

This is the most important question when it comes to face painting. Choosing the type of paint can make the difference from a masterpiece to a trip to the ER for that weird rash on your face.

First off, safety. Do not pick any type of paint you find in your house to apply in on our face thinking “hey, it’s for kids, it should be ok” . Keep in mind that not all paints are safe for your skin and face and also, you are going to be leaving this paint for hours on your face, so you want to be sure it is safe. Read the labels and see if it’s FDA approved.

That being said, the 5 basic types of face paint out there are these:

Glycerin based I highly recommend this type,as they have a nice creamy texture and are perfect for base work with a sponge. Ideal for mime face paint and clowns also. Don’t use them for details, they will give you a hard time as they dry slow and tend to blend with other colors easily. Wax based This is the type of face paint i use when i want to do details. Their behavior with the brush makes it ideal for line work. They load light on the brush and dry faster then glycerin based face paints. Powder based I like the versatility of powder based face paints. You can use them either wet or dry. Keep in mind though, that if you wet them, you can never go back to the same quality of them when they dry, so just be careful on the amount you want to use each time. If you go for the dry method, you will need to apply a base first, so the color of your main paint will be nice and stronger. Funny part is, you can use this type of face paint as a base too. You should also be warned that they do make a mess, so i strongly recommend covering your clothing before applying. Cream based These paints are so practical! They come in tubes, meaning you can squeeze out the exact amount you want to you each time with no mess at all! They do not need water to activate and the only downside is that they do take a while to dry. Perfect for one color projects like mime face painting, or clown face painting. Great for base work! Grease based The oldest type of paint in the book and still being used, mainly from theater people. I don’t blame them, it does have a lot of advantages. It does not crack, but this happens because it never dries, so you must keep in mind that you have to be careful once you put it on, in order not to smudge it on anything. It stays on pretty well even under the stage lights for hours and they are perfect for blending colors due to the texture. Really hard to apply with a brush.

This was my simple guideline for picking the right face paint for your projects! Hope you like it! Feel free to post your comments and/or tips below!