Help choosing brushes...

Hi all! I've been interested in face painting for a short time and have been reading here and around the web, watching videos, and just generally absorbing knowledge about it for a month or so now... but I have no experience painting, yet.
My kiddos have spirit week at school soon and I want to paint their faces for each of the daily themes... Favorite animal, Tie Dye Day, Grade Color Day (each grade level K-5 has a different color for school shirts). I don't remember the other two right now but they are all really just fun ways to dress up a bit and get some good pics for the yearbook.
So, I am ordering paint and supplies today. I've decided to go with Paradise, as it seemed to be touted as the most beginner friendly. Paraben-free, creamy, easily blended and decent line work... plus a nice tropical smell? That sounds like a good place to start. So I am going with the 8 color basic palette, and probably the 8 pastel as well.
What I need help with is tools and glitter! I keep seeing #3 round, #5, #6, Filbert, Flats ect... I wonder if I tell you what I am imagining if you would be willing to help me choose the brushes I might need.

For Tie Dye day I was considering something like "CATZfaces" Tye Dye Belly or One by Minnesota Face Painter Cindy Ton the AboutFaces site. (Sorry I can't post links yet)

For Favorite animal I thought about trying a simple cat mask (school mascot: Wildcats) in white and black with silver glitter, since those are the school colors.

Color Day would just be face color that is a little different for each child. Maybe a mask for the little girl, and maybe a full, and a vertical half face for the boys.
I know they all will take practice but I'm not sure what tools to buy to practice with. Besides sponges, what brushes will I need to try these. If I am ordering off a face paint supply site can I trust that most of the brushes will be decent? Even if they may not be what I will prefer later on?

Also, Is there a glitter that works for girls and boys? Something that enhances the color underneath. I don't really want to buy tons of glitter yet. Just something that is good to enhance for girls and boys.
Sorry for slamming you with Q's on my first post. lol Thanks for any help you can offer! Renee'

Renee,
Welcome to the forum!
Paradise is a great place to start. Tag is also wonderful and their black and white is great for line work whereas I dislike paradise for lines.
Brushes: to start I would recommend a 1/2 or 3/4 flat brush, 1#8 filbert, 2 # 4 round, 2 # 2 round and 1 #0. Personally I like Royal Majestic water color brushes from hobby lobby. They have black plastic handles (AVOID wooden handles) and they hold their shape great. Plus...coupons! Haha!
Extras: baby wipes, q-tips, olive oil (for cleaning off the residue), fingertip spray bottle to wet paints with, and glitter. I have irrodecent, silver and black. Period. That's all the glitter I have ever needed.

Order from Metina at the forum shop. She rocks!

Have fun!

Hi Renee - and welcome,

That was a lot to take in for a first post!

I use paradise for everything. I will say though when the paints are new and very creamy your black can get goopy...so I leave them open for awhile just to air them out and firm them up a bit.
I do have Tag Pearls which are awesome and recommend them highly fir any metalic colors you might want.

With the brushes - you are going to have to find the ones you like to use - some people are evry heavy handed and need a firmer bristle - some like soft ones so really it's trial and error untill you find ones you like.

As a general rule I would suggest buying 2x#2 rounds and 2x#4 rounds at a minimum - that way you can keep a #2 and #4 exclusively for white. After you have been using black it's very hard to rinse it out.

I would buy a #10 Flibert paradise has an awesome one and a deerfoot ( angled square).
All the paradise brushes while expensive have acrylic clear handles so they last and last and clean up great.
I would love to have a set of Vargas Brushes and Mark Reid Brushes - but then again who wouldn't ?....... mine are a mix of very expensive and artstore cheapies.

Oh Goodness! Thank you for indulging all that randomness lol I was in a hurry to get my son to his football game and just sort of "upchucked" everything that was on my mind.

Thanks for the info, too. That really helped narrow down the brush and glitter choices and kept the cost of this "play" kit to a minimum.

Order from Metina at the forum shop. She rocks!

I tried to order here, but couldn't find a Paradise Basic 8 palette, (Maybe it's just not in stock right now? ) so I ordered elsewhere. This was just a small order anyway.. I'll be sure to place a big one here as soon as I get a handle on what I'm looking for. If this is anything like my other hobbies, my spending will be over the top in no time.