Makeup school using acrylics on skin

Hello,
Just made a new account today (had an old one but can't remember the password) anyway i wanted to bring something up.
I've been face painting professionally for 12 years, and have also done full body painting (not with airbrush). I choose to go to make up school last year to learn air brush body painting but to mainly learn how to make/apply prosthetics and movie monsters.

Any way, after sitting through boring beauty make up, then hair styles, we are finally at airbrush body painting!

The instructor gave us acrylic paint to use on paper at first to practice getting the hang of everything, but now we are doing beauty make up, and yesterday she sprayed the same paint on a students eye lids as a demo!!! The brand of airbrush acrylic is called GOLDEN. I looked it up to perhaps see if it was a paint meant for fabric (which i heard are slightly less bad then other crafting acrylics... though i still wouldn't use it on skin let alone near the EYES!) but nope it was your basic acrylic with cadmium white and other carcinogenic colour pigments.

goldenpaints(dot)com/healthsafety/msds/master.pdf
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET

This is why.... I NEVER USE ACRYLICS ON SKIN!

I didn't say anything in class because it was very awkward, and the student telling the teacher didn't seem right at the time. I watched my class mates all get this stuff on their eyelids. I opted out because i do have a metal allergy, and I did mention that I know acrylic paint to have nickel, aluminium, and other metal additives in them. So i was able to have the TEMPTU brand (which she already mentioned was more expensive) used on me instead. But i still had to use it on some one else..... which i was NOT comfortable with at all!

She expressed concern that i wouldn't have the GOLDEN brand on my skin and said it would be difficult for tests and such if the other student has to use a paint which "doesn't flow as well" in an airbrush on me. So I would have to bring in a model.... but truth be told.... I don't want to be using acrylics on any ones skin! I signed up to learn how to work with airbrush makeup for skin, not acrylics which are better suited for canvas and paper etc....

I'm going to talk to her today about it, bring all the info i have on acrylics and body painting i could find, along with the product web pages i posted here.

If any one has any info to add, about using acrylics on face and full body please comment! I'm looking for any info from full body airbrush artists in particular, on the right products to use for airbrush body art. More so if you are a professional body painter, please comment! After beauty makeup we are doing tigers and fantasy.... and i'm sure we are using the same paints. >.<

Know any rules about body painting competitions in regards to paint being used! Post em! What paints are used in the movies and theatre, Post em! I need all the info i can get.

Thank you so much everyone!!! I hope this all gets sorted out.


P.S. (i hope this is the right area to post this)

If you pm me your email address, I can send you some info.

-Patricia

Well, I don't have much more on the dangers of acrylic paint, but I do know a lot about the skin that I learned in med school to become a surgical tech.

The skin is the largest organ in the body. It controls what goes in and out of the body, it keeps out harful things like UV rays, dirt, and most bacteria but lets in things that will help us, such as topical medications, water, and moisturizers.

However, the skin is a very porous and absorbent organ. It absorbs small amounts of every substance it comes into contact with for more than a few seconds. This is what causes skin reactions; the skin absorbs a substance that the body views as a foreign contaminiant and reacts against it to expel the harmful substance from the body. All the chemicals in acrylic paint become absorbed by the skin and hence the body reacts to it causing sometimes a severe allergic reaction that can land a person in the hospital.

As if this were not bad enough, acrylic paint is basically liquified plastic; meaning it clogs the pores entirely. Now, this doesn't just mean that the model will get a bad case of acne... it means that the body cannot dispose of waste products. 1/3 of all bodily waste is excreted through the pores in the skin. If the body cannot expel this waste, it can create a toxic effect in the body. Granted, it will take some time for the toxic effect to set in, but the model will feel ill whilst the paint is on for an extended period of time. Also, if the pores are clogged, so are the sweat glands which are essential to keep the body cool. This will result in the model becoming over heated and pass out.

Hope this helps!

Wow... I can't image trying to get dried acrylic paint off the eyelids and eyelashes. I bet it would be really painful... I can't believe she's doing that! You should definitely talk to her about it. Golden is actually a pretty high-quality acrylic paint, and it might actually be cheaper to get airbrush body paint, which is funny since you mentioned that price is an issue for her.

I've never done body painting or air brushing before, so I don't have much advice for you... all I can say is good for you for catching her and trying to put a stop to it. Let us know how it goes, please!

Frankly, I wouldn't talk to her. I'd talk to school administration. They are open to liability for that... that is not make-up, and if you have the MSDS for it, take it to them and tell them that you don't feel being told using unsafe products are preferable because they are "cheaper" is why you are paying tuition!

I wouldn't have been quiet in class - I would have LOUDLY told her to stop and advised the other students NOT to allow it to be applied to them. I cannot beleive she applied it as EYE make-up???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I read the MSDS... they say to wear a mask if spraying. And... it was tested on animals, says on rabbits on the MSDS. Great product... but hey, it is cheaper than actually buying MAKE-UP.

That instructor is daft. To say that Golden (which is what I use on walls) will spray better that say, Temptu is just stupid. Paint for walls and textiles actually requires a much higher PSI to flow though the brush compared to makeup. And both as formulated for the airbrush will spray fine. So her response about tests is simply a cop out. I teach people in my classes to use a textile paint like Createx to save pennies if they want for practice on paper. The practice is to learn to control a dual airbrush - but....
No matter if it is an airbrush class or sponge and brush class I tell people to practice with what they are going to actually use. It is important to leanr the makeup. If one plans to use Temptu, Airsteam or OCC then that is what they should practice with. One needs to learn the feel and temperament of the makeup.

You paid to learn. The argument is not about acrylics, which is a very generic term really when one talks about makeup and paint. The argument is you paid to learn how to and therefore should be learning how to with proper tools and products. If you paid to learn about makeup you should be learning about by using makeup.

Shocked but not surprised.. .. for all the sometimes extreme sounding hygiene practices some make-up courses teach, there is a lot of this about - many models I met in Hong Kong didn't want me to paint them at 1st, after they'd worked for colleges/ the art academy as 'that paint hurt on and getting it off'.

Terrible...
I'm afraid I would have said something there, even off to 1 side with her...

Just to confuse things you know MAC's recent-ish launch of a new product for bodypainters that dry and stays unsmudgable on skin, they names/ MAC ACRYLICS?" Daft idea. Was given some to try and it is a VERY bright tough liquid but only in tiny vials - yo'd need 100's poured into a large bowl to coat a body. So it won't have been that she was using, at MAC prices it would cost a fortune!

Thank you so much everyone for your comments!
Thank you Sweet Loretta and Wildcatfin. I love your gals work! Most of all thank you Shannon Fennell for your comments. I'm glad to have such an experienced body painter comment on this!

I agree completely. I signed up to learn how to work with make up, and I think that will be a key point i would like to bring up.

The reason i didn't bring it up the first class was that I didn't know much about the product they were using, and i wanted to do my research before possibly being 'shut down' right away. But trust me I really wanted to tell everyone in the class the dangers of using acrylic paints on your skin.

I never used an airbrush before, and i don't know why it didn't dawn on me that the whole class was breathing this stuff in while we were practising on paper in the enclosed classroom. The teacher said we only had to put on masks if we were really close to the paper while working. I know now that everyone in the room should have been wearing a mask while working.

I did talk to my teacher on Friday about it, though i was sad that she kinda brushed it off. She said that I didn't have to use it if I didn't want to, and neither did my boyfriend (who is also in the same class as me). So we used the TEMPTU instead. I didn't have a print up of the MSDS with me; though I told her our findings and she didn't seem to take it very seriously. She even said to us; quote "Everybody does it."
I was disappointed that she did not share any of this info we found with the rest of our classmates. Also that our classmates were still spraying this stuff around us, and we couldn't wear a mask while getting our own make up done with the temptu brand makeup.
That day one of the classmates even put on a mask because she was getting a bad headache from the fumes. Right now I feel the classroom environment isn't safe or healthy to be in with all the acrylic paint chemicals in the air.

I'm planning on talking to the school administration about this. I don't want to cause any trouble, but this just isn't right. You are correct Shannon; I came and paid to learn how to work with make up for human application, so I should be learning with the proper products.

Also I would really like to bring up some alternative brands of actual airbrush body make-up to use with the head of the school. Does any one recommend any?

I don't airbrush myself but even I know there are LOADS.
ALL of the big pro makeup/ body paint brands produce an airbrush version or can be diluted for airbrush, your tutor can't say its hard to find.
Kryolan, Graftobian, Mehron, Ben Nye - I see even Wolfe now have 1; theres also FAB and Temptu and thats just the ones I know of not being an airbrusher!

I think another thing to suggest to the school is that many pro artists and models would be shocked/ make an issue of 'professionally trained' artists turning up at bookings and then attempting to use acrylics on models. Many models would object, they know their stuff too!

Good luck,
Cat

The biggest thing I noticed on the MSDS is:

WARNING: DO NOT SPRAY
APPLY – This product contains cadmium, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer
by means of inhalation.

Surely that says it all! Along with everything the others have mentioned, I'm disgusted that a school would use acrylic paint on the skin, let alone so close to the eyes!

I know of Mehron, TEMPTU, Ben Nye, and Dura for paints.

I remember at the beginning of the course last week she did go over some of the pros and cons of the different products she had used. I even wrote them down in my notes. Though when she came to acrylic I didn't think we'd be using on skin, but only on paper to practice. Though i do remember her saying something like it was good against perspiration... that should have been my first clue to what was to come. *facepalm*

The types she went over were, Silicone base, water base, alcohol base, and acrylic base.
Though i thought she was merely listing the different types that would work in an air brush. Obviously grease base make up wouldn't work for example, not sure about oil base paint (just for non-skin art).

She had a lot of cons about silicone base like TEMPTU such as it's hard to work with, and it takes longer to apply etc. Though she said it was long lasting and such.
Water base according to my notes she had nothing good to say about it. She only said the cons, which were it's thick, sweats off/runs, not water proof etc.
Alcohol base she said was really expensive and but it was water proof. When it came to acrylic she said it had 'amazing opacity' and 'flows extremely well'. The cons she said were that it was not completely water proof (but good against perspiration), and a thick application would crack and flake. She also agreed with me when i added "and it's not hypo-allergenic" , so that got added too. Other then that she also lined out the basic cost of each type.

I think I'm going to recommend a water base because it's not really expensive and I have lots of experience working with Mehron water-base face-paints. They are smudge resistant and perspiration resistant in the puck form. I haven't gotten a chance to try the air brush stuff though so i don't know how it is. I'll also bring up the Kryolan, Graftobian, Ben Nye, and Wolfe as options.

I agree wildcatfin one of my thoughts was that a actors union would never stand for something like this to be put on it's members given the safety concerns.

BekahCat I saw that too a few times n the sheet. Which is odd because some of their products are meant to be sprayed. Perhaps that is written as a liability thing. Like if a pack of cigarettes state "warning: this is poison, do not allow near open flame", it's obvious what the purpose of the product is, but they have to cover their bases. That's my guess anyway.
Still doesn't change the fact that a mask is best to be worn when using it, and it contains many cancer causing materials.

I only used Dinair airbrush make-up. It is water based, and it is sweatproof to a large extent. When airbrushing for make-up, which I mean for foundation, it is a very light application at 5-6 psi. It isn't a complete coverage. The make-up lands on the skin pretty much in a dry form and looks flawless, and if applied correctly there really isn't any real danger of "sweating" off.

To get opaque colour for "fantasy" make-up takes more passes with the airbrush and some technique! I know a lot of artists set the psi up to around 9 to get a faster opaque finish.

I used Dinair for theatre - on dancers etc. and we never had any problems.

The airbrush inks like Temptu are water proof so are good for applications where the model/actor will be actually wet, swimming, etc. Dinair would not hold up to that.

Yes and I do think the tutor flapping on about it sweating off is a bit odd - there are NOT that many bodypaints, used with airbrush or sponge which are waterproof and even then we don't use them much. Its accepted that it well sweat off to some extent and we work around that. Plus there are products that will help 'fix' it for longer...

I can imagine in film work it is different but I can't see them coating top actors in things like Xmen in acrylic- surely that was just oil based?

Acceptable Makeup Brands - I have included FX brands for face and body art and extreme beauty application and beauty brands.

Kryolan
Mehron
European Body Art
Wolfe FX
Trendy Tribals
Temptu

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

MAC

Tim Gratton

Fantasy Faces

Dinair

Kett

Luminess

Michael Davy

Magicolor
.

Le Cosmetique

Belloccio

Element

TSZ Cosmetics

Luminess
Makeup Forever

Skin Illustrator

W.M. Creations

Reel Creations



Most beauty schools would go Kryolan, OCC, Kett or Dinair.

Well I talked with the head of the department, He seemed to be on our side, that they should only be used for practice and not on skin. He said our teacher did report that we said something, and now new MAC body paints have been ordered for the course. He's our substitute teacher tonight so we'll see how everything goes. Though yesterday for the test, the other students were still using acrylics, and i got a pretty bad headache. I was wearing a mask most of the time, but when i was getting my make up done by another classmate i couldn't have one on of course.

Wildcatfin wrote: I can imagine in film work it is different but I can't see them coating top actors in things like Xmen in acrylic- surely that was just oil based?

Funny you should say that. The head of the department actually brought up the X-Men Character 'Mystique'. Apparently everyone but her face was acyric paint. However when painting her she was directly under ventilation, and everyone had masks on. Even her. But she knew all the risks involved. Probably signed a waver or something is my guess. And they still didn't use it on her face.

Mystique was painted with body paints, I don't know what paints but I'm pretty sure it wasn't acrylic, but her prosthetics covered 60% of her body so perhaps acrylic was used for those...

Your tutor says paints are expensive and then they go for MAC which is by far and away the MOST expensive of the lot? Okaaaay! Not one I use by choice even when I'm given it to use!

Well, good for you at any rate, result I hope!

Cat x

Yes, Interesting that MAC was their choice. Not really an industry standard choice for airbrush makeup, but I am sure a good product. They most likely have a large account with MAC.

So speaking up in an assertive way paid off.

Donna Nowack and I have long talked about how we need to push masks for airbrush artists, based on what we heard from Master artist naughty word Smith.

As for Xmen the various movies had various makeup artists, all highly qualified, with long creditable resumes, and none I venture used anything but makeup and FX products regulated by the union. The first makeup was Temptu. For sponge and brush painting artists should use Mehron for a great match.

That really is appauling. I would go to the school, politely ask for a refund. Is this a makeup school as in Cosmetology school? Theatrical makeup School? or what?

I'm a research fanatic when it comes to high priced purchases and have been wanting to get into airbrush body painting. This years tax money is already earmarked for glitter and henna tattoo start up and bathroom repairs. I'm already researching for next year. Since they were in a hurry and did not have a real clue about body painting Mac is a name even non-professionals know. From my research so far I would have gone with European Body Art because they have a lot of high volume discounts and might make the deal better because it is a school.

European Body Art would not be a good choice for a makeup school. EBA products are geared at the entertainment industry (face and body painting/ tattoos) not glamour, everyday beauty or even theatrical , excepting perhaps FX special effects, even then within the makeup industry one might make a different choice.

MAC is geared at the makeup industry so it is a better choice for a school within that vocation. Sorta' comical as MAC does call their body paints acrylics. A term widely misused in our face and body art industry. So not so much the fact the school used acrylics but rather they used art paint, instead of makeup ie face and body "paints".

I'm with LeapingLizards on this one. Are you in a cosmetology school hoping to become licensed? Because if yes, someone needs to call and report this to the state.

So we started work with the new MAC cosmetic paints last tuesday and have been using them every since! So happy!

though when practising on paper we still use acrylics. My BF and myself wear masks, and some other students do and don't. But it gets complicated when some people are painting models and others are practising on paper, because it's still in the air and when you have to be a model and you obviously can't wear a mask while being some ones model if they are painting your face.

So there are still problems, but at least they are not using the acrylics on skin any more.

Thank you all!!!