With Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion starting its Australian tour this month, makeup designer Eleni Uranis gives us some of her precious time – and tips.

What exactly is a makeup designer?

”As a makeup designer, my job is to create the faces that will make the characters of a show complete and believable. Most of the performers on Dralion didn’t have any makeup experience before arriving to Dralion so part of my job is to teach them how to apply the makeup. To do this I prepare documents with pictures of every step of the make-up and an explanation of what they need to do. They go through each step and at the end they arrive to the same result as when I did their makeup.”

Why is makeup so important for Cirque de Soleil?

”Just as costumes and sets are important for a Cirque du Soleil show, makeup completes the story which permits us to embark on a fantastic journey to an imaginary place where everything is possible and really believe it. It is like an exotic vacation from our daily lives!”

How does your relationship with M.A.C work?

”M.A.C. is the official makeup supplier for Cirque du Soleil, so they give us the products we need. I also had the opportunity to work with some of their make-up artists and they’re great! We come from different backgrounds (I studied fashion design and previously worked in the costume department) but we really complement each other. We have so much to learn from one another.”

Are there any key M.A.C products you work with?

”Eye liner, blushes, lip liners, lipstick … they have so many products!!!”

Any favourite M.A.C products?

“Fluidline eye liner in Blacktrack ($32 from M.A.C).”

What were your makeup inspirations for Dralion?

”The four elements: fire, earth, air and water. To represent the elements I worked with colours such as red for fire, aqua green for water, blue for air and a more African look for earth. “

At what stage in the process does the makeup look get created?

”Once the costume design has been decided, I start doing tests to find the look we want for the makeup and it gets finalised when the costume is complete.”

How do you choose the looks for the various actors and parts?

”By doing tests and seeing them on stage under lights and performing.”

How do you make the actors’ features stand out?

”When I do the foundation base I use highlights and shadows to give a more exaggerated 3D effect to the face so we can read the emotions and expressions of the face better with the distance and lights of a Cirque du Soleil show. It is always about where you put the lights and shadows. Otherwise it would just be a painted face.”

Do you use any special effects?

”Yes, I use Swarovski stones because they really catch the light well, for glitter and tattoo effects.”

How do you ensure the makeup stays on throughout the course of the show, and especially through all of the sweat and movement?

”Starting with well -prepared skin to receive the makeup is important. If your skin is too oily, the make-up will slide and not stick to the skin so it’s hard to make it stay. If your skin is too dry it will absorb the make-up and it is very hard to have a nice application. Because most of the makeup I do at Cirque du Soleil is more theatrical we use a lot of Ben Neutral Set Powders ($17.50 each, see Kryolan Cosmetics) to set the make-up. For those who sweat a lot I use waterproof products when possible and tell them not to wipe the sweat off but blot it off with tissue.”

What off-stage makeup advice do you have?

”Keep it simple and fresh and work on having beautiful skin.”

Any final words of makeup wisdom?

“Blending, Blending, Blending!!! Knowing how to blend for me is the secret to a nice makeup. Whether it is natural makeup or more theatrical makeup, if the colours blend well together we see the volumes and shapes of the face. Over-blending is not good either because everything becomes dirty looking and muddy.”