How to Make Fake Cuts

Last Updated: March 21, 2023 References Tested

Fake cuts are useful for Halloween costumes, movie making, stage plays, and any other costume event. You can make a fairly convincing wound just by scrounging up household materials, or turn it into a big project involving makeup and fake glass shards.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making Easy Fake Cuts

1
Smear red eyeliner onto your skin. Draw a line onto the area where you want the fake cut, then smudge it with your finger. Add dots around the area and smudge that as well. Repeat several times, until your skin looks like it has been smeared with blood.^{[1]
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- Red eyeshadow will work as well.^{[2]
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2
Draw on the wound. Sharpen your red eyeliner pencil. In the center of the smudged area, draw a thin line.

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3
Add darker colors (optional). If you want a larger, more gory wound, add a dark brown or dark red line next to the thin, red line. Dab the lines with your finger to smear them together slightly, without wiping away their shape.
4
Add clear lip gloss. This will make the wound glisten, making it look more recent and bloody.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making 3D Wounds with Embedded Objects

1
Protect clothing and furniture. Clear a surface to work on and cover it with newspaper. It's best to wear the rest of your costume while you work, since changing clothes can mess up the cut, but protect the costume with an apron or bib if you are working on your face or neck.
2
Coat the area with eyelash glue (optional). Use a damp makeup sponge to lightly coat the area you plan to decorate, then wait until it dries. You can skip this step if you like, but a base of eyelash glue can be easily removed later using body oil or eyelash glue remover.^{[3]
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3
Create fake skin with gelatin. If you want to embed fake razor blades or tubes of squirting blood in your wound, the fake skin needs to be extra sturdy. You can make it out of gelatin powder and a couple other ingredients:
- Warm several plates in an oven set to the lowest available temperature, until it is warm but not too hot to touch. Put a metal baking tray in the freezer.
- Mix gelatine powder, water, and liquid glycerin (hand soap) in equal amounts. There should be no sweetener or other additions in any of these ingredients.
- Heat this in a microwave in 5–10 second bursts, until it is a homogenous liquid. Do not touch it at this stage, as it can cause nasty burns.
- Take the plates out of the oven. Wearing gloves, pour the gelatin in a thin layer onto the plate. Tip the plate to spread it as thin as possible, then transfer the plate to the cold tray to set it in that thin shape.
4
Cut into the fake skin. Put the gelatin on your skin and wait for it to become firm before you cut into it. Use a butter knife or your fingers to gently tear apart a slit at the center of the tissue paper. Curl or pull back the edges around the slit, to form a raise layer of fake scar tissue.^{[4]
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- For a long cut, keep the tear long but narrow. For a more shocking wound, tear it into a wide, mangled mess.
5
Fill the cut with red face paint. Cover the inside of the slit completely, applying the material with a paintbrush. Only use face paint approved for use on skin. Other types of paint can cause rashes or more serious health problems.
- A non-toxic label does not guarantee the product is skin-safe.
6
Color the fake skin with a mix of red food coloring and cocoa powder. You'll only need a small amount, so mix this in a shot glass or other small container. The end result should look like dirty blood, as though your cut has been exposed to dirt and air for hours.^{[5]
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Research source} Use a paintbrush to apply this to the fake wound.
- If your fake skin already matches your skin tone well, you can skip this step, or just sprinkle on cocoa powder for a dirty appearance.
- If the mixture is too pale or runny, mix in corn starch or honey to thicken it. This thicker mixture can also double as fake blood in the steps below.
7
Blend the wound in with foundation (optional). Use a makeup sponge, foundation brush, or fingers to blend foundation around the wound, applying it in small circular motions. This can be the same shade as your skin tone, or slightly lighter.^{[6]
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- If you do not have foundation, or if foundation alone doesn't look convincing, roughly brush on the cocoa powder and food coloring mixture.
8
Add oozing fake blood. Make the cut extra-gruesome by dabbing a generous amount of glistening fake blood in the center of the cut. Decorate the skin around the wound with the excess blood:
- Dip a cotton swab in fake blood and let it drip onto the skin around your wound, while holding it vertical.
- Wet a toothbrush in fake blood and pull back the bristles with your fingers, letting go to spray the wound with blood splatter.^{[7]
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9
Embed objects in the wound. The gelatin skin should be strong enough to hold small objects. You can purchase fake glass shards, fake razor blades, or similar objects at Halloween stores or dollar stores, and slip them into the fake skin. A thoroughly cooked, washed, and broken chicken bone adds an especially gory effect.
- Never use real blades or shards, even plastic ones, or you could cause an actual injury.
10
Squirt blood through your wound. For this, you'll need a medical oxygen line sold at drugstores, or an air tube from an aquarium stores, as well as a rubber squeeze bulb that fits tightly over the tubing. Fill the squeeze bulb mostly full of fake blood, then fit the tubing into the bulb. Hide this in your shirt sleeve or under the gelatin fake skin, with the other end of the tubing at the center of your wound. Squeeze the bulb to send out a squirt of blood.
- Check the label when buying fake blood. Light-viscosity fake blood creates a more dramatic squirting effect.^{[8]
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Community Q&A

Question

Is there a way for a kid to do it using household items?

Community Answer

Put Elmer's glue around more than the area you want it. When it dries, start picking at it; it will look like your skin is peeling. Take a red marker (or red eyeliner; it works better), and make the shape of the cut. Add fake blood.
Question

What is the alternative method instead of red eyeliner?

Community Answer

You can use a pen, marker, or paint, but make sure they are washable so it can come off once you are done.
Question

Can I use a lip pencil?

Community Answer

Yes, a lip pencil is a good tool for making fake cuts.

Warnings

Do not shock your parents with this as a prank. It may not be very well received.

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Helpful 14 Not Helpful 0
Do not use real sharp objects to "embed" in your fake wound; you risk actually harming yourself.

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The three-dimensional wounds can be difficult to make for beginners.^{[9]
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Research source} With practice, you'll get better at arranging the fake skin in a realistic shape, so the edge blends naturally into the surrounding skin.

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