Faces by Gina Watkins and Company

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Where to buy safe quality face paints online in the US

Brought to you by Faces by Gina and Company

High Quality Face Painters in San Luis Obispo County and Santa Maria

Why this is important

"Non-toxic" and safe for skin are NOT the SAME! There are many products that are labeled as non-toxic, but are not ok to use on skin. For example, non-toxic craft paints contain nickel. Nickel is a common skin allergy. Using the wrong product on skin, particularly children's faces which are more sensitive, can cause damage to the skin including rashes and scaring. Only products that are cosmetic quality with ingredients that are all skin safe should be used.

If the look of your face paints is at all important to you, you will want to stick to quality products rather than cheap ones, even if they are labeled skin safe. It is difficult to get any design to look good with cheap face paints.

My recommendations for STARTER KITS. These are great for a party or fundraiser:

Fusion Body Art | Perfect Face Painting Kit

This is a great kit made by Fusion, which is a reputable, safe brand.

JestPaint.com

FacePaintForumShop.com

Classic Silly Face Fun Kit | Rainbow Silly Face Fun Kit | Carnival Silly face Fun Kit

These are great kit optionshttps://sillyfarm.com/collections/kits-palettes made by Silly Farm, which is a reputable, safe brand.

SillyFarm.com

Clown Antics sold through Walmart

In case you are shopping for products not sold in kits here is a list of Safe Quality Face Paint Brands:

Ben Nye	Cameleon	Diamond FX
FAB by Sillyfarm	Face Paints Australia	Fusion Body Art
Global	Graftboian	Kraze FX
Kryolan	Kryvaline	Mehron
Paradise	PartyXplosion	Ruby Red
Silly Farm	Snazaroo	Superstar
TAG Body Art	Wolfe Face Art and FX

Online stores for safe professional face paint supplies in the US:

SillyFarm.com

Jest Paint

FacePaint.com

FacePaintForumShop.com

ClownAntics.com

ArtFactoryUS.com

TheFacePaintShop.com

WHAT NOT TO BUY:
There are many cheap alternatives out there that are actually labeled as "face paint" or "Halloween Make-up" that I recommend avoiding. First, if you ever see
Palmer brand face paints avoid them. They have a reputation for causing bad skin reactions and for being incredibly hard to apply. I have found a similar type of "face paint" at Walmart made by Kids Craft. I do not know about safety, but feel free to read the terrible reviews here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kids-Craft-Face-Paint-12-Pots/19515665#Product+Reviews

Halloween novelty paints are not recommended for fun everyday or special event face painting. This is the kind of make-up you see packaged for Halloween for very little money at stores like Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc. It is usually safe to use on skin and resists sweating, however, this type of make-up contains ingredients such as mineral oil and petroleum. That means it is likely to cause acne break outs if you are at all prone to them. The colors go on smooth and creamy with no water necessary. They will never dry completely because of the oil base so they can smear at any time after they are applied. The colors are not nearly as brilliant, vibrant, and opaque as water activated face paints. It is very difficult to get details with this type of make-up.

Never use craft acrylics, poster paints, tempura paints, or any other product that is not specifically labeled as safe to use on skin. For more information on face paint safety see my website here: http://facesbygina.com/face-paint-safety

If you are interested in buying professional face paint on-line please contact me for information. I would be happy to help! I know that not everyone can afford to hire a professional face painter for parties and fund raisers, so I am happy to help make sure the kids (and adults) out there are getting safe products!

call or text: (805) 550-2218
email: IamGinaW (at) gmail.com
website: www.facesbygina.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/facesbygina

Faces by Gina & Company

Areas served: Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Avila Beach, Cambria, Cayucos, Grover Beach, Harmony, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Nipomo, Oceano, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, San Simeon, Santa Margarita, Santa Maria, Shell Beach, and Templeton

Monday, October 14, 2019

Face and Body Painting for Halloween

http://www.facesbygina.com

I am now accepting appointments for face painting in Grover Beach. Complete your Halloween costume or use it as your costume with simple clothes.
I am an award winning face painter who loves to do custom art on people!
Prices depend on complexity of design, and start at only $20. Please see photos for examples of my work.

Body Painting will be tasteful only, no nudes (must have minimum pasties and thong)

Some of the Halloween costumes / designs I have done:

Kitty Cat
Jaguar (regular and pink)
Mermaid
Butterfly
Zombie Pirate
Pirate
Zombie
Sugar Skull / Día De Los Muertos
Fairy
Optimus Prime
Big Bad Wolf
Tiger
Lion
Princess
Fancy Mask / Masque
Spiderman
Batman
Hulk
Witch
Black Swan
Devil
Monkey
Owl
Dragon
Vampire
General Fall Designs
General Halloween Designs
Scary Clown
Scary Pumpkin / Jack-o-lantern
Skull / Half Skull
Bumble Bee
Alien
Zombie Doll
Devil
Man being eaten by shark
Fake Tattoos
Monster

Did you know that putting your face painting website link out there on the internet on searchable (Publicly viewable) websites helps your web site come up higher on search engines? Put key words in there too!

Face Painter, Face Painting, Halloween Make-up, Halloween Face Paint, Glitter Tattoos, Waterproof Face Paint, waterproof temporary tattoos, body painting, Grover Beach, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo County, Nipomo, Santa Maria, Shell Beach, Oceano, Arroyo Grande, Los Osos, Baywood Park, Atascadero, Cambria, Cayucos, Creston, Harmony, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, San Miguel, San Simeon, Santa Margarita, Shandon, Templeton, Orcutt

Locally Available SAFE Face Paints on the Central Coast of California

Locally available SAFE face paints on the Central Coast of California (San Luis Obispo County and Santa Maria)

Brought to you by Faces by Gina and Company

Snazaroo
Snazaroo face paints are high quality water activated face and body paints. The company that makes them emphasizes quality and safety. They are probably the least likely brand to cause any kind of allergic reaction. They are very easy to wash off, but their colors aren’t as vibrant or opaque as some other professional brands. Also, their colors tend to become a little dull or "powdery" looking once dried. It is very easy to blend colors and easy to get good details. Some people find it difficult to get a good base coverage for all over the face with this brand. There is no perfume in their face paints. They are available in small kits (as pictured) that include the paint, a sponge, a brush, and a book filled with example designs and are available in mini-kits and larger volume single colors. The kits are available at Michael's Crafts and may be available at Beverly's and/or JoAnn's.

Tulip Body Art
Tulip Body Art makes safe water activated face and body paints. They are easy to wash off with soap and water however, I have heard many reviews stating that many of the colors stain skin very badly. They come in kits and larger volume single colors. They are available at Michael's and JoAnn's and may be available at Beverly's.

Wofe FX
This is probably the best brand available to the general public. Unfortunately, I only know of one way to get it on the Central Coast. That is to buy the small pallet that comes with the Klutz book called Face Painting. You can find it in the craft book section at your local craft stores. I know that Michael's carries it. Since it is part of a book, that makes it more expensive if you just want the paint. Look for the book pictured here.

Wolfe FX is a professional face and body paint that is wax based instead of glycerine based like Tulip and Snazaroo. That means it has very vibrant colors, it is great for details, and one color does not bleed into another. It also means that it is a bit more difficult to blend colors than the others. I highly recommend this brand.

Silly Face Kits

Here is a website that sells little kits. The store is for professional face and body painters, so their products are quality and safe. The link to their section with kits is here: https://sillyfarm.com/collections/kits-palettes

Fusion Body Art | Perfect Face Painting Kit

This is a great kit made by Fusion, which is a reputable, safe brand. You can get it on Amazon here:

https://a.co/d/hDdv9R3

Online stores for safe professional face paint supplies in the US:

Silly Farm

Jest Paint

FacePaint.com

Face Paint Forum Shop.com

Clown Antics

Sunday, November 3, 2013

My dragon

I'm proud of this one because it is my own original design and because I have gotten such great feedback on it. There is a Facebook group for face painters that hosts monthly challenges. There are actually quite a few places on the internet that have face painter contests or challenges. This one was for a detailed work like you would do at a private appointment.

I wanted to do a dragon this way for a long time. Last year I did one that was gray/silver. You can see it here:

It was not as dramatic as I had hoped and I really wanted to make the look of glowing eyes.

It was quite a process. I didn’t just sit down and whip it out (like I’ve seen the Wolfe brothers do.) I gathered and printed many pictures of dragons, studied different parts of them, sketched it out on paper, and sketched it out on my face first. I can’t say exactly how long it took, because I was taking my time just “watching” TV while doing it and took several “breaks” when I made myself something to eat, got the kids a drink of water, etc. I started sketching it out on my face at about 9:00 and started taking photos of it at about midnight. I joked on facebook that I sure hoped my kids didn’t wake up from a bad dream calling for mommy with me in that state!

Dragons I printed up for reference

Sketch with pencil on paper

I honestly meant to take step by step photos but got so into the painting and everything else going on (like the TV shows I was watching) that I forgot to take any after the first one. But, here's the first one where I sketched out the shape on my face.

Sketched out on my face and filled in some white areas. I knew the yellow would need white underneath.

Here's one before I took out the side horns and put in the pupils. In other words, it was the first time I thought I was done.

My website

My facebook page

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Halloween Make-up

I know I don't blog very often. Ok, I almost never blog. I usually do updates on my face painting on facebook page to be honest. But, with Halloween coming up, I have a lot of information to share about Halloween make-up and face paint in general. This is the time of year in the US when more people will be using more make-up or face paint than any other time.

USE SAFE PRODUCTS!

The most important thing is to use products that are specifically made for skin. Many people think that it is safe to use "non-toxic" paints on the skin. This is a misconception. Many ingredients are non-toxic to ingest, but can be harmful if applied to the skin for long periods of time. The ingredients can be safe to swallow but may be highly likely to cause allergic reactions on the skin. Also, your skin is an organ and it needs to breathe. You can harm yourself or, worse a child, by applying something that will not allow their skin to breathe. Here are a few steps to be sure what you use is safe:

1. Never use craft acrylics, poster paints, tempura paints, or any other product that is not specifically labeled as safe to use on skin. For more information on face paint safety see my website here: http://facesbygina.com/face-paint-safety

2. Never use glitter on the face unless it is specifically labeled as "cosmetic grade glitter." The wrong kind of glitter can cause damage if ingested, inhaled, or if it gets into the eyes.

3. Check my reviews of locally available face paint here: http://facesbygina.blogspot.com/2013/10/locally-available-face-paints.html

4. Read the FDA information about "novelty make-up" here: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm143055.htm

TRADE-OFFS: Types of Halloween make-up, advantages and disadvantages

There are many different kinds of products out there to use as Halloween make-up, here's a little guide to help you decide which one to use.

Cake Make-up/Water Activated:

This is what professional face painters use. It is a "cake" type make-up that is activated with water and applied with a brush or sponge. (Note: latex make-up sponges commonly sold do not work with water-activeted make-up, you will need to use a high-density sponge.) It dries quickly, won't smear after it is dry, and will wash off easily with soap and water. It can be used for fine details, it can be blended, is safe for bases (all-over coverage), and does not contain pore-clogging oils. This type of make-up has the most bold, bright, opaque colors.

The disadvantage is that a lot of moisture can "wash" it away. So, tears, drinks, excessive sweat, spilled or splashed water, can make it run or smear. There are professional barrier sprays available to help keep it in place. You should never have to scrub this stuff off! It should wash off with just soap (any kind) and water, however, there may be some lingering color staining with some colors. This can be removed with oil-free make-up remover. Please visit this link for instructions on the best way to remove this type of face paint: http://facesbygina.com/removal-instructions

As far as I know, there are only 3 brands of this type of face paint that are locally available. You can find them at local craft stores. Please see my reviews of them here:

On the Central Coast of California (where I live) I know you

can buy Snazaroo and Tulip Body Art at Michael's. You can also purchase a book called Face Painting by Klutz at Michael's which includes a small palette of Wolfe Brothers brand face paints. I'm not sure what is available at Beverly's and JoAnn's.

I have heard that some areas have Wolfe Brothers brand Halloween kits available at big stores like Walmart. I recommend buying them if you see them!

If you would like to hire a professional to do some awesome make-up on you for Halloween, most face painters take appointments. You can contact me here: http://facesbygina.com/contact Of course, I feel that's the best option because you can get better results and the face painter will provide the right products as part of the service.

Novelty Cream/Grease Make-up:

This is the kind of make-up you see packaged for Halloween for
very little money at stores like Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc. It is usually safe to use on skin and resists sweating,

however, this type of make-up contains ingredients such as mineral oil and petroleum. That means it is likely to cause acne break outs if you are at all prone to them. The colors go on smooth and creamy with no water necessary. They will never dry completely because of the oil base so they can smear at any time after they are applied. The colors are not nearly as brilliant, vibrant, and opaque as water activated face paints. It is very difficult to get details with this type of make-up.

There are some types of cream/grease make-up that are better than others. If you purchase professional stage make-up or clown make-up in this form, you will get much better results. It is usually recommended to set the make-up with a translucent setting powder. This type of professional quality make-up can be very expensive, of course.

Crayons/Sticks:
These are a type of grease make-up that is in the form of an easy-to-use crayon or stick form. See "Novelty Cream/Grease Make-up" above for advantages and disadvantages. For more information see: http://www.snazaroo.us/faqcrayon.htm

Professional Pancake and Stage Make-up:
Well, you are probably not going to want to spend a lot of money on this type of make-up which is available only at costume shops as far as I know. They can be very expensive and do not come in small sample/Halloween packs. These also come in greasepaint type and "pancake" type versions. As stated above, greasepaint or cream based professional make-up is great for lasting through sweat and should be set with a powder. Please see your local costume shop for more information. I have found the people at Costume Capers in San Luis Obispo to be very helpful when it comes to stage make-up. If you would like to hire someone locally to do professional stage make-up, I recommend MJ Johnson at Ethereal FX. She is a trained expert in stage make-up.

Brands to Avoid:

There are many cheap alternatives out there that are actually labeled as "face paint" or "Halloween Make-up" that I recommend avoiding. First, if you ever see Palmer brand face paints avoid them. They have a reputation for causing bad skin reactions and for being incredibly hard to apply. I have found a similar type of "face paint" at Walmart made by Kids Craft. I do not know about safety, but feel free to read the terrible reviews here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kids-Craft-Face-Paint-12-Pots/19515665#Product+Reviews

Of course, there are other products out there but the above information is about the most common types for the general public.

If you want to make sure you have an awesome, safe face painting for Halloween, consider hiring a professional who uses safe cosmetic grade products and is experienced in creating artistic characters with face paint - like ME. :)

call or text: (805) 550-2218
email: IamGinaW (at) gmail.com
website: www.facesbygina.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/facesbygina

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Crafts from Pinterest

Although face painting is picking up again, I'm still ~~obsessed with~~ inspired by the cool crafts I've been seeing on Pinterest.

This is a headband I made from satin. I'm pretty excited about how it came out. I'm going to be making more for sure!

Here's the tutorial I used: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2010/08/blog-post.html

If you want to follow me on Pinterest, I'm here: http://pinterest.com/iamginaw/

Monday, March 5, 2012

Crafts!!! - ID Bracelets-

I've been wasting all kinds of time on Pinterest.com during this slow season for birthday parties and festivals. It has inspired me to do a lot of crafting so I thought I would put some of those projects here, on my neglected blog.

Here's my best idea by far!
If you are going to a place where your children might get separated from you, make them a duct tape bracelet with your phone number on it!! It's great for amusement parks, fairs, festivals, anywhere there will be big crowds.

Here's a simple version:

...and you can get fancy with it if you like with duct tape that has a cool pattern or color.

This is how I make them:

1. Measure your child's wrist. You will want the bracelet just a little loose so it's comfortable to wear but can't fall off. Add about a 1/2 inch for overlap.

2. Tear a length of duct tape a tiny bit longer than the length you want it to end up. Hint: if you cut it, you'll get sticky stuff all over your scissors so at this point, tear it. Place the tape sticky side up on the table.

3. Fold it in thirds length wise. The side that is up will have a seam so this will be the inside.

4. Trim the ends to be the right length with scissors and round off the corners with scissors.

IF THIS IS FOR FUN/LOOKS:

6. You'll want it to be removable and re-usable so add a bit of sticky-back Velcro or other brand hook-loop to the ends. You'll probably want the side facing the arm (stuck to the inside of one end of the bracelet) to be the soft side of the Velcro and the ruff/scratchy side facing out (stuck to the outside of the other end of the bracelet) Notice how the pieces of Velcro are actually stuck to different sides of the bracelet so when they are wrapped around the wrist they'll stick together. Note: I did have to trim the Velcro's width a tiny bit. Cut it before you remove it from the backing.

-OR-
IF THIS IS FOR ONE TIME USE WITH A PHONE NUMBER:

6. You'll probably want to tape it on. In that case, cut a small piece of tape about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. At this point, you can put the tape on some wax paper and use scissors to cut it and then peel the piece off of the wax paper.

7. Wrap the bracelet around your child's wrist, overlap 1/2 inch. Put the small piece of duct tape around the overlap.