How to Do Alice Cooper Makeup

Co-authored by Shara Strand

Last Updated: October 1, 2024

Famed rock musician Alice Cooper is known for his striking makeup onstage just as well as he is for his classic hits like “School’s Out,” “I’m Eighteen,” and “No More Mister Nice Guy.” If you want to replicate his stage makeup, it’s easy to do. Alice Cooper himself once claimed that it only took him 45 seconds to put it on. All you’ll need are a few makeup brushes, some greasepaint, a mirror, and makeup wipes.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating the Eye Shapes

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1
Get a concealer brush, a tub of black grease paint, and a mirror. Alice Cooper’s classic eye makeup only has one ingredient: black grease paint. To put it on, it'll be helpful to have a brush and a mirror. For Alice Cooper's eyes, use a concealer brush with a width under .5 in (1.3 cm).^{[1]
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- You can get a concealer brush at a general or makeup store. Small tubs of black grease paint can be bought at costume shops.
- Alice Cooper calls his makeup style “demented clown makeup.”^{[2]
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2
Make an outline of your eye socket with the grease paint. Find your eye socket by running your finger along the outside of your eye. The eye socket is the dense, hard bone that encircles your eye and gives it its shape. This should be the boundary of your outline. Barely dip the brush into the greasepaint and draw an outline of your eye socket, following the bone.^{[3]
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- Be sure to close your eye while making the outline, as an accidental poke in the eye with a makeup brush would be painful.
- Alice Cooper achieves his startling look by making his eyes look large. This is used so that the people in the back of the audience can see his expressions.^{[4]
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3
Fill in the outline, including the eyelid, with greasepaint. Using the concealer brush, apply the black grease paint thickly inside the outline of your eye socket. Looking in the mirror while you do this will help you keep the brush inside the lines.^{[5]
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Research source} Fill in the outline heavily: you want the eye to be completely black.
- If you get some paint outside of the outline, you can either wipe it away with a makeup wipe (or a washcloth and warm water) or extend the outline to include the mistake—your eyes don’t have to be perfect!
Use the concealer brush and apply the same technique on your other eye. Again, keep in mind that it doesn’t need to be perfect. If you look at pictures of Alice Cooper onstage, you’ll see that often his eye makeup is a little mismatched; sometimes one eye is more filled in than the other.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Adding Lines to the Eyes

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1
Find a flat-edged eyeliner brush with a width of less than .5 in (1.3 cm). For the scar-like lines through the eyes and the frown trailing from the mouth, you’ll need a small, thin makeup brush; an eyeliner brush is perfect for this.^{[6]
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- You can buy an eyeliner brush from a makeup or general store.
2
Press the brush to the bottom of your eye outline and move down. Apply the grease paint to the bottom edge of your eye makeup, and release pressure as you move down. Make sure that the thin edge of the brush is vertical as you make the mark. With each ¹⁄₈ in (3.2 mm) you draw, release a little bit of pressure from the brush.^{[7]
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- Your goal is to make the line wide at the beginning and taper off to a fine point at the end. If the line turns out wider than you meant it to, try accepting it and letting the mark stay large; while his marks were often paper-thin, sometimes Cooper made his marks large as well.^{[8]
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3
Repeat this mark on the tops and bottoms of both eyes. Repeat the previous mark for each eye, going up and down from the eye sockets. Alice Cooper’s makeup involves a small line trailing upwards and downwards from each eye socket, making it look as if he has a black scar through each eye.^{[9]
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- If you accidentally press the brush too hard and the brush trails off, use a makeup wipe to clean off the mark and start again.
Draw multiple lines or squiggles coming off of the eye if you'd like to mimic the alternative look that Alice Cooper sometimes uses. Trail the marks outwards from the eye sockets in a sunburst fashion.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making Marks on the Mouth

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1
Trail greasepaint down the side of your mouth with the eyeliner brush. Starting with one side of your lips, apply a ¹⁄₈ in (3.2 mm) line curving down the outside of your chin. If you have a natural crease in your face where your cheek meets your chin, you can follow this line with the brush; it should match up perfectly.^{[10]
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- Imagine that you've bitten into a blackberry and let the juice run out of the side of your mouth. This is the trajectory the paint should take.
2
Apply the grease paint on the other side of your mouth. Use the eyeliner brush to apply the grease paint to the opposite side of your mouth, keeping the mark the same size.
- Once you've applied both lines, it should look like you're frowning.
3
Darken your lines if they're uneven. Look in the mirror and check your handiwork. If any of your lines aren't the same darkness, apply another coat of greasepaint on top of the old layer.
- Also make sure that your lines are the same size. If one line is bigger than another, use the eyeliner brush to make it wider.

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Tips

Try practicing your lines on a piece of paper before working on your face; this can help with your thin lines.

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Even if your face makeup isn’t perfect, you can make yourself look like Alice Cooper through dress, with a black, spiky outfit and hat; don't forget the classic black gloves.

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