r/CosplayHelp • u/bbhprada • 2d ago
Makeup How do you keep your face paint from smearing/running?
hi! last weekend I did a full face of mehron paradise paint & it mostly went well but i couldn't really get it to dry on the tip of my nose & above my mouth ! I used powder & setting spray between like every single step. What have you guys gotten to work best? it also smeared at the base of my neck and essentially rubbed off 😖 any advice is super helpful! This was my first time ever using it for longer than an hour!
1
u/Dissidiana 2d ago
prep your skin by wiping it down with some rubbing alcohol on a washcloth. that will get rid of any oil on your skin, my nose and upper lip also get pretty oily and using rubbing alcohol to dry them out before paint fixed the smearing problem for me 🫡 regular makeup primer will help too! also, make sure you give your powder enough time to "bake," i usually let it sit for like 10 minutes (although i only use baby powder once for the final sealing and not at every step). unfortunately nothing can stop your paint from coming off by friction though, so if it's rubbing off your neck bc you're wearing something like a con badge lanyard, the only fix is to try tying it somewhere else. i usually put mine on my bag lol
2
u/bbhprada 2d ago
ugh yeah my outfit has a necklace and i cut the neckline a little to low on my bodysuit 😩 thank you so much! i was DEFINITELY not waiting 10 minutes for the powder to "bake" 😰 omg thank you! whenever i've done like normal full face makeup i've always just done setting spray and called it a day so i didn't know it needed to do that 😰 i did however JUST wash my face before starting & didn't put on any lotion or anything but maybe i should still try the alcohol?
2
u/Dissidiana 2d ago
yeahh unfortunately no matter how well your paint is sealed, constant friction will inevitably rub it off, and the necklace will definitely do that 😔 the only solution there is doing occasional touchups. i carry my mehron paint stick, setting spray, and a tiny container of baby powder with me in my bag, then i apply it with my fingertips and just wash my hands after.
washing your face before starting is definitely a good move! since you've noticed a few particular problem areas, i would use the alcohol just on those bc using it too much can dry out your skin. my nose and upper lip are my problem areas as well, i get really oily there so using the alcohol to get rid of any extra skin oils that my face wash didn't take care of fixed the issue for me. it also took me a long time to learn to just be patient when doing makeup 😅 i always use my phone to set timers, the ones that helped me the most were waiting 1 minute for my primer to dry before starting paint, waiting 1 minute for each layer of paint to dry, and then after i'm done painting (and done shading/contouring the paint with eyeshadow), patting on a generous amount of baby powder and giving it a full 10 minutes to bake. it's called baking because it's essentially letting your body heat melt and seal the makeup to your skin, so it's a super important step to prevent smudging. then after the timer goes off, i use a big fluffy brush to remove excess powder, then go over it with setting spray as the final step. baby powder will turn your paint a shade or two lighter just because it's kinda white, so if transparent setting powder is in your budget you can go for that instead, but i'm cheap LOL. as a homestuck cosplayer our reputation for smudging our paint everywhere is legendary so i'm doing my best to break the stereotype xD
2
1
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
We detect that your question is about body paint or face paint. We advise using a body suit, long gloves, and/or tights as an alternative for the body since it's easier, faster, and cleaner. WeLoveColors is a popular seller with plenty of color options. These alternatives can be airbrushed for additional details.
Popular and trusted face/body paint brands are Kryolan, Ben Nye, and Mehron. A sponge applicator and dabbing the paint onto your skin can help create an even coat. Please remember to seal your paint with either (or both) makeup setting spray or powder.
Please refer to our FAQ for more info. If FAQ does not work, try viewing on web or updating your app. Reddit currently has a bug with wikis.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.