There are a number of reasons that you might want to bruise yourself. Perhaps you are preparing for some sort of acting role and need to look as though you have bashed into something quite badly, or perhaps you are getting ready for a photo shoot in which you need to show off bruised legs, arms or even face. This article presents easy instructions telling you how to bruise yourself safely.

Usually, people bruise themselves by hitting things very hard. Walking into low furniture, accidentally hitting a wall or a floor or walking into a door are just a few of the ways to cause bruising. For some people, they may even consider resorting to self-hitting and punching in order to break the blood vessels in the skin, making it appear black and blue.

However, deliberately hurting yourself to physically bruise your skin can be very painful, and there are much easier ways to make it appear as though your body is covered in convincing, realistic bruises without having to resort to running into tables, chairs or other furniture.

Use Make-Up to Appear Beaten and Bruised

If you are wondering how to bruise yourself without suffering, you will find that the best way is by using make up to make it appear as though you are covered in bruises without having to go through any amount of pain or self-hitting. You only need a few supplies and it is quick and easy to get convincing-looking welts on your face, arms and legs, for instance.

What You Need

First of all, you will need to gather the following:

• A bruise wheel (although you can substitute this with various colors of eye shadows, liners, red lipsticks, a purple marker and blusher)
• Black eyeliner
• White eye shadow
• Brushes

Step by Step Guide for How to Bruise Yourself

Step One

Ensure that the area you are intending to draw your bruise onto is clean. Wash it with water but do not apply any sort of moisturizer.

Step Two

Start by applying red to your skin. This will form the basic shape of the bruise you want to create, so make sure you research in advance to see what sort of shape a bruise might take. Bear in mind that bruises are not neatly round or square, they are irregular, so think about what caused it so that you can have a good idea what shape it should be.

Step Three

Once you have completed the outline in red, fill in the area, again with the same color. Make sure it looks splotchy and feel free to go outside the lines. After this step, you should make sure that the entire area is now red and none of your normal skin color can be seen.

Step Four

Now it is time to add more colors in order to make the bruise look more realistic. Firstly, take a little bit of purple, whether it is from your bruise wheel or even from a purple marker (which works just as well). Smudge this into the red and make it blend so that it looks realistic and not as though it has been drawn on.

Step Five

Depending on what style of bruise you are aiming to create, you might want to take some time to add some different colors. Remember that newer, fresher bruises tend to look more purple and blue and that older bruises are more yellow and green. Depending on what you are going for, you will need to balance the colors accordingly.

Step Six

Use a green marker to trace outside the red area and smudge it. Unless you are hoping to make it look like a very old bruise, do not use too much green. This step is included into order to highlight your bruise even more and create a sort of 'shadow', giving the illusion that the bruise is swollen.

Step Seven

Add some yellow, whether with a marker or with eye shadow. This, again, is to help the bruise appear swollen, but if you add a little more you can successfully age the bruise.

Step Eight

The final step is to run your new bruise under some water. This will help the colors that you have used to blend even more and make it look even more realistic. Whilst your bruise is wet, you must make sure not to touch the bruise, otherwise you will end up rubbing it away and you will have to start all over again! Instead, simply dab at your bruise with some toilet paper or an old towel.

Take Care When Trying to Bruise Yourself for Real

While you know the answer to how to bruise yourself, it is never advised to do so. 

There are a number of ways to self-inflict bruises. Simply walking into a hard object such as a chair or table with enough force can cause the blood vessels beneath the skin to break and cause a bruise to appear.

Some people even harm themselves by punching themselves with enough force. While there is no problem with accidentally bumping into something, intentionally self-harming can be very dangerous and is a serious mental condition that should not be encouraged. Self-punching, as well as cutting, is considered 'self-harm' which can be dangerous for the health and mental well being of the person in question. In fact, a lot of people who suffer from depression practice self-harm, which includes self-cutting and self-hitting.