seeking help with paleness

I've been face painting rather casually for the last few months, and love it a lot. However, today when I looked over my pictures, they all seem PALE! I use paradise plasma cakes, dfx and tag matte cakes; they all looked fine when I put them on, but there's just no "pop"to them like those masterful works I've seen here on the forum. My husband says "you are not using enough paint!" but I just seem unable to bring myself to mop a dripping paint brush and slather it onto the skin. Is going metallic the only answer? I doubt that, for gorgeous works done with just a few basics are out there! Yet they are so far out of my reach. Dear friends, may you provide me some advices to improve? Thanks!

My picture galleryhttp://www.facepaintforum.com/gallery/Personal-album-of-smileonyu/Personal-album-of-smileonyu-cat_u7848.htm

Oh btw, the mask display board isn't mine! My finger slipped when I uploaded from my phone; it's someone else's from this forum (which I can't remember who...) Apologies!

It doesn't need to be "dripping" with paint.... Your work is fine and will improve over time as well, but if you aren't happy with the opacity levels that you are getting, then take a little more water and work it into the paint. The main thing that beginners do is not take enough time loading their brush... spend more time loading your brush and less time on the actual painting.

Totally agree with Perry...yeah, you just need to swish that brush in the paint a little longer...get the paint to soak up a little more water until you get a more opaque liquid-y paint, rather than colored water if that makes sense. I have not used the paint brands you're using though, but that generally would work with water based paints. I'm sure the brands vary a lot too. I mostly use Kryolan and am able to get it transparent/pale or thick and vibrant just with the amount of water. Just started using some Wolfe black and white and WOW, are they ever nice and vibrant!!

And oh my, but your painting IS adorable! Such fine delicate detail in your butterfly and koi. I Love it!

thanks SO much, Perry, Gretchen, and Lizards for your advice and encouragement, I shall try the work water into paint tip~

oops, just realized I "plasmaed" Paradise's prisma cake!

Definitely play with your paint consistency. Also, realize that probably a LOT of the pics posted are digitally manipulated either through simple programs like Instagram or more complex programs like Gimp and Photoshop. A lot of people "tweak" their contrast, color balance, or vibrance. I used wonder what the heck some artists did to make their colors pop until I saw their works in real life just post painting at conferences and FABAIC. There is a lot of subtle post-production manipulation going on

I don't manipulate mine... too time consuming...

Me neither, what you see, is what you get.
No photoshop.