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Whether you're a seasoned artist or just beginning your journey, understanding the diverse array of face paint options available can make all the difference in your creations. Gone are the days of thick, gloopy grease paints lurking in the back of your childhood memories. In this guide, we'll delve into the various types of face paints, exploring their unique qualities and why there's such a wide variety to choose from. So, let's uncover the differences between each type of face paint.
Water-activated face paints utilise various base ingredients, including paraffin wax, glycerin, or acacia sengal gum. So what do the different base ingredients mean and how do the ingredients influence the characteristics and application of the paint? Lets look more closely at each of these three base ingredients, starting with PARAFFIN WAX.
PARAFFIN WAX
PARAFFIN WAX
Paraffin wax-based face paints, like those from Diamond FX, Face Paints Australia, and TAG, offer excellent coverage, dry quickly, and are perfect for crisp, detailed designs because they don’t bleed. However, they can soften or melt in hot weather, so extra care is needed in warm climates.
Top Tips:
Use Paraffin Wax based paints for linework, especially black and white linework
My Favourite brands for White and Black linework at DFX and FPA.
GLYCERIN
GLYCERIN
Glycerin-based face paints, like Superstar, Global Blenders, and Paradise by Mehron, are smooth, creamy, and great for blending and soft transitions. They’re gentle on the skin, don’t dry out easily, and tend to have a longer shelf life.
Top Tips:
Use Glycerin based paints for bases. They are perfect for skulls and covering large areas of the skin.
Since they have a softer texture, be careful when using glycerin based split cakes. They can get messy quickly.
SENGAL GUM
SENGAL GUM
Sengal gum-based face paints, like those from Fusion, Global, and Cameleon, are great in hot, dry climates thanks to their stability. They have a firmer, chalkier texture, need a bit more water to activate, and dry slightly slower—giving you more time for detailed work. They’re suitable for sensitive skin, and hold up well throughout the day.
Top Tips:
Fusion is a particularly firm brand of paint. Especially their matte colours. They have a huge range of rainbow cake combinations that are well pigmented. But choose wisely. Fusion cakes can take a long time to wear down if you are only a part time painter. Only purchase cakes you know you can use up in the 12 months before they expire.
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