Halloween Makeup Product Guide 1: Face Paint

Doing your own Halloween makeup can be super fun, but if dressing up like a ghastly ghoul isn't your day to day choosing the right products to use can be tricky. These series of posts are a guide to help you pick out the right products to nail that Halloween look!



Face Paint

Probably the most readily available during the month of October, Face Paint is a great product to create an endless amount of spooky looks. When choosing your face paint it's important to note the difference between face paint and face creme as they are often marketed as the same thing during Halloween. 

For example, this "face paint kit" from The Reject shop is actually a creme. 

The most important difference between a face paint and a face creme is the creme doesn't dry, the paint does. This means unless you want your beautiful work to smudge and crease you will need to set your creme with a similar coloured powder. With a paint you can just put it on and go. 

Budget Face Paint

If you are on a budget I recommend trying out Derivan. They are available at most art/crafts stores and are great for the price. 


They are available individually or in kits. The above kit of 5x40ml paints is $23.50AUD. An individual bottle will set you back between $4 and $9.50AUD at Spotlight.  

Mid Range Face Paint

If you are looking for mid range face paint you should check out brands like Snazaroo or TAG Body Art. 
A single pot of Snazaroo will cost you $12AUD currently on sale at 
Lincraft 

A pot of TAG Body Art is $7.70AUD. They also have a great range of palettes, sets and one stroke cakes for a great price. 

Pro Face Paint

If you are wanting to go all out for Halloween, I recommend you buy the most universally recognised best face paint. Mehron Makeup is available at all good Face Painting shops and most Spfx stores. I use the Paradise Make-Up AQ 30 color palette in my kit, it has every colour you could need.

A pot of Mehron paint is $25.50AUD

Using your paint

Once you move onto the mid range paints and above you'll find all the paints are water activated. This means you'll need a spray bottle handy to work the paint. You'll learn how your chosen brand of paint works with experience but as a general rule, too much water will give you a translucent, patchy look while too much water will be extremely opaque but wont spread or cover large areas. I find half a spray gives me the perfect consistency however yours may differ depending on the pan size and formula. 

Brushes

Using brushes with your paint is great for detailed work and outlining your creation. I love using my eyeliner brush to get the thinnest line possible. To cover a large area of skin quickly I like to use a foundation brush with a long handle. A wide brush will work best if you are using a one stroke pan. 

Sponges

Sponges give you the most even coverage and softest application. If you will be blending colors I highly recommend picking a sponge over a brush. 

There is a fantastic tutorial by FacePaintingTips on youtube showing how to apply water activated paint with brushes and sponges here. The brand in this video is Mehron Makeup. 

I hope this quick little guide has helped you understand face paints a little better. If you have any questions please ask away!