Mime Face Paint

Hello! My name is Erica and i love mimes!

I also love makeup! So i decided to get into Mime makeup and wow, I'm super excited!
During my journey through this silent painted world i did have some obstacles, as not all people like mimes! I decided to write down and publish my experience to help others find the info needed that i had a hard time sorting out!

Let's Mime this place up!

Choosing the right paint makes the difference between a masterpiece and a trip to the ER! No, you can not use whatever type of paint you have laying around the house! First you have to make sure it is FDA approved! Trust me, you do not want rashes or any weird allergic reaction!

Now that safety has been established, lets see what types of paints are out in the market. Going through paint, i found a hard time to categorize the types, cause basically you can paint with anything! Good thing for us is that you can't put anything on your face, so that narrows are search quite a lot! There are two basic categories of Face Paint. Oil based and water based paints. The ones used in face painting mostly because they are practical to use are water based paints. Also, they are most likely not to give you rashes, unlike the oil based which, don't get me wrong there are good types being used for face painting, it's just that most of them are not skin friendly.

So between those two categories of face paint, i have narrowed it down to 5 types of face paint you can look up while deciding which type to get. Keep in mind what you want the paint for, is it a one time project or are you planning to use it long term? Also, you are going to need brushes and/or sponges, this depends on the type of paint you choose to use, so don't rush to get the paint without considering the way you are going to apply it.

Without further delay, here are the five types of face paint you can use:

1. Glycerin based paints
   
   
   This is a nice type, especially for mime face paint. This is because it is marvelous for base work due to its creamy texture, which makes it ideal for applying with a sponge. I would not recommend this type for details though, it does not work well with a brush and tends to blend with other colors cause it's a slow dryer.
   
   
   
2. Wax based paints
   
   This type is what i use for details. Due to it's texture, it is harder to apply, but this makes it easy and better for line/detail work. It does not blend with other colors easily and it dries faster than glycerin based paints. You have to be fast on the hand when applying it and careful you do not add too much water.
   
   
   
3. Powder based paints
   
   You can use this type of paint either wet or dry, which is nice to have that option. Be careful though, if you wet it and let it dry again, the result will not be the same as the original dry form, so careful on the amounts you want to use water with if you decide to use it wet, we don't wanna waste paint. If you choose to use it dry, i recommend applying a base first so the color will stand out better. Powder based paints can also be used as a base themselves. Another thing to be careful of when using this type of paint is that they can be messy, so cover up your clothes before starting to apply the paint.
   
   
   
4. Cream based paints
   
   Remember when i mentioned you must keep in mind what you are going to do with the paint? Well if you want to go to a children's hospital for example, for face painting, this type of paint is great for one reason: they come in tubes and you can squirt the exact amount of paint you want to use without any other requirement , cause they do not need water also! They are wonderful for base paint work, do not recommend for details, yet they do take a bit to dry, but they gotta have a downside right?
   
   
   
5. Grease based paints
   
   I like this type of face paint. It's "old school", yet tons of theater people still use it. Why? well it has marvelous attributes, but a few downsides, that can make a plain party difficult but an actor won't mind of them. First, they never crack! Second, they can stand under stage lights for quite a while without melting off. It's perfect for base work. The downsides? They don't crack because they never dry. This means, if you use it for a party, check the blues dancing off your list, you will get paint everywhere! It takes time to apply, but the result is more satisfying and really professional! This is why actors and professional clowns still use this type after so many years.
   
   
   

This was my list of the basic types of face paint you can choose from to do either your home project, a Halloween party or work. I am sure this small guide will help you a lot while deciding! to learn