By Emily Stewart
A local, aspiring makeup artist is using her talents in special-effects makeup for a chance to be recognized by horror-movie greats and their fans.
St. Marys resident Alyssa Loucks has entered the Face of Horror Contest for the second year in a row. The contest awards the top horror fan $13,000 and a photoshoot with actor Kane Hodder, best known for his role in Friday the 13th as Jason Voorhees, to be featured in horror magazine Rue Morgue. Face of Horror also raises money for Starlight Children’s Foundation.
“I've been super excited,” Loucks said. “I've been working really hard on doing my makeup looks and trying to learn more so that I have some extra pictures to put in this year."
Loucks loves anything horror but it took her a long time to dive into her interest. Growing up, she said her mother was not a fan of anything horror related.
"I never really got to (explore) that very much,” Loucks said. “Now, being an adult, I'm able to watch some YouTube tutorials and really dive into that and learn the different techniques."
Through the tutorials, she learned skills including creating cuts and bruises, as well as shading and blending the makeup.
"It has always drawn me in how much they can look so realistic,” she said.
Loucks said the length of time it takes for her to create a look depends on what she is working on. For example, she made a prosthetic horn for her devil look, which took extra time in addition to working with makeup alone. Her Avatar-inspired makeup took between nine and 10 hours to complete, but usually her creations take less time.
As of Sept. 9, Loucks is in fifth place in the Face of Horror competition. She is looking to win and achieve some of her goals.
"It would mean a lot to me,” Loucks said. “I really, really have enjoyed this journey that I've gone on, learning all these different techniques, and I think it would give me a great (start in) what I truly want to do. I would love at some point to be able to open a makeup studio or something like that, being able to offer the service to do makeup – Halloween makeup or regular makeup as well.
"I really think this competition puts my face out there to not only people in the local area, but worldwide as well."
Each voter gets to place one vote for free each day. Extra votes can be purchased with proceeds going to the Starlight Children’s Foundation. The first round of voting ends Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. Votes can be made by visiting faceofhorror.org/2024/alyssa-loucks. Loucks’ work can be found on Instagram via @lovemissvixen or @ally04xo.
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