By Adeng, as interviewed by Brahma and Ogre. Forget those Chuck Norris movies. Never mind Arnold Schwarzenegger. These actors don’t have any clue what they’re doing… or should I say, their makeup artists? You don’t want to end up like ‘em, looking silly now, would you? Adeng, a real-life operator for the Philippine Armed Forces, will share with you some lessons he learned from sniper school and guide you on how to properly put on your cam paint and why it should be done like that.

Commercial camouflage makeups are readily available from your local hobby or hunting stores, the most common and very popular among airsoft players are the military standard camouflage sticks, which come in loam, white, light green and sand.

But first, you must understand why things are seen.

Our skin has a natural “glow” as it reflects the light coming from the sun or moon. The human eye, even in low-light condition can easily pick up this “glow”. By putting on cam paint, an airsoft sniper tries to prevent or minimize this natural skin luminance from being noticed. You must remember that to a human, one of the most recognizable things that you can possibly see is another human, or a human face. So it is very important that you make your face as unrecognizable as possible, this does not mean that you put one strip of paint under each eyes, nor does it mean that you paint your face so green that you end up looking like that ogre in the swamps… Yes, Shrek!

Choose the right type of camo face paint

A good camo makeup should be waterproof, lest you apply and re-apply every step of the way to your mission. Also, make sure you have the right colors. Contrary to most beliefs, black is not a good face paint color as it is not a natural color in woodlands, unless you are playing in an urban gamesite. The two colors you will require most of the time are earth colors, especially brown and green.

USGI camo face paints come in stick form and have several shades of brown and only one shade of green. The camo paint stick must be warmed prior to application, as it is very hard. Avoid rubbing the stick directly on the face to avoid rug burn and irritation, instead rub it first into the palm of your hand or expose it to sunlight first to soften it up a bit. If you need to apply the camo paint stick in a hurry, you can soften it with a spray of insect repellant.

British military-issue cam paint, on the other hand, consists of brown, light and dark green, and comes in a nice compact box with a mirror—helpful in many ways.

Get rid of the shine

Your primary goal in applying camo makeup is to get rid of the natural luminance of the skin. This is achieved by applying first a thin layer of brown all over your face, neck (including the nape) and the ears. To do this, rub some brown paint on the palm of your hand. A spray of insect repellant or a drop of spit (or saliva) will help “thin” the brown paint, making it easier to apply. Make sure that you apply the “thinned” brown paint evenly all over your face, neck, nape and ears. Apply some on the back of your eyelids, your eyebrows and the beginning of your hairline, as well. When done properly this completely eliminates the natural shine produced by your face. This will also serve as the “base color” for your camo makeup.

Mask your facial features

The most distinguishable features of the human face are the mouth, the eyes and nose, and the cheeks down to the lower jaw, which is the widest part of your face. The cheeks and jaw line are surprisingly recognizable, especially during night games.

To get rid of the shape of your face, applying diagonal or vertical line across it is the best approach. Again, rub some green and brown face paints on the palm of your hand, and using two fingers, draw a diagonal line from the top left portion of your forehead (from the base of your hairline) down to your jaw. Make sure that the line bisects the eyes, the nose and the mouth. With the “base line” defined, apply a few more lines of brown or green face paint (depending on which is the dominant natural color in your game site) at 2in to 2.5in apart. Do one or two lines on each ear and a couple going down and across your neck. Do three or four on each cheek going downwards. Make all of the stripes small. You don’t want massive tiger  stripes going right down your face, though it looks quite cool, it can make you quite obvious. NEVER draw circles around your eyes, not even a line under it or on your nose, as it highlights the eyes and nose more, rather than mask it.

With regards to shadow, you can compensate or adjust according to how much light is available on your surroundings.

That’s it! Simple. Jut follow those steps and you’ll start looking like a proper soldier who knows what they’re doing, not like a Muppet.

After all, learning to put on makeup can be the easiest way to becoming a ladies’ man. Chicks dig putting makeup on their partners, right?