what paints dont smear or smudge easily?

Ok, please don't all go jumping on me and telling me the do's and don'ts... I've been a professional face painter and body artist for 20+ years...

I'm looking to find a brand of cosmetic type paints that gives me the same durability, sustainability and freedom to use fine line brushes as acrylic paints.. something that does not smear or smudge. I have experimented with a few brands Snazaroo, Palmer (OMG! the red leaves such a haze after!) Crafty Dab... and a couple others... all either smear or smudge easily or remain extremely tacky.

That said, I have historically used acrylic paints.. apple barrel brand, watered down to a very nice consistency that will have a powdery soft, almost foundation make up like feel and weightless... (not gooped on and thick or ever cracking).

I have been painting my face, arms and legs at least 3-5 days a week for over 20 years.. (so surely if Acrylic is going to cause any harm, I should most certainly had issues by now... aside from my natural years with crows feet starting lol. I have also NEVER ever once with the thousands of faces and body's I have painted over the years, ever had someone tell me they had a skin reaction...why? because I have some of the highest hygiene standards... I honestly think that the people who have had issues with acrylic is for other reasons... the paint was "sick" it had bacteria or something in it.. or the brush... something wasn't cleaned properly etc... not because of the paint per se' )...

And for those interested, Yes, I am insured. I have a $1 million policy and have spoken with the insurance company who has researched and indicated that there is no governing force over face painters and no legal barriers exist for what "should or should not" be used.

I have always taken the utmost pride in my work and hands down have some of the best skills when compared to top global artists (with all due respect to the top painters of course)

I'm not looking to debate if acrylics should or should not be used, what I am looking for is guidance on what brand of paint is comparable in usability.

Any POLITE comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated. If all you are going to do is bash, grand-stand or otherwise bully.... please save us all the trouble and keep your comments to yourself.

Thank you in advance......

(I will be attending the FPBA Convention in Missouri this November and surely will learn about the newest brands there.. but in the interim any help would be very welcomed.

Kindest~
Dawn

Hey Dawn -
Welcome to the forum!  With the exception of the Snazaroo, the brands that you have mentioned are not the brands that are preferred by the face painting community at large. Palmers paints makes me think of four letter words in my head. Although I like some of the Snazaroo products, I find that the durability leaves something to be desired.  I would recommend Paradise or Fab for a creamy paint and Tag/Wolfe/DFX as brands that are less "blendy" and creamy.  If your concern is smudging on linework, I'd recommend DIPS (brand new, alcohol based product).

Now, regarding some of your other points, I'm not "looking to jump down your throat" and I congratulate you on the fact that you have never experienced a reaction.  That being said, while hygiene is important and you are right, bad hygiene can contribute to all sort of nasty skin reactions, the fact remains that acrylic paints are not FDA compliant for use on the skin.  

Among other things, they contain low levels of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen that is easily absorbed through skin and does nasty things to mucous membranes.  Acrylic paints can also contain nickel (which can cause some fairly severe allergic reactions) and soluble cadmium, which is a teratogen.

Regarding the fact that there is no "governing body for face painters" actually, that's not true.  Alberta, Canada has some rather strict laws in place, and I wouldn't be shocked if other countries follow suit in the next few years. Speak with Shannon on some of the stringency in place.

And lastly, with regard to your insurance, I'm somewhat surprised again that you found a carrier that does not "care" that you use acrylics.  I had to switch carriers because I do henna, and henna paste (with lawsonia inneris being one of if not the most natural dyes known to man) wasn't covered.  Specialty Insurance (for example) requires that you use FDA compliant paint, and offers $5 million of coverage.  Ditto The Event Helper.

Your a rockstar!!! thanks so much!!! and greatly appreciated advice.

I did not know the items you pointed on about the acrylic paints... I'm hoping to find a suitable cosmetic safe alternative to switch over to...

I will try out the products you mentioned.

have a fabulous rest of your day (night?)

Dawn

oooh I love how nice this conversation went - informative without being mean or rude. :-)

I like Wolfe and DFX best for linework and TAG and Kryolan for bases. I also like my Tulip silver but have heard that their other colors stain badly.

DawnB, I hope you try a few different brands to find which work best for your style of painting.

All brands of face paint - which are water based and/or activated cosmetics - are going to smear/smudge if they are damp.

If you want to use COSMETICS that don't smudge the only thing I can suggest is using theatrical creams - such as Ben Nye, Kryolan Supracolours, Mehron, etc.  - and set them with powders.  These hold up to pretty much anything once powdered.

I combine techniques when body painting as you can add details on top of the set make-up with face paints.

My insurer requires me to use cosmetics products and I cannot do henna either.  And my local health regulations state:

Paints, crayons, inks, glitters and other cosmetic preparations must be
safe and specifically designed for use on human skin. “Non-toxic” on
the labels does not necessarily mean that it is safe to put on the skin.
Some people are allergic to the non-FDA approved chemicals and
colorants used in craft paints and other stationary products.

Thanks all for the beautiful feedback... I am touched with the kindness of the group. hugs to all and hope to meet some awesome and fabulous people at the convention this November.

Now... for the legal battle... I had an event this past Sunday, the client signed a contract I have that stated a 48 hour notice on cancellations and she called the night before , less than 20 hours notice and cancelled... said was due to rain... It was beautiful out and so I made the trip to address to show every effort of making the event... well, turned out she had another artist there. I politely told her she would be receiving papers in the mail... she was snotty and rude (shocked that I actually called her out on her BS in front of her guests and that I actually drove the hour to her house because I didn't believe her)... any thoughts on this?????

I, for one, have PLENTY of thoughts about her - but none of them are very nice.  

Dear DawnB:
The face paint brands you have listed, with the exception of Snaz, are not the brands I use.
To keep body painting from smearing, I prep with Green Marble SeLR, paint, and seal with the SeLR.
I use TAG, Kryolan, Diamond F/X, MAC, Ben Nye, FAB, Paradise, Wolfe & Snazaroo.
I do not use Green Marble SeLR on faces. For adult faces, I have used Rimmel Pro Primer.

Having said that.... my event insurance would be null and void if I used acrylic craft paint for face or body painting.

Happy Safe Painting!

DawnB wrote:Thanks all for the beautiful feedback... I am touched with the kindness of the group. :)hugs to all and hope to meet some awesome and fabulous people at the convention this November.

Now... for the legal battle... I had an event this past Sunday, the client signed a contract I have that stated a 48 hour notice on cancellations and she called the night before , less than 20 hours notice and cancelled... said was due to rain... It was beautiful out and so I made the trip to address to show every effort of making the event... well, turned out she had another artist there. I politely told her she would be receiving papers in the mail... she was snotty and rude (shocked that I actually called her out on her BS in front of her guests and that I actually drove the hour to her house because I didn't believe her)... any thoughts on this?????

I'm slightly confused. What type of papers?

Honestly, I'd get around this by specifying in your contract:
1) Having a deposit (it's remarkable how paying a fee keeps people from cancelling)
2) Having a credit card on file and informing the client that a cancellation under 24 hours in advance would equal a 50% of remaining balance.

So...if your event invoice is for $200. Get a $100 deposit when you book the gig (payable from credit card). If that morning the client decides "you know what, I want a magician instead at Timmy's party" or "it's supposed to rain. I don't want the block party to happen in the rain" you charge the client $50 penalty for the lost income.

I've seen a couple of people using this method (my stylist, a venue I booked for an event, a dress rental shop, a fellow magician) and after being burned with FOUR cancelled block parties (due to weather was the excuse) and a corporate picnic that had low RSVP, I implemented it. Write it big and bold in your contract, and then get a credit card number.

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