In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make an alien girl costume inspired by Xelayans from The Orville. If you’ve seen the show The Orville, you’re probably familiar with the Xelayans, a humanoid alien species from a planet with a high gravitational pull, so they’re super strong.
Xelayans are also characterized by the ridges above their eyebrows, so it’s easy to create their look using makeup for Halloween or cosplay. Let’s get started with this DIY Xelayan alien makeup!
Start by applying primer, foundation, and concealer, as you would usually. Fill in eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil, and set the base makeup with setting powder, using a large brush.
Apply a little matte bronzer to the hollows of the cheeks, the sides of the forehead, the eyelids, and anywhere else you think you’ll need it. Then, add highlighter to your cheekbones and the top of the nose.
Apply eyeliner and mascara. I’ve gone for a little winged eyeliner.
Finish up with lip liner and lipstick.
Now for the fun part - creating the alien makeup! Apply a matte blush to the apples of your cheeks and the sides of your forehead. Top this with another layer of matte bronzer to create a shadow.
Dip a small angled brush into concealer and mark where you want the ridges to be, right above the arch of the eyebrow. Remember, they should look symmetrical on both sides. Also, mark ridges down the nose.
Then, fill out the shape of the ridges with concealer.
Go in with a brown eyeliner under the ridges to add a shadow and make them look 3D.
Blend the brown pencil marks a little with a clean angled brush.
Add a second layer of concealer, concentrating application at the tip of the ridge, to make it appear like it’s catching the light.
To truly get that Xelayan alien look, apply some elf ears.
Draw lines on the ears with the brown eye pencil. It’s best to do this roughly while wearing the ears so that you can see how it looks. You can soften up the lines with a small angled makeup brush after.
My DIY alien makeup is complete, so I fashioned a The Orville uniform and styled my hair so that the ears are just popping out. Make a little prop (like an aluminum box) to prove your alien strength and you have yourself a full Xelayan Halloween costume!
If you’re not a fan of The Orville, I think this easy ridge look would still work well for other costumes, such as a mermaid or a fantasy character. Let me know what you think of this tutorial and my alien makeup ideas in the comments below.
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Thanks for this easy 3D art lesson, very cool and looks great! 😎
they do look 3D. great job