What I learned from the Mehron Man...

I had a nice long 45 minute chat today with Gene Flaherty, who wears a couple of different hats for Mehron. Some of you may know him. He shared a lot of info with me and I asked him if I could post it on the forum. He said we could call the technical support number anytime if we have questions. I'll include that number at the end of this post.

Gene is the product safety officer for Mehron (not the exact name of his title, but I forgot what he called it!) He also is their in-house professional make-up artist, and their sales manager as well. I called him because I wanted to know more about their INtense line. He ended up telling me so much about so much that I wanted to share. Some of what he said was told to him by Jinny Houle, herself and some comes from his own knowledge and experience and some comes from the chemistry department at Mehron.

INtense - it is not powdery like Starblends is, so it doesn't "snow" loose powder particles. It is highly pigmented, ergo, the name INtense. Metina carries the palettes in her shop. I asked him what the size of the individual colors were. They are the same size as those that come in the palette... they are small because they are so intense and not much is needed (they are technically an eye shadow.) It would be more for layering for that extra "pop" than to paint a full face design with. He said this was solely because it would not be cost effective for us since the containers are small. I believe it would be ideal for eye designs, though (my thoughts, not his words). It is made with the same integrity that all their make-up products are and all the ingredients are 100% FDA compliant. It is removed with mild lathery soap and water and can be removed easily and in the same fashion as their face paint.

We talked for quite awhile about Starblends, created for the theatre, which is why it is available in so many skin tone shades, as well as the the primary colors. It was made to be used wet but he likes that face painters have found a way to use it our line of work. He said that he went to a Face and Body convention a while back (don't know precisely when) and was told by several people there that Starblends had caused some children to have a reaction... not a red area reaction, but a full blown rash reaction. He met with the chemists and found that it was the lanolin used in it at the time... I'm not sure, but I think he might have said they don't have it in there anymore (please don't quote me on that!) He also echoed the same thing I found out at my BalloonFest - you cannot apply Starblends in an outside environment if there is high humidty because it adheres to the first thing it touches, which would be moisture on the skin in high humidity. That's why it ends up a big, splotchy mess. However, you can apply it inside and then the children can go outside and play in the heat and humidity. He asked how I prepared faces for Starblends at BalloonFest - I told him I only used it once and it was nightmare. I told him how I would gently wipe the children's faces with a baby wipe and then let it dry. That is when he said, "Don't use baby wipes. They leave a coating on the skin"... mind you, he told me what the coating was but I can't remember for the life of me - I think he might have said they leave a film of soap behind. He said to use alcohol wipes... like Wet Ones. "On kids?!" I asked, surprised. He went on to tell me that doctors use alcohol on kids faces every day. It evaporates in seconds and cleans and sanitizes the skin. It is not drying when used in this capacity. He also shared a story of how Jinny told him that a certain famous brand of "unscented" baby wipes (he couldn't remember which, but that it was in a blue plastic pop-up container), when used with Paradise paints, would make a hard boiled egg smell. They took that to their chemists and found that the "unscented" still actually had a fragrance in it and that fragrance, when paired with the cocoa butter in Paradise, made the stinky smell. Baby wipes are essentially paper products and the small fibers are often left behind on skin, your hands and in your paint cakes if you wipes them with them. Alcohol wipes are a paper product as well, but they tend to not shed their fibers. He echoes what Shannon says about cleaning your brushes in alcohol. Dip them and let them air dry if you paint in a region with strict and rigid guidelines. Also, alcohol does not sting the skin, unless there is a wound of some type. But we don't paint over or near wounds anyway, so that shouldn't be a factor to worry about.

The alcohol wipes made me think of the Mehron Barrier Spray, which I have but don't use on kids. He said he uses it all the time and told me that it evaporates so quickly that he just tells them to close their eyes and count to 10. For the kids 5 and under he has them place their fingers over their eyes or sometimes even makes a game out of it by having them hold 2 plastic spoons over their eyes. He also said that eyelids don't sweat, but the forehead above can sweat make-up or face paint down into a child's eyes.

So, again, feel free to call the technical support number if you want to know more about a product or have concerns of any type. The number is 888-552-1331

"Eyelids don't sweat." Yes they do. They don't bead up but they do actually sweat. Anyone who has studied make-up should know that. It's why they get all oily and sticky and uuppie.

Physicians and nurses don't use alcohol on kids faces commonly or everyday (I have LOADS of friends who are nurses so I asked). My friend who is a nurse at the local university hospital said that they use iodine to clean the wounds, or the wound spray stuff, because it's much easier near the face. The sting is from the fumes of it, not the actual liquid and that does hurt the nose and eyes.

It's interesting that he said he uses the barrier spray on kids. When I studied with some of the Mehron peeps in NYC they specifically said to NOT use it on children's faces. It's not meant, and was not created, with the delicate skin of children in mind.

I'm sorry but I'm not sure what in this isn't a sales pitch and is new information. Everything he gave you is common knowledge and on the boxes of products. I appreciate your diligence but speaking to a make-up rep is like speaking to a car salesman, of course their product is the best.

Btw, I don't use alcohol wipes or baby wipes (our baby wipes are for removing/cleaning ourselves but they don't really get rid of sweat).

thanks for sharing! good info and glad I read it. I was going to invest in starblends to try out at the zoo this summer.....you just saved me $$$$

Well, that's why I posted it all... so you guys could comment and post.... He wasn't trying to sell me anything. I was the one that asked HIM about the barrier spray. He is not saying to wipe every kid's face with an alochol wipe... but for those kids that you do use baby wipes on to prep or clean their face. I only use baby wipes to wipe away little mistakes when I've "colored outside the lines"... I do use them to wipe the paint off my hands between every customer... and then I squirt hand sanitizer on and rub it in. But I hate how the baby wipes make my hands feel... can't describe it in words... dry and yucky.

I think that we all too often take everything we read on this forum as the gospel truth. But I think I would like to keep my mind open to what people outside of here say about some subjects. Eyelids have sweat glands... ( I looked it up!) and therefore it seems that they can sweat. I am not sure why he would make an erroneous statement if he is a professional make-up artist... maybe it's kind of like how beauticians were being taught that your hair has a natural part, when really it just tends to lay a certain way...

As for everything he said, I didn't say he was correct... just that he said this and that about this and that.

I never thought for a moment that he was trying to be a salesman or sell me his products... in fact, he pretty much stated that the INtense line was not going to suit my needs for painting with it like Starblends.

Lynnie, he wasn't a make-up rep. (He's charge of sales, though.) But he did tell me that safety procedures and application were his main thing. That's why I asked to post the tech support phone number so that you guys could talk directly to him and decide for yourselves.

Also, if you don't have a product yet then you don't have a box to read. So I am sure it was helpful to some people.

"Dry and yucky" lol I admit it gets funky but we don't need them often. And yeah, a corner for an oopsie is good. I tend to just dip the round end of my brush in water and clean it that way, or I "repurpose" the line. lol
I will sometimes spray witch hazel (which is what I use for henna cleaning) on a paper towel to wipe sweat. It's not as "owie" inducing.

He's from Mehron, therefore he's a sales rep. That's all I'm saying. I've spoken with several people from there and their stuff is always wonderful, and their advice is always the best, etc. It's what they are paid to do.

The fact that he gave you some really bad and questionable advice/facts is extremely concerning to me- because he's supposed to be a "pro". That's all I was saying.

As I said I appreciate your diligence and am disappointed by his statements.

Your response seems like you felt I was attacking you or some such, and I absolutely was not.

No, Lynnie... I didn't feel that way. I see your points...

I think it is very odd that he said some things that were so different from what we have shared on here. I do wonder what other companies would say about his statements. (Gary Cole would be all over it, maybe?) I used to use wipes that I found at Walmart that said "For Faces" but then I couldn't squish the plastic container in my kit so I switched back to the soft packaged baby wipes.
But long before people started using baby wipes in this world, we all would wipe our hands and messy faces with Wet Naps - I can still remember using them as a little girl. I didn't dry out (well, that's debatable) and it didn't sting me or traumatize me.

Barrier spray? I don't know - still on the fence about that. I did use it on the cheek of the boy I painted the Syracuse Crunch design that was used in their ad campaign. I wanted the design to last long enough to look good for the photos... he was 5 years old. He closed his eyes and had no problem with the spray at all. I think it may all boil down to this: parents who ask how long the paint will last can be offered the spray, but I would have to tell them it has alcohol in it and they need to keep their eyes closed. If they agree and the child agrees, then maybe I will do it - as I said, on the fence about it right now.

Still looking forward to meeting you some day Lynnie! Your work is amazing!!!!

In reading what you note Gene said I do not see he have you any misinformation. That said, and I know Gene, he does not paint kids out in the trenches. In these cases with information from the makeup companies, our experiences may therefore over ride some of their information.

As much as the makeup company staff are sales reps they do want and strive to provide artists with factual and correct information. Seems gene did that.

Wet Wipes is what Wolfe FX has reccomended for years. And wet-wipes do leave the skin cleaner and cut thru the makeup residue better and faster.

That said they are not a easy to find as top brand Huggies or and other baby wipe. They do not come in a big case needed for multi day events. And they cost more. For me I'd have to order them by the case online - and for that I stick to baby wipes. 98% of my wipes are used on my hands, 2% clean a kids face or my works area.

Read the MSDS on any product Wet Wipes and Mehron's Barrier Spray can be used on the face. You can use it on children's faces I just wouldn't as face painting is indeed temporary. Or rather won't very often, as Ronnie had sometimes there is a point to using a product.

If it is just too hot to keep a face on - don't be painting faces. A simple dusting of the hairline with setting powder ( like Mehron's Ultra Fine Setting Powder) will give a face a little more life, but again sometimes there is a place for everything...
like when to airbrush tattoos or do glitter instead of painting faces.

I only use Starblends in my FX kit so not concerned about wipes residue. I love the new INtense Pro line it is very pigmented, and nice to the feel, I have two colors on my eyes now. Everything has a place in some part of my kits, powders do best in my FX and body art/makeup kits.