Note... no means an expert... kind of new to steampunk but there is a lot of it I really relate to, so I figure I'll speak up.

steam punk is like gothic... has a music culture... has a sub culture... has it's own clothing thing... its a little vague in the same way gothic can be hard to describe. The best way I heard it described was romantic victorian meets futuristic:
> throw in some industrial revolution stuff with gears and cogs and such and you wind up very future looking but very soft with the ruffles and lace. I think Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow kind of caught a good imagery of it if you have ever seen it.

you find a lot of WWII era pilot hats with the ear flaps... the big round looking googles... and then lace and things.

it's fun. Abney Park is my favorite steampunk sound...

there is a tribe around here on it as well... wikiepedia also has an interesting blurb on it if you believe anything off there. =)



to answer the other question... as for hair... either teased with a flower and lots of hair spray or just wear your hat + ear flaps... no hair required.

make up... hmmm you can't go wrong with the classical look with high cheek bones and eyeliner and whatever really flatters your eye colour... vamp it up with some darker shade smudged into the lashline for a little pizzaz... soft lips... there but not screaming. IMHO. good luck post pictures... I am always fascinated by what people come up with for this area!

Thanks ladies... I could picture nothing but "Dixie Queen" sort of nautical theme, with yacht/navigation wheels or some such! The descriptions help a lot!

Hmmm a bit tricky, i always thought it would be cool to get some small gears and watch parts and stick them on your face like you would dimontes or sequins.
Also i think depending on your character some of those peackock feather false eye lashes would be cool.

I did a quick search for steampunk makeup on flickr, looks like anything goes.

www.flickr.com/search/

And steampunk bellydance.

www.flickr.com/search/

There's some really good ideas in there.

More references.. more fashion than hair & make-up.. but that's my bent :):

an article from The New York Times.. also discusses the difference between Goth & Steampunk
The band Abney Park: www.abneypark.com/

I'm sure you could make one on a hairclip, either a regular clip or one of those big Ficcare clips as well.

As far as primers go, IMO you get what you pay for. The good ones are not cheap, and the cheap ones are not good. But, also IMO, primers are one of the few things that you should splurge on. Pay for a good primer & you can use the cheapo eyeshadows & blushes with excellent results.

btw, do you mean a face primer or an eye primer? Also, you might post that question as a new thread - it'll get more attention/answers that way.