How do I get a good white base?

I had an event this last week and I couldn't get a solid white base. I used Snazaroo white. I used a sponge and did strokes and it looked streaky. I went over it by patting with the sponge it and it looked splotchy. On another face, I tried to go over the sponging with a brush and all I could see were brushstrokes.

Was the sponge too wet? Was there not enough paint on it?

I looked up the Snazaroo website and it said to do strokes with the sponge and then pat over it. This didn't really work for me but maybe I have the water/paint ratio wrong.

A nice, easy, white solid base is ANYTHING BUT EASY.
Personally, I'm not a fan of snaz white as I don't love the melt-in-anything-over-75-degree-quality, but it sounds like your water to paint ratio was off. Also, when layering, you need to let the bottom layer dry somewhat in order to not totally remove the paint.

Snaz white is fine... sounds like you had too much water. Try adding a few drops of water to the cake before you start. It will make a nice gooey spot, then use a dry sponge or brush and load.

I tend to tap, tap, tap to apply... I work quite fast and it makes a very smooth finish.

It does take practise to get the consistency right. The gooey spot should be the consistency of liquid craft paint to apply nicely.

I like snaz white also. I spritz the cake and let it soak in a little, then I spray again quite a bit and really work the sponge back and forth several times in the paint, I dab only.

Playing with consistency is the key. I favor using a cheapo, long-handled kabuki brush I buy at Target (ELF brand) and using a mix of Mehron Paradise white and Wolfe Metallic white. With that combo, I can work magic in seconds.

I love snaz for bases, and I get even coverage with white...

maybe the problem is the sponge-get a high density sponge will blend the best.


my latest strategy (the old way was to stipple it on) is to paint my base with a huge 1 1/5" brush, then go over it with a sponge to smooth it out by patting.
soooooo much faster.

another way is to load my sponge, and smear it all over the face, then go back and pat the color to blend evenly.

Thanks for all the input. Sorry I didn't reply. I completely forgot I posted this.
I'll try some of these different ideas. The Snazaroo was all I could get quickly and I do need something that blends well. People here seem to agree it's good for blending. It does sound like I had too much water. Next time I practice, I'll work on getting the right ratio. The kabuki brush is an interesting idea. Also, I read a lot about sponges on here and plan to get some new ones. I just have a couple anyway.
Thanks again!

with sponges, you really have to just bite the bullet one day and blow $20-30 on them....

They last FOREVER, so as long as you keep them wet during an event, they will not stain badly and still look good.

Keeping them wet is the real trick-when I first started, I'd let them dry in the time it took me to get home and wash them, and there would be pink and green paint stains....with my new batch, I kept them wet and they look good as new when I washed them.


Get yourself a cheap car sponge-high density, for about $3....it'll chop up nicely into about 15-30 sponges. I used a steak knife in my rush-came out well, but there were lil fuzzies that I had to pick off....end result-bunch of nice sponges for quick bases, and cheap!

That sounds like a great idea. Do you think scissors would work better? My boyfriend is going to think I lost my mind when I start cutting up a car washing sponge.

How do you keep them wet?

I just fill a bucket with a little water, and a lid on it......a little bucket, like a pail that kids use at the beach, or the stuff the 5 gallon icecream comes in.

scissors work okay, they just don't always give you a nice edge-but you can always trim it down. car sponges are very thick-maybe use some big kitchen shears.

I realized the other day that the sponges that came with my little Snaz kit are crap! The holes are too large and they do a lousy job of covering no matter how wet/dry etc they are.

I bought a car was sponge at the Dollar Tree and so far it's my fav! It's pretty dense, yet not to harsh on the face. Firm enough that I don't get my fingers painty. I also have the Snaz petal sponges which work well. I want to try one of the green rounds next.

The first sponges that I got with Snaz turned out to be stippling sponges, they were very course and they were not very good for blending, I have gotten more Snaz sponges since and they are just fine, soft and they spread the white out great. This might be the same case with your sponges...

Glad you got it all worked out though, I prefer Snaz white as a base too, it is light and comfortable to wear and cheap And as everyone said, constancy is key.

Good luck