Face Paint

Face Paint

Face paint is a fun and unique way to express oneself at any social gathering. You can try on a different persona for a day, or do something to complement your well thought out ensemble. Like applying makeup, it is a temporary application of pigment to the face to elicit a positive reaction from those who view you at an outing. But face paint takes it to an extreme: Instead of eyeshadow or eyeliner, often half or the whole face is painted vibrantly in order to stand out drastically.

History of Face Paint

Body painting is temporary, and has been practiced by many indigenous and modern cultures for a variety of reasons. Body paints in the pre-modern days were most often manufactured with plant and animal dyes, and would be used to signify different ranks within the tribe or as part of a celebration. In India, body paint was used to denote social caste, while in multiple cultures the paint was used to signify special occasions such as getting married. In India, a pigment known as Henna was popular which is still used today, and in South America charcoal was used alongside extract from the Bixa Orellana tree. This extract came out to a orange hue. Just as with our face paint, these forms were temporary.  The current modern revival could be said to date back to the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, but it became immensely popular with the hippie movement in the 1960s and has been extremely popular ever since for birthday parties, corporate events, and anything else that requires a bit of magic and festivity.

Types of Face Paint That Will Interest You

Face paint adds an allure of mystery and fantasy to any event. Whether you are hosting a birthday party with fairy and princess themed face paint, or hosting a corporate masquerade ball and want to have a mask underneath your masque, this is a unique way to add a bit of flair to your event and some wonder for your guests.

100% Hypoallergenic Face Paint

Face paint is a cosmetic paint, and as such the same standards that apply to cosmetics need to be applied to it. Thankfully, we use hypo-allergenic face paint that ensures not to list the ingredients that cause these cords ot reactions, such as CI 15850 or CI 15985. These are artificial red pigments that have been shown to have a high incidence of allergic reaction. Also, some contain CI 77007, which is used to make certain colors more vibrant. Any face paint that has been created and sold for use on the body should not be used on the body lest a serious allergic reaction occur. This is especially true with the one known as black henna, which is henna made with an additive called Para-phenylenediamine, or PPD for short. PPD can cause burns and permanent scarring on contact, and can leave lasting sensitivities to many every-day prodcuts such as hair-dye, black clothing, dyed leather, and more.

Themed Face Paint

• Every themed event could benefit from face paint. Since it is getting late in the year to plan a winter holiday party, perhaps if would be prudent to use Easter as an example. I have included an instructional video as to how it can be done, but again I highly recommend hiring a professional both for quality and to ensure hypoallergenic pigments.
• Guy Fawkes masks have become ludicrously popular in recent years, so why not wear a Guy Fawkes effigy under your mask?
• Masquerade masks, as previously stated, have been making a comeback: if you are going to a masquerade ball, you could have a face paint mask under your physical one and amaze your guests my swapping personalities, looks, and masks throughout the night!
• If you happen to be throwing a ninja-themed party, you could face-paint the various logos of ninja villages onto your guests or get a list of kanji character so that everyone has a ninja name emblazoned on their cheek!
• For a luau or Hawaiian themed party, you could have tropical art, surfing themed graphics, shark attacks for the more voracious, or go for the traditional indigenous look.

Here are just a few ideas to get you going, but your imagination is the limit. Just do some basic research or call us and we would be happy to help you to plan your event. No matter what, face paint is a definite fun addition to any outing!

To book a face painter for your event or to ask about some of our face painting packages, please call, email, or fill out our event request form.