Diamond FX mini split cakes (same format as Silly Farm ARty Brush ones)

Overall reaction to product statement.
Nice but tiny...OK for non-busy face painters maybe?

Positives
1. Gorgeous colour ranges
2. Nice not to have to make my own
3. Nice packaging, easy to use

Negatives
1.TINY - as in depth of paint - so maybe not much value.
2.Fiddly
3.If its Silly farm is a mix of brands & you don't know whats likely to stain. Even if all DFX as for the DFX range I do wonder how they keep track of which paint lots went in - thought that was a requirement..

Scale of 1-10:
5

Hmm, well I 1st saw the Silly Farm Arty Brush cakes when I was teaching a face class in NZ, and OMG was shocked at how titchy they were. Very glad I hadn't bought any! May be as I'm used to hefty sized split cakes either bought from Bibi's site or made myself; but those tiny single eye-shadow containers they come in look like they will do about 6 faces then be empty!

Then got given some at the Shanghai body paint fest to try.

Yes they are nice; they fit a 1" or so brush well. Bit scrabbly to pick up & hold if busy, though, I prefer my long 'stick' of split cake boxes i made myself.

But worth a try if you have yet to have a go at 1-stroke or making your own!

Cat x

I also have tried the DFX and the Arty Cakes...

I find them too small... and fussy... I actually bought two of the DFX mini-rainbows at Living Canvas (shhh don't tell anyone - they were less expensive than the Arty Brush Cakes)... but I do not like them, it takes to long to load for me. I have to work faster to get through the lines and as I have to use CLEAN brushes for everyone I can't just load up a brush and dampen it again every time I want to use it!

So... I popped the two rainbows out of the containers, and they fit nicely in a middle section of my "Paint Saver" palette so now I have a longer rainbow that lets me load my brush much faster.

And - I would not buy any of them again... too small, too fiddly and too time consuming. And ultimately way too expensive for the amount of face paints that are actually in the container.

I score them 2 out of 10.

I do like the method of the loading of multiple colours. But will stick with making my own cakes and colour combinations.

Agree. They are to shallow, but I do like that the stripes are so thin. Got one at Seeboden, and that will be the last one. Find it hard to get the paint from the corners, and in such a small container, the corners is around 25%..

Oh, I really like them.

I use mine with a cut sponge (old Snazaroo cut in thirds) for the fastest rainbow backgrounds and for using with stencils. I used mine for when I had a party with 40 kids in 2 hours and I finished in under 90 minutes. The rainbows were the most popular

I also like mine with a 1" brush for swirly eye designs for teens and moms.

Personally, I enjoy making my own and so I am so glad Metina offers the empty cases. They are just right!

~Michelle

If anyone wants two empty mini containers let me know - I removed the rainbows and washed the containers. I have no use whatsoever for them.

Agreed too small for me and way way too expensive for the amount of paint.
Good size for a MUA doing extreme beauty makeup.

Hey Cat what does titchy mean?

I've not bought any... I haven't been convinced that they are worth their weight in paint, so to speak. I like making my own... I have two for one stroke leaves and a couple more for flower petals and small butterflies, and made a few thinking it would make shadowing faster but have yet to use them. Nice thing is if I don't use them, I'll just take the strips apart and put them back or re-arrange somehow.

I really do like the idea of long strip for split cake. How ever do you decide in what order to put your colors, or do you just add and subtract based on what you happen to need?

I saw Marcela Murad working with them at Mooseburger Camp and she loves them to be sure. I can't see spending that much money on such a small amount of paint.

I don't even have any split cakes so the idea of having that many colours in one container seems completely useless to me. I pick my colour combinations on the spot and just paint one colour at a time. Maybe I'll do a two colour cake at some point, but really haven't felt the need so far.

I have found that I have to "train" myself to use the split cakes that I made for myself... my dendency is to go to the single colours and blend as I go, but I am starting to use the splits more - particularly the rainbows.

So far the colour combos that I am using the most are gold/bronze for animals, peacock for my two "peacock" mask/crown desgns, white/pink/purple for butterflies and yellow/orange/red for dragons and fire.

at least I'm in good company for preferring solid colours

I like the yellow/orange/red for making tigers also. The red makes them look more dangerous. For cute tigers I use metal red/gold. A little bit of difference in the line work and that is it =)

Oh yes, the one for fire gets used a lot, but I'm still working on it. I think I have too much black and not enough yellow, looks too muddy and not firey.... Back to the drawing board so to speak.

There's so much to be said for technique... I can't wait until I can get myself in a class or around some other painters to get some first hand instruction... watch how someone else does it. Those beautifully blended black edges and shadows. I just don't have that down, for small areas anyway. I thought maybe making a split, and work it like a one-stroke might help, but I haven't been able to try it. Ah well... it will come with time!

I have the DFX mini neon rainbow, but once I got the 50gm rainbow, the little one has been treated like the ball-headed step child. I prefer the size of the 50gm and the colors are more pronounced. I still want some empties to make mini cakes for things like fire and such, but for the rainbows, I prefer bigger since the rainbow is such a big draw.

I agree that the mini split cakes are too small and too costly for the amount of paint you get. But I LOVE split cakes in standard sizes. I have a white/pink/dark pink that I use for a perfect butterfly base in just a few seconds. I couldn't live without it. Rainbow cake as well is now an essential in my kit. I also have a tiger split cake with ochre and rust brown for a realistic tiger face, and a blue/purple for a fantasy tiger. Love love love split cakes. Huge time saver for me.

Heh titchy=tiny
And yes, I do aggree - can't be w/o rainbows and I do LOVE the neatly blended effect my homemade splits for dolphins, fwers, fire etc give. You just can't get that with solid colours, especially in small or detailed areas and the TIME it saves,,,oooo...

Hey Angie. Can you post a picture of your split for the ochre/rust brown? I want to make one, but want to see your ratio. Thanks!

-Metina

How are you? Love the forum, don't get to use it as much as I would like, lack of time. It has really come a long way, very impressed and proud of you! Way to go! Keep in touch! Kerrie

I have gold/copper for my animal split cake... it appeals to me so much I accidentally made a second one, forgetting I already had a split in my regular palette!! One is Snaz gold and copper and the other is a Wolfe gold/Snaz copper both are 1/2 & 1/2... and work well for lions, leopards, cheetahs and various dinos etc.

I'll try to get a pic once my camera recharges Metina. It's just a half/half cake though. When I am doing a cat (like my avatar), I do the center in just ochre, and then load the sponge again with about half an inch of rust brown on the edge and the rest on the ochre side, and finish off the edges.

Thanks guys! Would love any pics you have. Shannon, I am SOO glad you changed your pic. That other one was quite frightening!

Metina wrote:Thanks guys! Would love any pics you have. Shannon, I am SOO glad you changed your pic. That other one was quite frightening!

I know...she looks so pretty! Pretty Shannon! Pretty Shannon!
You look all sweet and innocent! Gotta hot date?

Yes...I know I'm going to pay for that...
No...I'm not self medicating again...

Apparently the exfoliating apricot and ground beetle facial mask does wonders.

Obviously