Okay, so here's my first instructable..Hi there everyone! =)

I'm new to this but I really enjoyed prepping this for you guys and I hope this instructable is helpfull for you. If you have any questions or tips and tricks please let me know! They are all very welcome.

When I started off I imagined a video tutorial would be much easier but since I didn't know how this was going to work out and I'm not that good at filming, I decided to make you a pictorial.

Have fun and let me know if you recreate it! I would love to see it!

With love,
Sharon

Step 1: Making Fins

For the first step you'll need liquid latex, some paper tape and toilet paper or any thin tissue paper you have.

Make a square using the paper tape and put a layer of latex on it. Cover it with toilet paper and let it dry. Be sure you use only one layer of paper, so split your paper into thin layers. When it is dry, put another layer of latex and toilet paper and let this dry as well. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

Next you'll roll up 3 pieces of toilet paper and. Add another layer of latex and put these in the shape of a triangle. Cover again with latex and put another layer of toilet paper. Repeat this for another 2/3 layers. Seal of with a layer of latex and let it dry properly.

Once the latex is fully dried, you can cut the piece into the desired shape. I made mine a bit smaller so it could fit the sides of my face.

I just made two, but you can make as many as you like to fit into your design, the process remains the same. Be sure you save the remains of your latex, you'll need this later!

Step 2: Putting Color on Your Fins

Next up we will color our fins. You'll need some facepaint in the colors of your choise, some glitter (optional) some brushes in different sizes and some hairspray.

Take your facepaint and paint the middles of your fins. Try to use a lighter shade, so you can do some shading later. Once the paint is still a bit wet, add some glitter to it if you like.

Take a darker shade and start painting the edges of the middles and let it go down a bit through the middle to make a blend. This way you will create some depth.

Take another color and start coloring the sides of the fins. I used purple, but you can chose any color you want for your design. Don't forget to color the back side!

Once it has dried, take your hairspray and seal everything off. That's it! Your fins are ready!

Step 3: Making Scales

When you want your look to be ready quicker, you can always choose to skip this step and just paint on the scales using your facepaint. If you want your look to pop out, try this. It may take some time, but the result is totally worth it!

Remember when we had some latex leftovers and I told you to keep them? You'll need them now. As well as some facepaint, some glitter (again optional), brushes and hairspray.

I made a model of a scale, you can make yours really simple with some plastic. Just draw a scale-like form, put it on some plastic and you are good to go. Take a piece of latex and draw around your model. Draw as many as you want and cut them out. I made 26 for my look, but you can do more or less, just fit into you design.

Take your facepaint again and start coloring your scales individually. I chose to make them the same color as the inside of my fins and putting some glitter on them but again; you can choose whatever you like for your design. Once they are dry, seal off with your hairspray and the scales are done!

Step 4: Mermaid Makeover

So now for the fun part! Let our mermaidizing begin! You'll need facepaint in the color of your choise, brushes, make-up (including fixing powder), liquid latex, some glitter, some wax and some cream. I bought mine at a party store, but you can find it online as well.

I outlined where I wanted my paint to be with an eyepencil. Then, with some wax, I made little "openings" where I wanted my fins to fit. Just scrape some wax, mold it with some cream and put it on your face. Blend the wax evenly with your skin, put the ends up and fix it with some powder. This way your fins will fit under it and you'll create the illusion that they are coming out of your skin. Paint your section in the color of your choise and powder it off with some fixing powder. If you don't have fixing powder, you can use talcum powder.

Note; if you want to recreate the hole I made on my chest, you should skip to the next step first and come back to this one later. This is totally optional.

Next apply your make-up. Start by putting your foundation onto the rest of your face and neck. Apply some eyeshadow in the color of your choise and create some depth (like smokey eyes) using darker shades. Don't forget to color your eyebrows. I used an eyepencil, you can also use some facepaint or some eyeshadow. Line your eyes with a darker shade using an eyepencil and put on some black eyeliner. As you can see, I really suck at smokey eyes but the results were still okay I guess ;)

Now it's time to glue on your scales and fins. Take your liquid latex and put some on the scales. Then press them onto your skin until you've reached your desired design. Add some latex to your fins and put them on your face, pressing lightly till they are attached.

Put on some fake eyelashes and paint your lips in the color of your choise. Use a darker shade around the lipline and blend it into your lips creating depth. You can put some glitter on the centre of your lips. If you like you can put some glitter on the rest of your face to complete your look.

Step 5: Creating the Heart of the Mermaid

This step is totally optional. I was inspired by the look of Elsa Rhae and wanted to try this with some wax. You should def check her out, her look is awesome!

Get your wax warmed up using some cream and put it onto your chest, working it open to create a hole. You can make any size and shape you like, just make sure it's large enough for whatever it is you want to put in. Blend the sides evenly with your skin and powder the whole thing off. Using your foundation, blend it together with your skin to create the illusion that your chest has a torn open hole in it.

Fill in the hole with some ocean color and use a darker shade around the edges. Blend this into the lighter shade to create some dept.

At this point you can use your creativity and put in anything you like. You can even glue in some props if you want to, using liquid latex. I chose to draw in some coral as the heart of the mermaid. I used some dark red, orange and yellow and just painted some random lines, blending the colors together and making little lines as the branches of the coral.

That's pretty much it! You can glue on some shells around the hole using liquid latex. Be sure you put enough latex on them, because they can be quite heavy and you don't want them falling off. If you want to go to a party like this, it's better to use something else, because they will come off if you move too much.

Step 6: Done!

And that's it! You are a mermaid! You can add some props to your look, put something in your hair or even put on a mermaid wig to complete your look. Put on some mermaid scale leggings, a top in the color of your design and you are good to go!

This is all up to you, just remember that if you want to go out to a party wearing this look, your additions shouldn't weigh too much, otherwise it will fall off and that would be a waste of your look ánd your time.

I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know if you recreated it, I would love to see it! =)