Meet Angie Acosta

We recently connected with Angie Acosta and have shared our conversation below.

Angie , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I feel like for me, I’ve always been a creative person. I always loved to draw and paint for as long as I can remember. I always found art fun and loved being able to create. I played with makeup at a young age, and eventually realized makeup is another art form. I was known for doing graphic liner and crazy makeup looks on myself growing up. I always wanted to use makeup as a way to express creativity.

I knew I wanted to be a makeup artist at 14, I started looking into makeup schools and also thought about it more professionally. I originally was drawn to beauty makeup compared to fx. I originally wanted to go into beauty and also open up my own cosmetic line that would’ve been cruelty free and vegan. I really looked into ingredients and also was curious on how running a cosmetic company works. I even had a whole english report my junior year in high school on why makeup companies should all be cruelty free and that knowing what is inside the cosmetics is important.

However, I also grew up really liking movies and being interested in behind the scenes. One of my favorite movie franchise series growing up was Friday the 13th and it really is what made my love and passion for films and filmmaking so strong. I took inspiration from Tom Savini’s original Jason Voorhees design from the first one and always liked seeing his interviews and I was also the type of person who would go out and listen to film scores after watching something. Eventually it dawned on me that I could do that too if I wanted. Seeing Texas Chainsaw Part 2 was another inspiration for me, and Tom Savini was also apart of that makeup team. There was a scene where someone was skinned up completely in the cave but still alive, and I remember rewatching it a few times just fascinated and after that, I knew what I wanted to do. The live action Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my favorites for having such cool effects and also character designs.

When I attended my first makeup school in Troy, MI back in 2021, I knew going into school I would wanna specialize in FX. I took a full course of bridal, editorial, and fx makeup classes along with an esthetics course and I still was drawn to fx the most at the end. To me, special effects was a way to really create anything you want and there is a lot of creative freedom. I saw beauty makeup as a way to enhance what is already there, and fx as a way to create something on the spot. During my time in school, I knew that if I really wanted to take this serious and make this my full time career someday, my drive, being determined and passion is what will get me there.

I worked on two feature films during my time in school, and both felt very rewarding. I really enjoyed being on set being able to see everything happen right infront of me and also being able to create something on the spot. As i’ve been working in the industry professionally since 2022, I’ve realized I really enjoy being on set, but I also love lab work and being behind the scenes creating as well. I realized makeup has no limits, and there are no rules for inspiration.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I do both beauty and fx makeup, but I am definitely known for my fx work. My favorite thing about special effects is creating new things, but also realism. I use real references and images for any injury and gore look I get asked to do. I really like graphic liner with beauty but I also really do like glowy skin natural looks too.

I’ve been working on film sets since 2022. I worked on my first film at just 18 years old. The first feature I worked on was called Runnin from Wolves, which was released in 2024 on Tubi/Prime. My instructor from school brought me on my second feature called Finding Nicole, which recently just released and is available to rent on Apple TV, Prime, Fandango, Dish, Xbox etc. In 2023 one of the most fun projects I worked on was called Final Feast which was for the 48hr film project. I had two other artists alongside myself, and we didn’t know what we’d be doing until the day before. We definitely cranked through it! In 2024 I worked on four projects all together for The Comedy Roll contest in the spring and a really fun project from that one was “Jack”, which actually won first place. You can watch both “Jack” and “Final Feast” on Youtube. In 2024 fall, I worked on another feature called “The Fathers”, whom which the same instructor from school had me on for again. In 2024/2025 another feature I had the opportunity to be apart of was called “Addy, My Love.” It was a really brutual project, which made it fun. I also had worked on another feature doing a tattoo coverup called “All You Need Is One”. back in the winter as well. I created a custom facial prosthetic appliance made from gelatin for a short film called “Dogwood”. I was really excited about that one, since I really wanna be able to create more custom characters and creatures and designs for films as I keep going in the industry. I worked on another short called “Just Spacey” which was really fun too, I airbrushed people’s full bodies and made them look like corpses. I painted a torso as well for the project to look more decaying, and I really loved how it came out. I felt like I was in my zone while painting.

I’m currently in production and filming a horror short called “Loss” at the moment which i’m very excited about. It’s been a great team and i’ve really enjoyed the work i’ve done on it so far. I’m also in preproduction for some other projects as well. I recently lifecasted an actress for an upcoming feature Halfblood later this year, so I can create a custom facial application for her. I’m also going to be in preproduction for another feature called “Waitress” later this year too. I also have another music video/short project called “I like your bones”, that I’m doing some beauty punk style makeup for which is fun!

I also work at a haunted attraction during that time of year too, I work at Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, MI. I’ve worked at Erebus since 2022 as a makeup artist and I’ve loved it. Growing up I always heard about Erebus and it’s always been crazy to think that i’m apart of the team creating the monsters each night! We have an amazing makeup team, and it truly feels like a big family there. I never know who will sit in the chair each night, or what room someone will be in. So it’s always on the spot airbrushing a makeup look, I really went outside of my comfort zone for 2024’s season. I really enjoy airbrushing now, and haunt style makeup is also something i’ve practiced outside of the haunt too on friends just for fun. I really enjoy working at the haunt every year.

I attended my second makeup school in Los Angeles, CA 2023 for a course called “Creature Concept Design” program to enhance my skills and especially since I wanna get more into creature and character work in the future. That entire course was great and I definitely learned a lot from my instructors there and it really made me feel like I am exactly where i’m supposed to be, and to always keep creating. It was a great experience, and really reinforced myself on what I see myself doing in this field. I realized I really enjoy being on set, but I also wouldn’t mind being in the lab too. I wouldn’t mind sculpting pieces and painting pieces for productions or even have my own shop in the future. Lab work is nice and relaxing and I’ve realized I really enjoy creating behind the scenes appliances as well.

I know with being in Michigan and with what I wanna do, it’s a bit limited. I’ve tried to make the most I can though, and I’m definitely proud of everything i’ve done up to this point and all the connections i’ve made too. I definitely see myself relocating in the future. I wouldn’t mind working in a lab, or even having my own lab in the future too. There are no limits to what you can do in this field if you really have the drive and passion to push yourself. Being in the FX industry is a whole another language to people who know nothing about it, but I love being able to share my ideas and show others how passionate I am about this.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think learning more about sculpting has been super impactful for my journey and also working with silicone throughout my journey has been very beneficial too. I like using silicone and prosaid transfer prosthetics the most when it comes to applying prosthetics. I think painting has also been very important, when it comes to applying prosthetics, blending in pieces with skin tone, painting character pieces, bruising etc. I taught myself how to body-paint and used myself as my canvas for a makeup series I did that I posted for Halloween called 31 Days of Halloween. I did it for 3 years in a row, and instead of buying costumes for character looks I decided it would be way cooler to paint the outfits on myself and also would show more skill. Painting in general has always been something i’ve loved, so using myself as a canvas was no problem.

If I could give any advice for any upcoming artists or people who are interested in this field it’s definitely to stay motivated. Make sure this is something you really want and are able to commit to. It’s not always gonna be easy, and it’s definitely a learning progress as you go. Your drive and passion is what will help you take off and advance. Connecting with other artists who are just as passionate as you and building relationships helps when it comes to putting together a makeup team for a film or a project. Keep going, even if you don’t feel the most confident in your work that’s okay. Don’t give up, if you keep practicing and take it seriously you will succeed. If you wanna do this, it will show. Going to school is definitely very helpful for the long term future with this career as there is definitely a lot to learn. Never stop learning and don’t limit yourself. Have fun, that’s what this is about. If you don’t wanna do this, it’ll show.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Of course, I love working with new faces and new people. It’s not always easy finding other artists here in my home state who specialize in FX compared to beauty. It’s a pretty small world here for makeup artists, but I love connecting with everybody. I love connecting with everybody all over, out of state or in the state. If needed, I don’t mind traveling outside of my state for work. Filmmakers, photographers, other artists, models, new clients etc are definitely people i’d love to collaborate with and meet. I’ve been coming up with new ways to show my skills off for this year and have wanted to do more creative and editorial shoots to really show more of what I can do even when i’m not on set. I use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for a lot of business related content. My Instagram is @angiespfx and my facebook business page is Angie’s SPFX. My IMDb is Angie Acosta. My website is Angiespfx.com

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Frostbite – Norah Sawyer
Torso – Just Spacey by Anna Helmer
Liberty Spike Corpse Paint – Sean Forsythe
Head Injury – Bruce Purcell
Sculpt – Dogwood by Robby Windows
Addy, My Love BTS – Emma Albert
Airbrush Haunt Eyes – Cole Thurman
Airbrush Haunt Clown – Olivia Gagnon
Dirty On Set Look – Qusay Alkahil
Three Headed Shark – Cinema Makeup School
Gouged Out Eyes – Tifunny Renae
Bodypaint photos- Myself

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