Frustrated with Makeup skinning

Ok, I've searched the forums, downloaded every and all templates, read every tutorial i could... and yet i still can't seem to get it right.

I'm new to this whole "skinning" thing, and I'm trying to make a custom makeup look for myself. Here's the pic of the makeup look http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l266/awittyname/makeup1.jpg

But, whenever i put it on my avatar, it screws it up! http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l266/awittyname/screwedup.jpg

I have all the alpha layers correct and 100% black, so why does it keep lightining the skin on my face? And even more, why do those red blocks appear high in the eye when i didn't put them there in the layout!? GAH! Someone please help!

-Whit

hmmmm.I dunno about the skin changing colors but if u move ur eyebrows down u wont have those blocks: )

I can understand your frustration. There is just one layer of skin for the head, so it is not possible to use a skin to add just makeup alone. You need all the details of the face, the skin tone and variations of flesh tones, shading on the nose, the blush of the cheek and so on. This is why skin creators often include several versions of the skin with choices of makeup.

It appears that you are layering a transparent makeup over the default SL skin, perhaps? If so, and you don't intend to layer the makeup onto any other tattoo style skin texture, then you just need to make sure that the slider makeup settings are set to a null value (turned fully off). If they are left on you will get a double layering of the makeup you have underneath plus the tattoo layer makeup that you have created and applied. This could be a cool look if done in a complimentary fashion, but could also be confusing if you don't know which is which. If you intend to make a full coverage skin, most clothing tutorials will help you with respect to that.

The white skin thing is because you have semi-transparent textures in the tattoo slots on the upper and lower body layers. The color is interfering with the seam at the neck. I can see it in your appearance dialogue.