Carleigh Herbert: Blood, Prosthetics, and Everything They Don’t Teach You in Makeup School

Real blood looks fake on camera. That’s just the beginning of what Hollywood makeup artist Carleigh Herbert has figured out.

In this episode, you’ll hear from a department head who has worked across Teen Wolf, American Horror Story, Minx, Sex Lives of College Girls, and beyond. Carleigh does both beauty and prosthetic makeup, which is rarer than you’d think, and she breaks down exactly what that means on a real production.

You’ll learn why real gore has to be enhanced just to look believable on screen, how a makeup artist figures out the “blood formula” for every type of wound and every type of shot, and what it actually takes to cover a fresh tattoo on a working actor. You’ll also hear about the continuity system Carleigh built to track character looks across scenes that shoot completely out of order, and why the makeup trailer is the first place a producer goes when they need to know how the cast is really doing.

Plus: the full-body prosthetics work on Minx, what it’s like to be the first person on set and the last one out, and how Carleigh went from aspiring choreographer to one of the most in-demand makeup department heads in Hollywood.

Follow Eyes On on Instagram @eyesonpodcast. Hosted by Chris Hanada and Tanner Kling.