FAQ - "Its in the little things" powder, glitter and gems

If you want to join the world's largest e-mail discussion list for face painters then enter your e-mail address in the box to the left. Get connected to beginner and professional face painters from all around the world. Ask literally any face painting question you want and get real answers to help you progress as a face painter. It is free and you will receive tips on how to paint a particular face, how to stop the line when its time to go home or how to build a successful face painting business. Share your photos with others or if you have a need ask for help and the painters will e-mail you a face painting idea for your upcoming event.

Once you have gotten down the basic techniques of face painting you will find there are a number of things, little things, you can do that will take your good design and make it a great design. The important part, is most of these steps will cost you less than a penny, but change the child's smile into a resounding WOW!

There is no question that you can purchase all of these products from many good face paint suppliers or perhaps at your local cosmetic counter. I'm going to mention the SNAZAROO products, since I am most familiar with them. Also, for the record, you know when you buy SNAZAROO face painting products you are always getting FDA approved/safe products.

Glitter powder: This type of powder is very easy to find. It is a very fine pearlescent powder that can be applied directly to the skin or on top of a design you have already painted. The shimmer or shine will make that butterfly, painted on the face come alive. This product usually comes in small jars but goes a very long way. You only need a very small amount. The best way to apply the powder is to use a quality cosmetic foam applicator. You can also use your finger or a brush but you will waste a lot. If you use just one or two colors on your design, even in small quantities it makes a great difference. You can see many designs using this product at http://www.snazaroo.us/glitter.htm The product sells for a suggested retail of $4.99 and it comes in eleven colors (blue, gole, green, lilac, orange, pink, red, silver, turquoise, white, yellow).

Glitter gel: This is a product using a FDA approved glitter suspended in a safe gel. If you don't use SNAZAROO, make sure it is FDA safe. Metal glitters can cut the eye. Only use products that are compliant with FDA guidelines. This is one of my favorite products and both girls and boys love the results. I like my glitter gels much thinner than what comes from the factory. I just add water and stir. Not only does this make the product go much further but it makes application easier. For a boy, using a thin brush, paint on a thin 1/16 inch line around his "Batman" logo or other design. It will make it just about fly away. For a girl you can do the same, or add it as very small dots on a mask to make it look like her face includes gems and jewels. If you are doing a full face tiger design you can make the stripes in gold and silver, or silver and orange. This product is available in fourteen colors and has a suggested retail price of $4.99 (black, blue, gold, green, multi-colored, orange, pink, pink/silver, purple, red, silver, turquoise, gold dust [opalescent], turquoise/silver). On the glitter powder or gel you can make an application per child, for less than one penny.

Last but not least you can get great results by adding peal and stick plastic bindi gems. You can see some good examples of these at http://www.snazaroo.us/Mar01/gems.htm SNAZAROO sell these in two designs (tear drops and assorted) in sheets of 100 for $5.99. These are perfect for so many designs. They are the perfect compliment for the princess mask for jewels. Other applications might include one to act as an earring to one of the ears on a little boy for the pirate face. My personal favorite is to simply paint a 3/16" band around a finger and the wrist. Then, take the round gem and add it to the finger to make a nice ring. For the wrist add three tear drops below the painted line and you have created a fabulous bracelet. This takes less than 20 seconds! You can see the gems and all the other products at http://www.snazaroo.us/products.htm or see them at your local supplier. On both sheets of gems you will receive 100 gems in a wide range of colors (everything from diamonds to rubies to emeralds). The sheet of tear drops are all the same popular tear drop shape. The assorted sheet of gems you get a wide range of sizes and shapes from rounds, to rectangles to tear drops. Either way, these are sure to be a real crowd pleaser.