has plenty of input. She “has wonderful ideas that have come to life on the show this season-it feels like she’s always been part of the family here,” Mekash adds, noting the pop star’s array of wigs and prosthetics.
How to Make Fake Blood Look Realistic
A properly frightful look will of course require fake blood and lots of it. This season of AHS promises to be bloodier than those in the past and Mekash says it’s all in the details. Firstly, forget splashing yourself and calling it a day. Use a Q-tip or a small brush, she says. “To get it to run where you want it to, use a small brush to draw liquid soap in lines on your skin radiating away from the wound. Apply the fake blood and it will run in the direction you put the soap.”
A bloody scene from American Horror Story: Hotel. (Photo: FX)
The finishing splatter touches, though, are truly the “coup de grace.” Tanno recommends pouring fake blood into a small cup and using a toothbrush (or a cut-off chip brush with bristles about ½” long could also work) dipped in the blood. “Then flick your finger across the bristles towards your face, arm, leg, or costume,” she says. “It makes a great spatter pattern—keep going over it until you are happy with the amount.”
And dealing with bucket-loads of the stuff on-set means she’s also pro at getting fake blood off. Usually just soap and water will do, but “if there is a stain left, apply a little shaving cream, rub thoroughly, then rinse,” she says. That way, it truly is for Halloween-night only.
Related:
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