best practice head (mannequin)?

I would love to get a mannequin head to practice on. I have seen several (mostly ob the sillyfarm website) but would like to know which one others here recommend?

I just have the one that my sister left here when she decided to drop out of cosmetology school. She got hers on Ebay, but I'm sure there might be some elsewhere. The key is to not search for them under the face painting premise... search for a practice head for make up or for cosmetology. I don't know if there are better out there as my doll is all I have and she's been really good at not complaining about what I do to her, so there's no need for me to get another. Though I'm tempted to give her a hair cut as it gets on my nerves sometimes.

I actually worked as a cosmotologist for over a decade. I for some reason thought the face painting ones were special. LOL. Will check around! Thanks!

IF you decide you want to buy one rather than scrounge one up... go here http://salon.wimexbeauty.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=7508 they are the ones that the FP sellers sell, but MUCH LOWER PRICED - I think the FP sellers buy them here and then mark-up.

thanks Shannon!

I ended up ordering one from the site Shannon posted. I will let you all know how it works out when it arrives!

I bought mines from wimex with the additional faces..Easy on, easy off..I love it..You'll love it April

Thanks! I'm sooo glad I asked about this as it likely saved me $30!!!

$16 BUCKS!! I paid $50 for mine. She stains to so I'm still experimenting what to use to clean her up. She has really bad eyes too.... I never painted them lol.

My step daughters call her FREAKY FREIDA! lol

Great to scare the other half when he's in the shower though!!

I'm kind of not happy about the fact that the practice pad I just paid $12 for is $2 and some change there! I might just have to buy some just to make myself feel better

It's so cool to have a steady voices of reason here to pull us back whenever we think about 'drinking the FP koolaide'!

Judy-acetone might work.

I really loved the proface I bought. It came with a practice pad as well. I used it A LOT starting out. I don't use it at all now unless I am training and need a head.

It was great for line work on sponging on a solid color, but not great for blending. But still a big help.

Once thing I also discovered was to use my granite(or any hard surface) as a practice area. I would pick a face to do, draw some eyes and then do it about 12 times on the table and then wipe it off. Not perfect, but it gave me a lot of practice area and cleaned up in one shot!

Nothing makes me madder than some company taking a commonly available, or available to the generel public from specialty companies, relabelling it with their brand and selling it for 1000% mark-up!!!!

I know business is business but that is simply greedy gouging!

Aside from the heads, faces, pads all available from Wimex SUBSTANTIALLY CHEAPER there are the tack sponges...

I've been using and promoting them for years... then, after I attended my first convention in 2004 and showed people my tack sponges, a certain company the following year started to sell packages of 12 sponges for $18-22 USD for face painting - and they were simply relabelled tack sponges that RETAILED all over for $3.99 USD!!!!!!! Same packaging, just slapped their own tag on the top of the heat-sealed bag.

Tack sponges are a little more expensive now... one site has 12 for $5.99 but that is still WAY cheaper than buying so called "face painting" sponges.

Shannon, would you mind IM-ing me the site for the tack sponges?

Wow, thanks Shannon!!!! I never knew that you could get the practice stuff so cheap! I'm training two people next month for this fall, so I'm really excited to find these! Wow, I never knew that they did such a mark up! I understand making a profit.. but the profit margin on these... especially things like the head and fake skin... just.. wow. That's all I can say.


Thanks Shannon.

It is such a shame and many of us retailers are at the mercy set by our suppliers due to the huge investment required by the manufacterers to place an order.

We all have to stick together and let each other know about this stuff.

I did pay for the Proface at whatever rate SillyFarm had it. But it was invaluable.

What needs to be understood about the difference in cost in tack sponges and products from Wimmex is that since it was a "discovery" and not something marketed towards face painting, the marketing and advertising cost built in to some of these products isn't there.

Be thrilled when you make a discovery, but don't necessarily think that the humble retailer is trying to gouge you by selling you "face painting" this or that. Most times, we are just reselling what is marketed towards face painters.

If it is a bad deal, don't buy it. Common sense is king!

Just my 2 cents.

Amazon has them
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0013YYNAK/ref=pd_luc_mri?_encoding=UTF8&m=A1FP4O0YRN3UF&v=glance

if you have a feed store nearby that would be the way to get them without paying shipping.

I agree completely Metina!

ok, this should probably go on another thread (it's ok if I derail my own thread for a moment right? lol) ..

anyway, if one liked a type of paint would it be wise to become a distributor so you could get it at wholesale cost? is that what alot of the professional painters do? (I ask because I got my kit through a lady locally who is a clown and distributes Snazaroo)

You can, but it can be risky. I'll admit that now that I sell Snaz and DFX, this is mostly what I use. But it can be a big investment and I have heard it takes any business 2-3 years to be profitable.

I just like that I can sell what I use and know a lot about and deal with other face painters. It is a win, win for me. But I do get odd looks from my husband!

ahh! I was just really curious is all! I was thankful to even find someone in my area that sold face paints! Anyway, I am not going to become a distributor myself or anything..too much other stuff on my plate currently!

Yeah it is really cool to find a local retailer save on the shipping. I wasn't trying to put you off, just more typing what I was thinking.

There is such a huge local market for anyone who want to get into this.

Oh no worries, I wasn't put off at all!

I bought the $16 practice head and I remember reading a while ago that you could put silicone or something like oil on the mannequin skin to keep it from absorbing the color as much...does anyone remember/know what it was? Hairspray? Baby Oil?

D.

I bought a used cosmetology head off ebay last month and find that I can't use DFX black on her or it stains. I've tried immediately cleaning it off, using Magic Eraser, lots and lots of elbow grease....the best I can get are faint stains left from where my apprentice was practicing dots and forgot not to use the black. Very disappointing as "SparkleFairy" (my 5 yo named her ) is such a pretty thing. My little girl and I had a great time giving her a good shampoo and condition when she arrived and she wears a super sparkly headband my dd gave her for her short blonde hair. Somebody hacked her hair so badly she's practically bald in the back!

Any insight on using black on the other practice faces?

I barrowed a practice head from my sister in law.... used wolfe black and can't get it off! She said she will eventually need it back and there is a huge black butterfly outline! Eeek! I have other colors stain, but always with a course sponge and lots of elbow grease it comes off... but this wolfe isn't budgeing! Any suggestions!

I love having practice heads. I have a boy and girl (butterfly face) but it takes some of the pressure of my kids and husband as far a practicing goes. My other concern is, I am in the process of making a board, do you think it is okay to have design on the practice heads as design options> I am leaning toward no, I wouldn't want a potential customer to think, geez she can't get a real person to let her paint them LOL, what are your thoughts on that?