Help! I need a sealer!

Does anyone use a sealer over/under paint for hot/wet weather? If you do please let me know asap, I have a gig tomorrow and it might be worth my while if I can advertise smudgeproof painting - its going to rain!!

I have considered Ben Nye final seal as its readily available but I've never used it....

i have heard that hairspray works as a good sealer! but never tried it my self. i hope someone with more experience can get back to you before your gig!

don't use hairspray on faces, just bodies.... Mehron makes one called "Barrier Spray" I think people on here have had mixed results with it... some say it works well others say it did nothing. I haven't tried it, so I can't say personally

http://www.mehron.com/SFX_Sealers_and_Sprays_s/115.htm

I would be careful not to say that the paintings are "smudge proof", because if they get in the rain, sealer or no sealer, I think it would affect them. Maybe you could say, "smudge resistant" rather or just let the folks know that although you are using spray, they still need to be cautious of their painting if they get in the rain. Just a thought because people can be so awkward sometimes and I can just imagine someone coming back to you all mad later saying, "Hey you said this wouldn't smudge!"

Ditto on what Perry said. I just bought some barrier spray for body work but haven't used it yet. Have fun at your event.

I like the Ben Nye - I also like most of the others - and second what Perry said about not using hair spray on the face as a fixative (I don't use it anywhere except hair). It won't help if it gets wet and they rub, or if you miss a bit when you spray, but it will make it easier for them to protect it.

Has anyone tried the Green Marble? I saw it on a website and it say you can put it over the paint (not on faces) and it even makes it waterproof. I am curious, seems too good to be true, and we all know what they say about thata, but if anyone has tried it, I would like to know how it worked.

It's roughly the same as the others - at one point I did a test with Green Marble, Ben Nye, Kryolan, Mehron, Makeupforever - the Makeupforever felt the best, the Green Marble and Ben Nye waterproofed the best, but it was all by slight degrees. One of my friends was in a Mardi Gras parade this year (the one with the downpour) - they ended soaked to the bone (her phone didn't survive), but her face looked great - Makeupforever covering her makeup.

Should have reviewed my notes before posting sorry - it wasn't that it waterproofed any more or less - it was that water beaded differently on it - the product underneath stayed put till the fixative/sealer was removed - with soap and water, alcohol, rubbing, whatever it takes to remove it. I know I used the Kryolan Fixative on an underwater and everything stayed put - so I'd pretty much call them waterproof - not necessarily water and rub proof at the same time, but one at a time sure.....

Thanks for the info. They advertise it as basically making it so you can go swimming with the paintings on, and making it so that the paintings would last for days, like a temporary tattoo paint would. Like I said, if it sounds too good to be true....

My employer wants me to paint the faces of the empoyees who are going to be in our 4th of July parade this year. Last year it was so hot and everyone was so sweaty. It just might not be a good idea. I don't think I will be able to afford any starblends by then, but I know that could be a better option than regular facepaints in that situation.

using cream makeup (grease paint) that clowns use will last through a fair amount of water or sweat (try not to rub it while wet). Once set with powder, you can jump in a pool and provided you don't rub it, it will definitely stay put. You can get it from Mehron, Ben Nye, Graftobian and probably a few other places. If you have the time to get some a play with it, it would be the best option for something like that. It takes longer to apply, but you can get some great blending in it (that's the stuff Cirque du Soleil uses).

Two problems - water from inside, water from outside.... Outside (rain or swimming) is "easy" - that's the sealer - and it works yes. Inside water (sweating), is do-able (barrier spray, SweatStop) - but you have to watch out - people are sweating for a reason (they are hot and need sweat to cool down). I use SweatStop on talent on a TV/Film set - when they are working under hot lights and need to look like they aren't hot for instance - but I combine it with something else - like a cold/ice solution on their back so they can't overheat and feel comfortable - because the moment I stop their face and scalp from sweating, they *feel* hot fast. But I'm watching them closely and talking to them between takes about how they are feeling.

You could use a cream/grease (like clown/theatre makeup) and powder it - that would resist sweat, but allow them to still sweat as needed, be water resistant, and basically survive the day without looking like a mess....

I buy Green Marble in the huge bottles now b/c I loves it to death.

I use it on my clients who are older women (hormones make them sweat randomly) in the heat and the rain. They tell me everything is perfect when they wash off at midnight.

It would get expensive to use it on children though...

~Heff

Perry Noia wrote:using cream makeup (grease paint) that clowns use will last through a fair amount of water or sweat (try not to rub it while wet). Once set with powder, you can jump in a pool and provided you don't rub it, it will definitely stay put. You can get it from Mehron, Ben Nye, Graftobian and probably a few other places. If you have the time to get some a play with it, it would be the best option for something like that. It takes longer to apply, but you can get some great blending in it (that's the stuff Cirque du Soleil uses).

I'm a Kryolan fan! Supracolor was my thang! but not for face painting. Its just not practical enough. I would usually use hairspray on the body but not the face. Green Marble? I must have come across that on Heff's blog (it's me, Leona!!) but I've not seen it available locally. The event was a success and it didn't rain! YAY! phew! But I will still look into have a sealer handy in my kit for when summer comes! Mehron and Ben Nye and Kryolan Fixier are readily available, but I want something thats out there being used as we speak (type?) Green Marble not so readily available... Whats the poll ppl???

Michelle Heffner wrote:

It would get expensive to use it on children though...

~Heff

I was probably panicking a little, but I do need to have something handy in my kit. During the summer/humidity a sealer would have been really great but I didn't have any and really it was only a couple of kids a session that were particularly sweaty. Its just heartbreaking to see your work sliding off as you put it on... Do you find it easy to combat the humidty with the green marble? Over or under the makeup?

Honestly in super hot conditions, for kid painting, your best bet is powders like Starblend or Ben Nye Lumiere pallet. They look like eyeshadows & You apply them with a smoothie. This is my save for outdoor hot & sweaty parties. I don't use any barrier sprays on kids faces. It often stings their eyes. I don't think grease paint will work well for the type of painting we do.

I need to try the Green Marble.. I had forgotten about that one. I tried the Kryolan Fixier yesterday.. painted my face and it held perfectly all day, even through sweating It's not super hot and humid here yet so not sure how it will hold up during the summer. I tried not to touch my face so I'm not sure if it would hold up to sweat and rubbing, but at least I know I can sweat and not have my design melt down my face while I'm painting LOL!

I was a little curious about hairspray, so I decided to try some. I painted a design on my thigh at about 7pm, let it dry and sprayed a layer of Aqua Net (unscented) hairspray on it and let it dry. I slept in it overnight with pajama pants on. I have done this with paint on my legs before and they smear and don't look good by morning. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it looked fresh in the morning. Funny thing was when I got in the shower, I purposely avoided rubbing or soap on that area and it held up. It would not have held up to drying it, even patting it, and I am not saying it is waterproof. I am just saying I was pleased with the durability that it did supply. I will have to test it again on skin that is not covered by clothing overnight and see how it works.

Where is everyone buying green marble? It was $35 on the snaz site.

I won't use any fixative on faces.
You will get far angrier parents if its harder to get the paint off than you will if it runs/ smudges - they accept that as part of their kids being painted.

I used asstd barriers/ fixatives on dancers in Hong Kong when forced to but I don't like stopping natural sweating, its an important cooling process and people will faint if its blocked, at best. TBH did just as many w/o any fixative and the artwork was fine even in that heat & humidity.

Plus yes hairspray in several fine coats allowed to dry between, works just as well as the much pricier fixative sprays. But make sure is done in good ventilation and breath is held!

If they want waterproof they need to think alcohol or oil based paints or glitter tattoos.

Cat x

I am reading this and I would need advice if I can do the following:
- dip my paint brush into a sealer pick up face paint (snazaroo) and paint on the face? note: this is only to draw a cat nose on the nose and whiskers.

I am doing very litte and basic makeup in a club so I need something that is sweat and smudge proof or resistant

Dear copycat:
You may change the composition of your Snazaroo face paint if you mix sealant in the original container. I would take some paint out with a clean palette knife and place the paint on a disposable palette sheet (like heavy wax paper) and mix small quantities of paint with the setting liquid as you go.

Once you 'set' the paint, if it is in it's original container, the paint will never perform like it was supposed to.

The problem with fixing sprays as "sealors" is they are not made for use on the face. They have high alcohol content and generally sting when applied on the face. Kryolan makes one for the face but it's price is one not many want to pay for using with face painting.

Never use hairspray on the face it's known to be used in a pinch on body painting. When a painter is short on time and has no product on hand I'd suggest baby powder dusted along the hair line for sweat and an umbrella! for rain (in otherwords forget it it's gonna rain).

If I was doing club work I'd go for Kryolan fixing sprays for body or face.
As for hairspray in that setting or in general it works ok but it is not equal to Kryolan or some other top brand fixing sprays. Hairspray works because like fixing sprays it contains a polymer, but hairspray as a fixer varies by brand as to how it reacts to the paint. Many get sticky and stay sticky, and can make the paint on the person feel sorta gooey, some make the paraffin based paints splotch... So you need to test, and it may be fine for you in a private studio setting but in a professional public work setting I strongly advise against using improper products. For my I like my insurance to cover me and hate to think I was left uninsured because I wanted to save $10 bucks. So dump the hairspray and get a proper product.

If you club painting and need more party resistant makeup then don't use Snazaroo it's soft nature makes it to easy to slide off. Try Paradise, Wolfe FX or other parrafin based face paints.

fesspenter wrote:Dear copycat:
You may change the composition of your Snazaroo face paint if you mix sealant in the original container. I would take some paint out with a clean palette knife and place the paint on a disposable palette sheet (like heavy wax paper) and mix small quantities of paint with the setting liquid as you go.

Once you 'set' the paint, if it is in it's original container, the paint will never perform like it was supposed to.

Thanks for the advice! That is what I though too!

Sweet Loretta wrote:The problem with fixing sprays as "sealors" is they are not made for use on the face. They have high alcohol content and generally sting when applied on the face. Kryolan makes one for the face but it's price is one not many want to pay for using with face painting.

If you club painting and need more party resistant makeup then don't use Snazaroo it's soft nature makes it to easy to slide off. Try Paradise, Wolfe FX or other parrafin based face paints.

What do you think of Ben Nye's magicolor palette and Kryolan's Aqua color? Do you like Diamond Fx? I heard it's better than Wolfe FX in extreme conditions (sweat and smudge proof, due to people drinking and dancing )
Not sure what brand or palette to get Thanks in advance