Ben Nye Magic Cakes

I am wondering about Ben Nye Magic Cakes. Does anyone swear by them? I have not used them and would like to know what others think about them before I purchase anything.

I bought lots of Ben Nye Magic Cakes. I bought them because they were supposed to be great in the heat.

Positive
In the heat they definitely will not melt in the container
Highly pigmented, covers dark skin really well
Has some beautiful colors
Great for sponging
Is pretty and works great once you get them to moisten
Lots of paint in the container they seam to last forever
Paints seam to moisten easier in the winter.

Negative
Dry, Dry, Dry... In fact they are so dry the water will form a little ball and swirl around on top of the paint never to mix with the paint. Actually, they are considered a powder paint. I've had to wet & wet & wet them the night before so they will be moist the next day.
In the sun instead of getting mushy moist they will dry out even more.
Yellow, gecko green, orange, and a few others has been a nightmare trying to get moist.
I didn't find where they stayed on in the heat much better, but we have 100+ temps here.
Not good for detailed thin line work.

Rating: 5

conclusion:
I am phasing these out not because I don't like the colors but parties around here tend to be large and these slow me down too much. I spray the container and make a water well in the container and the water would dry up and disappear. And don't even think of dipping your brush in water and rubbing up some paint on it unless the paint is already really moist. It's spray.. paint, spray.. paint, spray.. paint...OMG! If I had a commissioned job and time was not a major factor, I would use them because the colors are rich and opaque.

I got a white one, and do agress that they are extremely dry. I just added some glycerin to my water to see if that will improve it at all. Sent my daughter overseas with a sample board last year, and although they used it, I saw it the other day, and knew they hadn't gotten the hang of it at all, cause all the paints looked pretty untouched.

There is a thread about these somewhere already.

I tried them years ago, USELESS, for the reason stated only I could not get them to work at all. Traded them away for glitter.

I tried glycerin, hot water, even scraping to make a paste... nothing worked.

I wish they worked... the colours are gorgeous.

I have a good friend who actually likes them...says you just have to work them....

Thanks guys! I am glad I used my lifeline to poll the audience. I do believe I can live without them...lol